Here’s a list of ten black gay male celebrities for those of you who are looking. You know who you are, honey. Of course, we have to begin the list with a man who is very much in the news these days after he came out as a gay man.
1. Yusaf Mack. The professional boxer admitted that he is also into guys after he was caught performing in an adult movie with two other dudes. The 35-year-old father of ten kids has a winning record as a pro; in a total of 41 boxing matches, he recorded 31 wins (17 by knockouts), 8 losses, and 2 draws.
2. Michael Sam. Michael may have jeopardized his unrealized career as an American footballer in the National Football League (NFL) when he came out. Sad, no? Still, we give him props for paving a way for closeted footballers to pass through in the future.
3. Don Lemon. Disliked by some for saying un-PC things, CNN’s Don Lemon is currently the most visible gay black man in mainstream media.
4. Jason Collins. Jason Collins with Congressman Joe Kennedy during the 2013 Boston Pride March. Jason came out while still playing basketball at the National Basketball Association (NBA).
5. RuPaul Andre Charles. RuPaul probably deserves the credit for making drag performing mainstream, no? If you can think of a different person who popularized drag, do tell in the comments.
6. Frank Ocean. Who says there are no gay rappers? Certainly not rapper Frank Ocean who came out in 2012. Who says the black community is homophobic? Certainly not Jay-Z and Beyonce and other black celebrities who voiced out their support to Frank when he came out.
7. Lee Daniels. Lee Daniels with boyfriend Jahil Fisher. If you are looking for a person to thank for bringing us the fabulousness of Cookie Lyons on Empire, Lee Daniels is the man.
8-9. Andre Leon Talley and Miss J. Alexander. Who is more fabulous? ALT or Miss J? We love us our Miss J (who doesn’t?) but we gotta give it to ALT because he is an icon extraordinaire and nothing can beat that. Right, Tyra?
10-11. Milan Christopher and Miles Brock aka the gay couple in Love and Hip Hop. We gotta thank Wendy Williams for introducing us to Miles and Milan. These two may be the Ross and Rachel of the hiphop community because they have apparently broken up after they appeared on Wendy’s show. When will they get back together?
12. Emile Griffith. Emile lived at a time when being gay was still classified as a disease by the American Medical Association. This did not stop him from establishing a winning record as a professional boxer (85 wins, 24 losses, and 2 draws).
That’s it for now. We know there are more famous gay brothers out there so expect a part 2 on this topic of black gay male celebrities in the world of sports, media, music, Hollywood, fashion, and more.