List of African-American LGBT people

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This is a list of Black/African Americans who are also members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or intersex communities.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2023)

Historical figures

Name	Lifetime^[1]	Nationality	Notable as	Communities^[2]
Alain LeRoy Locke	b. 1885	American	Philosopher, writer, educator, art patron	Queer, Gay ^[3]
Barbara Jordan	b. 1936	American	Lawyer, educator, politician, first African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives	LGBTQ+^[4]

Government and politics

Name	Political Party	State	Occupation
Andrew Gillum	Democrat	Florida	Mayor of Tallahassee
Lori Lightfoot	Democrat	Illinois	Mayor of Chicago
Vernetta Alston	Democrat	North Carolina	North Carolina State Representative
Stormie Forte	Democrat	North Carolina	Raleigh City Councilwoman
Gordon Fox^[5]	Democrat	Rhode Island	State Legislature
Rashad Taylor^[6]	Democrat	Georgia	State Legislature
Althea Garrison^[7]	Republican	Massachusetts	Judge and US Representative
Pat Spearman^[8]	Democrat	Nevada	Nevada State Senator
Marcus Brandon^[9]	Democrat	North Carolina	North Carolina State Representative
Ron Oden^[10]	Democrat	California	Mayor
Bruce Harris^[11]	Republican	New Jersey	Mayor
Keith St. John^[12]	Democrat	New York	City Councilman
Darrin P. Gayles^[13]	Democrat	Florida	United States Federal Judge
Kelvin Atkinson^[14]	Democrat	Nevada	Former Nevada Senate Majority Leader
Ritchie Torres^[15]	Democrat	New York	US Representative
Erick Russell	Democrat	Connecticut	Connecticut State Treasurer
Laphonza Butler	Democrat	California	US Senator

Entertainment and media

Name	Occupation
McKinley Belcher III^[16]^[17]	Actor
Kemah Bob^[18]	Comedian and drag king
Lee Daniels^[19]	Film and television producer
Little Richard^[20]	Singer
Don Lemon^[21]	CNN News anchor and journalist
Bessie Smith^[22]	Singer
Raven-Symoné^[23]	Actress and singer
Patrick Ian Polk^[24]	Film director, producer, singer, and actor
Frank Ocean^[25]	Singer, songwriter, and rapper
Wanda Sykes^[26]	Actress and comedian
Kevin Abstract^[27]	Singer, songwriter, director and rapper
Terez Carter Thorpe	Activist, Director, Producer
Daryl Stephens^[28]	Actor
Angel Haze^[29]	Rapper
LZ Granderson^[30]	Journalist and commentator CNN and ESPN
Charles M. Blow^[31]	Columnist for The New York Times
Paris Barclay^[32]	Director, producer, and writer
Andre Leon Talley^[33]	Journalist and editor
Terrance Dean^[34]	Writer and author
Audre Lorde^[35]	Author and feminist
Alice Walker^[36]	Author and poet
Tracy Chapman^[37]	Singer
RuPaul^[38]	Actor, drag queen, and television personality
Tarell Alvin McCraney^[39]	Playwright and actor
James Baldwin^[40]	Author
Janet Mock^[41]	Writer, TV host, and transgender rights activist
Isis King^[42]	Model and designer
Alvin Ailey^[43]	Choreographer and activist
Azealia Banks^[44]	Rapper
Nell Carter^[45]	Actress and singer
Billy Porter	Actor, singer, fashion icon^[46]
Laverne Cox^[47]	Actress and LGBTQ advocate
Janelle Monáe^[48]	Singer-songwriter, actress, model, and record producer
Mo'Nique^[49]	Comedian and actress
Sir Lady Java^[50]	Drag queen, actress, and transgender rights activist
Amandla Stenberg^[51]	Actress and singer
Tessa Thompson^[52]	Actress
Mel Tomlinson^[53]	Ballet dancer and choreographer
Karamo Brown^[54]	Television personality and activist
François Clemmons^[55]	Actor and singer
Lil Nas X^[56]^[57]	Rapper, singer, and songwriter
Harrison David Rivers^[58]	Playwright
Luther Vandross^[59]	Singer, songwriter, record producer.
Todrick Hall^[60]	Singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, director, choreographer
Le1f^[61]	Rapper and producer
Colman Domingo^[62]	Actor, playwright, director, producer, professor.
Angie Stardust^[63]	Singer, actress, drag artist
Queen Latifah	Rapper and Actress
Amythyst Kiah	Singer, songwriter, musician
Marlon Riggs	filmmaker
LeRoy Whitfield^[64]	Journalist
Terry Blade^[65]	Singer, songwriter, lyricist
Monifah Carter Thorpe	Singer, Actress, Producer
Emira D'Spain^[66]	Model, social media influencer, magazine director
Ma Rainey	Singer
Niecy Nash^[67]	Actress and comedian
Tyler, the Creator^[68]	Rapper
Frank Ocean^[69]	Singer, songwriter, musician
Steve Lacy^[70]	Singer, musician

Name	Known For
Shea Couleé^[71]	American drag queen, musician, actor
Dorian Corey^[72]	American drag performer and fashion designer
Honey Davenport^[73]	American drag performer, singer, songwriter, actor and activist
David Hampton^[74]	Con artist
Angela Davis^[75]	Political activist, academic
CeCe McDonald^[76]	LGBTQ advocate
DeRay Mckesson^[77]^[78]	Activist and educator
Marsha P. Johnson^[79]	Gay liberation activist and Stonewall Riot veteran
Bayard Rustin^[80]	Political and Black rights activist
Flawless Shade	Drag queen and make-up artist
Kornbread Jeté	Drag queen
Mary Anne Adams^[81]^[82]	Activist for Black community/Black, elderly lesbians, academic, founder of NAMI NOBLA

References

^ Entries with no sourced year of birth available are marked with a "?".
^ All entries contain a reliably sourced reference. Entries may also contain a letter indicating Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual.
^ Jeffrey C. Stewart (2017). The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke. Oxford University Press. p. 877. ISBN 978-0-199-72331-7. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
^ Kratz, Jessie (2021-06-10). "LGBTQ+ History Month: Barbara Jordan". Pieces of History. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
^ Pérez-Peña, Richard (2015-03-03). "Gordon Fox Pleads Guilty in Rhode Island Corruption Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "State Rep. Rashad Taylor comes out as gay". Project Q. May 27, 2011. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Osberg, Molly (November 8, 2017). "The Tragic Story of Althea Garrison, the First Trans Person to Hold State Office in America". Splinter. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Nevada senator comes out as gay marriage resolution advances". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Lopez, Robert. "Former Rep. Marcus Brandon: Allow gay leaders in Boy Scouts". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Ron Oden (1950- ) • BlackPast". BlackPast. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Avery, Dan (2012-01-05). "Black, Gay And Republican? Chatham Mayor Bruce Harris Is A Friggin' Unicorn!". queerty.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Great Expectations, Unexpected Impact - Keith St. John '81 Becomes the Country's First Openly Gay Black Elected Official". Vassar College. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Miami's Gayles confirmed as first openly gay black male judge on federal bench". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Kelvin Atkinson, Nevada Lawmaker, Comes Out In Gay Marriage Debate". HuffPost. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
^ "Ritchie Torres becomes first gay Afro Latino elected to Congress". NBC News. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
^ "DEATH OF a SALESMAN's McKinley Belcher III to Marry Boyfriend Blake Fox; Andre de Shields Will Officiate".
^ "Andre de Shields on Instagram: "Congratulates McKinley Belcher III and Blake Fox. What a joy to officiate your nuptials. Photo by @liachangphotography"".
^ Crosara, Nic (21 July 2022). ""It's an unapologetic celebration of comedians of colour": DIVA meets Kemah Bob". Diva. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
^ Jones, Ellen E. (2017-10-07). "Empire's Lee Daniels: 'I always see myself as one step away from a flop'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Malone, Chris (October 9, 2017). "A Brief History of Little Richard Grappling With His Sexuality & Religion". Billboard.
^ "CNN's Don Lemon On Being Black And Gay In The World Today". IN Magazine. 2019-02-19. Archived from the original on 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ McGasko, Joe. "The Mother and The Empress: Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith". Biography. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Breeanna Hare. "Raven-Symone: I'm not gay, and I'm not African-American". CNN. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Anderson, Tre'vell. "Our Diverse 100: Meet Patrik-Ian Polk, the man bringing black gay stories to screens large and small". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Lamphier, Jason (2016-08-23). "How Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' Redefines Pop Queerness". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Wanda Sykes on coming out: 'I kind of shocked myself'". CNN. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Blake, Jimmy (2018-08-31). "The rapper taking on hip hop's 'homophobic space'". Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Black and gay in LA: Noah's Arc star Darryl Stephens on diversity". NITV. March 2016. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "26 Celebrities Who Identify as Bisexual, Pansexual, or Totally Label-Free". Allure. Condé Nast. June 13, 2017. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "LZ Granderson: Living as a straight man felt like 'drowning'". ABC News. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Charles Blow: "Up From Pain," Sex Abuse, and Bisexuality". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Love Stories Paris Barclay and Christopher Mason". advocate.com. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "André Leon Talley on His Fashion Career, His Weight Struggle, and His Sexual Pastg". The Hive blog on Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Romero, Frances (2008-05-15). "Guess Who's Gay in Hip-Hop". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Audre Lorde on Being a Black Lesbian Feminist". english.illinois.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Women's History Month Heroes: Alice Walker". GLSEN. March 9, 2011. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
^ Wajid, Sara (December 14, 2006). "No Retreat". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
^ Okura, Lynn (2013-11-12). "RuPaul's Partner Of 19 Years Is A Rancher From Wyoming (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Lee, Benjamin (2016-10-21). "Moonlight's Tarell Alvin McCraney: 'I never had a coming out moment'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "James Baldwin's sexuality: Complex and influential". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Hattenstone, Simon (2018-04-15). "Janet Mock: 'I'd never seen a young trans woman who was thriving in the world – I was looking for that'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Qween, Hey (2017-06-20). "Model Isis King Talks Her Transition, Homelessness and 'Top Model'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Alvin Ailey Gay African American Dance Pioneer". Lavender Magazine. 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Ciara Appelbaum. "36 celebrities you never knew are bisexual". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Nell Hardy Carter (1948-2003) • BlackPast". BlackPast. 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Benjamin, Jessica (2021-02-02). "Billy Porter on London Pride and being a fashion icon". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
^ "Laverne Cox". Biography. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Pansexual is not the same as bisexual. Janelle Monáe is bringing visibility to us all". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Duncan, Charlie (2023-04-07). "Mo'Nique comes out in Netflix special and slams religion for 'ripping apart motherf**king families'". PinkNews. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
^ Zonkel, Phillip (2018-02-15). "Black History Month: Sir Lady Java was a transgender trailblazer who challenged police harassment". Q Voice News. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "'Hunger Games' star Amandla Stenberg: 'Yep, I'm gay, not bi or pan'". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Gonzales, Erica (2018-06-29). "Tessa Thompson Comes Out as Bisexual and Says She and Janelle Monáe "Love Each Other Deeply"". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Jenny Drabble (8 February 2019). "Pioneering ballet star with Winston-Salem, UNCSA ties, dies at age 65". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Pardee, Lauren (2018-02-23). "'Queer Eye' Star Karamo Brown Opens Up About Discovering He Had a 10-Year-Old Son". Parents. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Azzopardi, Chris (June 27, 2018). "Mister Rogers's Gay, Black Friend François Clemmons Wears Tiaras Now". HWD. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Jacobs, Julia (July 2019). "Lil Nas X Comes Out on Last Day of Pride Month". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "Rapper Lil Nas X Seemingly Comes Out as Gay". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "This playwright may be the busiest Minnesotan in show business". Minneapolis Star Tribune. 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
^ "Patti LaBelle Says Luther Vandross Didn't Want To 'Upset' His Mother, Fans By Coming Out As Gay". Essence Magazine. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
^ Rule, Doug (15 July 2016). "Todrick Hall on Straight Outta Oz, living openly, and being a role model on YouTube". Retrieved 24 March 2024.
^ "Le1f, Gay Rapper, Blasts Macklemore For 'Same Love' Success". Essence Magazine. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
^ "Colman Domingo Explains How He Met His Husband On Craigslist". February 23, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
^ Guilbert, Georges-Claude (2018-05-30). Gay Icons: The (Mostly) Female Entertainers Gay Men Love. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7433-9.
^ Stone, Martha E. (Jan 1, 2006). "The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide - Passages 2005". The Free Library.
^ Treacy, Christopher (2023-01-05). "Q&A With Terry Blade • Country Queer". Country Queer. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
^ "Meet Emira D'spain, The First Black Transgender Model To Work With Victoria's Secret". Nylon. March 7, 2022.
^ News, A. B. C. "Niecy Nash makes wife Jessica Betts' prom 'dreams come true': See the photos". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-06-26. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^ "Tyler The Creator Is The Latest Male Celebrity To Reveal He's Bisexual". ELLE. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
^ Ramirez, Erika (2012-07-04). "Frank Ocean Opens Up About Sexuality". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
^ Shanfeld, Ethan (2023-08-08). "'I Feel Free': Steve Lacy Confronts 'Bad Habit' Fame, Not Apologizing for That Camera Smash and Why Coming Out Is 'Silly'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
^ "Drag Race star Shea Couleé on why we should all be uplifting trans women of colour for Pride". GAY TIMES. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
^ "The True Story Of The Drag Performer With A Mummy In Her Closet Portrayed On 'Pose'". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
^ Cooridinator, DNA Online (2019-10-24). "Honey Davenport In Australia To Raise Awareness Of Queer People Of Colour". DNA. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
^ Goudsouzian, Aram (2004). Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon. Univ of North Carolina Press. p. 365. ISBN 9780807828434.
^ "Award Stripped From Lesbian Civil Rights Icon Angela Davis". The Advocate. 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ Erdely, Sabrina Rubin (2014-07-30). "The Transgender Crucible". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "#BlackLivesMatter Protester Deray McKesson to Teach at Yale". Mediaite.com. 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
^ "DeRay Mckesson Wants You to Come Out of the Quiet". The Advocate. 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
^ "Marsha P. Johnson, a Transgender Pioneer and Activist". The New York Times. 2018-03-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
^ "Bayard Rustin: the gay black pacifist at the heart of the March on Washington". The Guardian. 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
^ African Americans doing feminism : putting theory into everyday practice. Aaronette M. White. Albany: State University of New York (SUNY) Press. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4384-3143-7. OCLC 794698965.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Johnson, E. Patrick (2018). Black. Queer. Southern. Women : an oral history. Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1-4696-4111-9. OCLC 1057725887.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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