Legendary: African American LGBTQ Past Meets Present was an exhibition on view at the GLBT Historical Society Museum from February to April 2013, curated by the late Byron Mason. It showcased the dynamic and diverse history of Bay Area Black LGBTQ lives, featuring a mosaic of words, images and sounds. Reflecting themes of art, belonging, justice and sexuality, this exhibition highlighted local queer community leaders and events that have left an indelible imprint on the fabric of today’s LGBTQ community.

Explore Legendary as it was told by the curator, with all quoted text provided by Mason and selected visuals from the original museum exhibition. This online display has been lightly expanded with additional images from the Society’s digital collections.

The GLBT Historical Society celebrates the life and work of Byron Mason (1972–2020), a longtime Bay Area activist, artist and social and behavioral-sciences researcher focusing on sexuality and HIV/AIDS. A quiet tour-de-force in the Black LGBTQ community, Mason was the research partnerships director at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at the University of California, San Francisco and volunteered his time to a number of organizations, including Gilead Sciences and the planning committee for the annual San Francisco Bay Area event to honor Black LGBTQ History. He was also a former member of the board of directors of the GLBT Historical Society.

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 “Legendary is an expression of respect and an acknowledgement of ingenuity, sweat and determination. LGBTQ African Americans have a long, vibrant history. Throughout the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, civil-rights and liberation movements of the 1950s and 1960s, the sexual and feminist expressions of the 1970s, and on to today, Black LGBTQ people have always had a presence. We have undeniably influenced modern LGBTQ culture. Musicians such as Gladys Bentley, authors such as Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin, activists like Bayard Rustin and Stonewall veteran Marsha P. Johnson challenged traditions and pushed for greater expression and justice.”
   

Man with sunglasses and masked person, Castro Street Fair, San Francisco, 1977; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

Woman with braided hair, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, June, 1979; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

 
“The African American LGBTQ community’s contributions span a far-reaching commitment to equality, visibility and inclusion. Our history has been challenged by racial, economic, gender and sexual discrimination. Through defiance, dissent and love, we have persevered. This exhibition takes you on a multi-generational journey, offering insight into the diverse spectrum of Black LGBTQ lives.”
  

Children in the crowd, Castro Street Fair, San Francisco, 1977; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

 
“To travel the road paved by African American LGBTQ people is to celebrate the countless contributions we have made to the foundation for LGBTQ activism worldwide. There is still work to be done. Stigma, marginalization and HIV/AIDS still weigh heavily on our lives. Yet the luminous history of artistic, intellectual, political, and — yes — sexual innovation cultivated by Bay Area African American LGBTQ communities shines bright. The wisdom and tools passed down can help us all continue to live our lives unapologetically and with uncompromising pride.

  Now that’s legendary.”

   
Continue scrolling to see the online selection of images from the original exhibition. 

Click on the individual photos to enlarge.

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 “We all need to belong to a community, a tribe. Belonging can be expressed through friendships, music and dance, art, sexuality and the ways in which African American LGBTQ people continue to define family. 

Belonging underscores the universal human desire for togetherness and inclusion, but also the alienation and marginalization that seek to pull us apart. It calls us to remember that we are all in search of a welcoming place — regardless of who we are, how we identify, or whom we choose to love.”

Aché, the Bay Area’s Journal for Black Lesbians, Vol. 1, No. 9, October, 1989; Periodicals Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

Revelers at a 1977 Halloween party; photographer unknown, Collection of slides of Black gay events (1997-39), GLBT Historical Society.

Lorraine Hurdle (far left) with three other people seated and smiling, ca. 1950s. On verso, stamped “released for publication credit USAF official photograph Portland, Airport, Portland, Oregon.” Lorraine Hurdle Papers (2018-12), GLBT Historical Society.

Lorraine Hurdle (1922–2014) was a Black lesbian who served in the United States Women’s Army Corps in Germany during World War II.

Etta Perkins (center left, in white suit with flowers) with Cora Latz (center right, in black vest) and wedding party at their 1973 commitment ceremony. Cora Latz and Etta Perkins Photographs (2003-43), GLBT Historical Society.

Etta Perkins and Cora Latz were a lesbian couple who met in 1972 and were together until Perkins’ death in 1998. In 1998 they also privately renewed their vows with the staff who cared for them at the Jewish Home for the Aged.

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“Black Lace,” 1992; Ephemera Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

 “African American LGBTQ sexuality, so life-affirming and essential, is nonetheless felt through a long history of devaluation and exploitation of Black bodies and queer lives. 

In white-dominated LGBTQ culture, Black men struggle against being reduced to body parts, while black lesbians and trans people get relegated to the margins. Through a blend of strength, power and cheekiness, [we express] erotic diversity, power and play.”

Two women embracing, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, June, 1978; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

Two drag queens, 1970; photograph by Henry Leleu, Henry Leleu Papers (1997-13), GLBT Historical Society.

Man in leather pants and shoulder straps, Castro Street Fair, San Francisco, 1990; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

Three men embracing, Castro Street, ca. 1978–1979; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

Two women with “Hot Lips” shirts, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, June, 1977; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

▲ Belonging

 “African American LGBTQ artists have shaped the Bay Area’s creative scene for decades. 

  Sylvester defied gender boundaries and tore up dance floors. Since the 1970s, artists such as poet Pat Parker, novelist Jewelle Gomez, the Pomo Afro Homos Theater troupe and filmmaker Marlon Riggs have offered diverse depictions of Black LGBTQ lives. 

They paved the way for Black queer arts today including the homohop Deep Dickollective and the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project.”

Pomo Afro Homos, 1991-1993, San Francisco LGBT Groups Ephemera Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

Pomo Afro Homos performance troupe, 1991-1993, San Francisco LGBT Groups Ephemera Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

Short for “Postmodern African American Homosexuals” and active from 1990 to 1995, this African American gay theatre group was founded in San Francisco by choreographer-dancer Djola Bernard Branner, actor Brian Freeman, and singer, dancer and actor Eric Gupton.

Sylvester performing, Castro Street Fair, San Francisco, CA. August, 1979; photograph by Robert Pruzan, Robert Pruzan Collection (1998-36), GLBT Historical Society.

“Sylvester Celebrates,” 1987; video by Charles Cyberski, Charles Cyberski Videotapes (1994-03), GLBT Historical Society.

Sylvester (September 6, 1947 – December 16, 1988) was a famed Black, genderqueer singer-songwriter known for his disco hits, including “(You Make Me Feel) Mighty Real,” and his flamboyant personal style. He was openly gay and defied the gender binary. This footage includes live performances by Sylvester celebrating his 40th birthday, including his performance at the 1985 Cable Car Awards.

Man in drag with silver costume, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, June, 1980; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Collection (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

Man in drag with silver costume, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, June, 1980; photograph by Crawford Barton, Crawford Barton Papers (1993-11), GLBT Historical Society.

Advertisement for Gladys Bentley's performances at Mona's 440 Club, ca. 1940s. Wide Open Town Collection (2003-05), GLBT Historical Society.

Gladys Alberta Bentley (August 12, 1907 – January 18, 1960) was a prominent American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance. She dressed in men's clothes (including a signature tuxedo and top hat), played piano, and sang her own raunchy lyrics to popular tunes of the day in a deep, growling voice while flirting with women in the audience.

Woman with sequined dress, feathers and holding a microphone and fan, San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, 1978; photograph by Elaine Gay Jarvis, Elaine Gay Jarvis Papers (2018-90), GLBT Historical Society.

▲ Sexuality

10th Annual “Empowering Women of Color Conference” poster, April 22, 1995, University of California Berkeley. Ephemera Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

 “Many African American LGBTQ people live between the personal and the political. Simply existing can be an exercise in defiance in the face of marginalization by society, Black communities and the wider LGBTQ community. 
  
The Bay Area’s long history of social justice has always included Black LGBTQ people who raised their voices and organized to combat oppression, invisibility and silence. From city streets to City Hall, today’s battles against racism, sexism, classism and trans/homophobia stand on their shoulders.”

"Joan Jett-Blakk for President: By Any Means Necessary" poster, 1992; Art & Artifacts Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

In January 1992, drag queen Blakk ran as a part of the Queer Nation Party, having helped found the Chicago branch of the activist organization. In doing so, she became the first-ever drag queen to run for president. She is the drag alter ego of performer, artist and activist Terence Smith, who began doing drag in 1974.

For Smith, who said his drag was inspired by Grace Jones, David Bowie and Divine, the power in drag was “stomping on that line between male and female and erasing it.” Blakk didn’t expect with any seriousness to win the campaign, but instead ran to draw attention to LGBTQ rights that were being ignored by the government at the time.

The Ladder, A Lesbian Review, Daughters of Bilitis, June 1966; Periodicals Collection, GLBT Historical Society.

The cover of this issue of The Ladder, features a portrait of Ernestine Eckstein (1941–1992), vice president of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian organization in the United States. The issue also features an extensive interview with Eckstein, who was one of the first African American leaders of the LGBTQ movement in the United States.

The monthly journal of the Daughters of Bilitis, The Ladder, was published from 1956 until 1972. It was the third nationally distributed magazine produced by what was then known as the homophile movement.

  
  “Bay Area African American LGBTQ people have made powerful contributions to culture, community, activism and the erotic, yet there sometimes exists a disconnect with this rich history and how it undoubtedly influences the world we live in today. We have been renegades, leaders, brothers and sisters who have for decades stood up for the beauty, importance and power of our own lives.” 

▲ Art

Acknowledgements

This exhibition titled Legendary: African American LGBTQ Past Meets Present was on view at the GLBT Historical Society Museum from February to April 2013. It included commentary by Veronika Fimbres (transgender, veteran and HIV/AIDS activist); Shine Louise Houston (feminist porn director and entrepreneur); Honey Mahogany (RuPaul's Drag Race); Dr. Kenneth Monteiro (dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University); Chaney Turner (Oakland-based event producer); and Marvin White (poet and novelist). 

  2013 Museum Exhibition Team

Curator: Byron Mason

Curatorial Consultant: Don Romesburg, Ph.D.

Exhibition Installation: Elisabeth Cornu, Meghan Kroning, Jeremy Prince and Ramón Silvestre

Design Consultant: Jeff Raby, Creatis Group, Inc.

Audio Producer: John Raines

Nalini Elias, Director of Exhibitions and Museum Experience, Website Design
Mark Sawchuk, Ph.D., Communications Manager, Editor
Ramón Silvestre, Ph.D., Museum Registrar and Curatorial Specialist
Contact, GLBT Historical Society

  
Copyright © 2021 The GLBT Historical Society; all rights reserved. 
The contents of this exhibition may not be reproduced in whole or part without written permission.

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