Atlanta is the centre of the African American LGBT community in the south. We asked Black Pride attendees what makes Atlanta’s scene so important

‘It's OK to be ourselves’: Atlanta’s black LGBT community in their own words

‘It's OK to be ourselves’: Atlanta’s black LGBT community in their own words

Atlanta Black Pride Weekend (ABPW) is the largest event of its kind in the US, attracting 80,000 people to the city. Atlanta has become known as a travel destination for many black gay Americans, who feel it is one of the few places in the south where they can feel safe and free.

But for those who actually call it home, Atlanta can be difficult to navigate. Racism, sexism and homophobia are rife. Being black and gay also means being more exposed than most to the threat of HIV: 67% of all diagnoses in Fulton county, which includes most of downtown Atlanta, are gay and bisexual men. Of those, more than four of five are African American.

Many people in our community grew up in churches where the teaching, preaching and the theology was anti-gay Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III

Chloe Jordan, 39, a senior researcher at the Emory University Department of Medicine, is working on the Atlanta Lite Study, the first cohort study of transgender women and transfeminine people undertaken in the US. She says poverty and chronic homelessness plague the black LGBT community, particularly those who are trans.

“Many of us are living with no safety net, so we turn to sex work to survive, which also makes us susceptible to violence,” Jordan says. She herself experienced homelessness after coming out as trans to her family, and today uses her story to advocate for LGBT rights.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III (left), one of the organizers of the Pure Heat community festival at Black Pride

Bishop Clyde Allen III, 45, the founder of Vision Cathedral of Atlanta, argues that the black church doesn’t help. Once the cornerstone of the black community, it has perpetuated toxic attitudes about gay people, he says, which is particularly detrimental to the self-esteem of the many black gay people who look to the church for spiritual guidance.

Allen – who in 2015 was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/Aids – says ABPW provides a different space for healing. “[It is] an affirming environment designed to make sure people live their best lives,” he says.

During the Pure Heat festival in September, hosted by the Vision Community Foundation and Traxx Girls, members of the LGBTQ community spoke candidly about life in Atlanta – the good and the bad.

Yvette Harris, 40 and Trey Anthony, 45

“My [straight] colleagues talk about their spouses and children – I’m out, but it’s not a free-flowing conversation in every facet,” says Yvette Harris. “It’s something unique about the south. You’re a little more polite being queer here.”

Her West Indian roots make Trey Anthony, Harris’ partner, more cautious about openly expressing her sexuality. “I think being Jamaican I have a different kind of sense of fear around homophobia, because I know what that can look like,” Anthony says.

The two plan to get married and have children, but want to leave the south to do so.

“We’re going to wait to move the west coast and have kids there,” Anthony says. “I think it would be hard for them having two moms and going to school, especially in a state that’s so religious.”

Kelli Morgan, 28 and Chantel Kennedy, 28

“The gay community here is very close-knit, everyone knows us here and it’s OK to be ourselves,” says Kennedy.

The two aspiring hip-hop artists performed at the Pure Heat festival, one of the largest events of ABPW last month.

They relocated to Atlanta because of its opportunities and community for black people, which Kennedy says made the move easier.

Morgan, who is single, says dating in Atlanta is a “wide playing field”: “There are no limits.”

Ryan Christopher

As a stylist, Christopher dresses reality stars such as Dr Heavenly Kimes of Married to Medicine and Erica Dixon of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta. and says he’s focused on his work. “I’m dating my work, that’s what I love,” he says. “Right now my partner is styling and I’m faithful.”

Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Christopher has lived in Atlanta for about a year and a half. He says there is a stigma attached to being LGBT in the south, and that even in a place like Atlanta, with a large gay population, discrimination is still a part of everyday life.

Working in the entertainment industry, Christopher says he constantly has to shoot down generalizations about gay men. “The stereotype is that gay people can be catty, extra and flamboyant, but that’s not everybody.”

Wil, 30, and Jonathan Bryant, 34

The Bryants didn’t have a fancy wedding. In fact, the two exchanged vows in between running errands after work one day, says Jonathan.

“He said ‘Do you want to get married?’ And I said yes, so we went to the courthouse and got married and that was it,” Jonathan recalls, smiling.

Both their families were against the union and so did not attend. However, they maintain a relationship with Wil’s mother, who is supportive.

After the ups and downs of dating in Atlanta they were ready to settle down. “Everyone says they’re looking for someone, but they don’t actually act that way,” Jonathan says. “Dating is difficult because there are a lot of people who aren’t out or are out at different degrees.”

Vaughn Alvarez, 30

Vaughn Alvarez is the founder of the Cr8 PR agency in Atlanta, and worked on the Pure Heat festival at Piedmont Park during ABPW.

As a millennial, Alvarez says LGBT rights were embraced by his generation, so he never had to come out. “I was always just myself,” he says. Alvarez moved from Nashville to Atlanta 10 years ago because of the culture here. “There’s a sense of freedom and … community amongst the African American LGBT community here, and that makes it so unique,” he says.

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Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III, 45

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Allen came to Atlanta to attend the prestigious men’s-only Morehouse College. He founded The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta to serve as “an affirming and inclusive spiritual environment”, providing a haven from the stigma associated with the LGBT community that he says is often rooted in religious doctrine.

“Many people in our community grew up in theological abusive and spiritually violent churches where the teaching, preaching and the theology was anti-gay.”

The Vision Cathedral is a black church and Allen’s own work focuses on issues affecting the black community. “The reason there is a church is to provide care, love, and help,” Allen says. He lives in Atlanta with his husband Rashad Burgess and their two adopted children.

Kevin Ramos, 57, and Errol McTear, 57

Ramos and McTear have been partners for almost four years. In that time, Ramos says ABPW has grown smaller. Once it offered movie screenings, fashion shows, poetry readings and conferences, but now the focus is on the parties, they say.

“They used to shut down Lenox Mall because there would be so many people here,” Ramos says. “We have watched it dwindle every year. I think maybe social media has changed the way people interact – before, we had to get together.”

Both Ramos and McTear lived through the Aids epidemic of the 1980s and 90s; many of their friends passed away or are living with HIV. Ramos believes shame – especially that perpetuated by the church – contributes to the high rates of HIV infection in the black community.

Keosha Blue, 27, and Mercedez Delaney, 27

Blue and Delaney have been together for most of their lives. They moved to Atlanta from Colorado in 2012. They now live about 30 minutes outside of the city and plan to move into the center to feel more accepted as an LGBT couple.

“Unless you’re in the gay community people aren’t open about it,” Delaney says. “People are more judgemental unless you’re in Midtown or Piedmont Park.”

Blue is currently undergoing the process of gender reassignment and says the support he receives at the clinic is not matched when he’s out and about.

“When I was at the strip club they damn near threw me out because they were mad about me using the men’s bathroom,” he says.

Melissa “DJ M” Scott, 42

As a star of docusoap Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and founder of party promotion group Traxx Girls, Scott considers it her mission to help people feel more comfortable with being out and gay. She says religion and family can often be barriers, and recalls her mother asking “What did I do wrong?” after Scott came out as a lesbian. “She just has a gay kid and a successful gay kid at that,” Scott says.

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Mingling within the “huge pool” of LGBT people of color, Scott often finds herself at the intersection of women’s rights, racial justice and LGBTQ rights.

“However discrimination comes, it feels the same.”

Guardian Cities is live in Atlanta for a special series of in-depth reporting. Share your experiences of the city in the comments below, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #GuardianATL, or via email to cities@theguardian.com