As Morehouse College anticipates another year without a lavender graduation to celebrate LGBTQ students, a campus organization stepped up with the Circus Maximus Kiki Ball at Archer Hall on Friday. Envisioned in part as a stand-in for the missing ceremony honoring LGBTQ graduates and to celebrate the end of the spring semester, the event hosted […]
LGBTQ
Posted inCulture, HBCUs, LGBTQ
For Clark Atlanta’s Queer Students, This Prom Was More Than a Party
When a group of Clark Atlanta University students decided to forgo a lavender graduation to celebrate LGBTQ students, they put a special twist on a prom event to create a night to remember. BLAQ, CAU’s LGBTQ+ student organization, was cultivated to create safe spaces, foster community, and provide resources for queer students within the Atlanta […]
Posted inEducation, HBCUs, LGBTQ
As HBCU Graduations Near, Some LGBTQ Students Are Left Without Ceremony
As students across the Atlanta University Center plan their graduation celebrations with family and friends, some students are struggling with inclusion. Fighting to have their identity celebrated at graduation, students at Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University are exploring ways to uplift one another as LGBTQ rights and representation come under attack within […]
Posted inLGBTQ
Trans Day of Visibility in Atlanta Centers Black Trans Survival and Joy
As Toni-Michelle Williams, a community organizer and advocate for Black trans justice, gears up to celebrate her 35th birthday next week, her thoughts go back to her suicide attempt at 14 and the challenges trans youth face in Georgia today. “My message to young trans people is to get excited and stay excited to be […]
Posted inHBCUs, Health, LGBTQ
As HIV Knowledge Lags Among Gen Z, Morehouse Event Pushes Education
With plates of food in hand and laughter echoing throughout the building, Atlanta University Center students gathered at Morehouse College on Wednesday night for an important community dialogue about sexual health and HIV, a conversation many admitted they don’t have often enough. The evening, hosted by the LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD and biopharma company […]
Posted inHealth, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Black LGBTQ Advocates Press Georgia Lawmakers on Civil Rights
Christian Benoit was one of dozens of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Georgians from across the state who traveled to the Capitol on Tuesday morning to take part in the Pride to the Capitol rally. “We have to stand in solidarity for those that won’t or can’t stand and represent themselves,” Benoit said. “We […]
Posted inHealth, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy
If PrEP Coverage to Combat HIV Disappears, Black Communities Could Be Hit Hard
Cullen Smith takes an HIV preventative medication every day for “added security” and “peace of mind” after he thought he may have contracted the disease from a partner last year. “Once that situation came up, if I wanted to keep my current health, I needed to take other actions,” said Smith, an Atlanta resident. “I […]
Posted inHBCUs, LGBTQ
LGBTQ Students Are Rewriting What Belonging Looks Like at the AUC
“We have always existed at Morehouse. We have always existed in the AUC,” said Jordan Freeman, a senior early childhood education major at Morehouse College. “The difference now is that we are documenting it.” Freeman, who co-leads Adodi, Morehouse’s LGBTQIA+ registered student organization, described documentation as an act of protection at the esteemed all-male college. […]
Posted inCommunity, LGBTQ
Black Trans Leaders in Atlanta Create Safety and Support Amid Growing Attacks
Amid the current political climate where it has become even more difficult to be Black and trans in the South, the Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative, known as SnapCo, are finding ways to carve out joy and normalcy for Atlanta’s community of queer people of color. Formed in 2013 out of an alliance between the Racial […]
Posted inArts, Culture, LGBTQ
Amy Sherald’s ‘American Sublime’ Exhibit Has a New Home at the High Museum
After pulling her “American Sublime” exhibit from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery over trans censorship issues, Georgia artist Amy Sherald will now bring the paintings home. “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” will be at the High Museum of Art from May 15 to Sept. 27. The exhibit, featuring 50 works from the Clark Atlanta University alum’s […]