#joseph beam

[genevieveetguy]

. Black men loving black men is the revolutionary act.

Tongues Untied, Marlon Riggs (1989)

[anthonybuford]

“Black men loving black men is THE revolutionary act”. -Joseph Beam ✨🤎✊🏽

Photos by me.

[moominghost]

Please stay well in spirit, and believe love will come to you and make you stronger, but be strong, now, while it seems love is not near.

Essex Hemphill, from a letter to Joseph Beam, 1985 

[bdub86]

[granvarones]

joseph beam

december 30, 1954 - december 27, 1988

joseph beam was a fierce activist, poet and artist, who in his short time on this planet, provided and continues to provide, as charles stevens describes it, a compass for us to locate ourselves and to discover each other.

born and raised in philadelphia, pa, joseph began to gain national attention in the early 1980’s with his articles and stories. by 1984, the gay and lesbian press awarded him with a certificate for outstanding achievement for a minority journalist.

throughout the first half of the 80’s, joseph collected material for anthology of writings by and about black gay men.

in 1986, joseph’s book, “in the life” was released. the first anthology of writings by black gay men, included 29 authors and explored what it was like to be both black and gay, in america, at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

“in the life” was initially ignored by mainstream queer press and academia. over 30 years later, it is now widely regarded as a milestones in queer literature.

joseph was working on a follow-up to “in the life” when he died of AIDS-related complications on december 27, 1988 - three days shy of his 34th birthday.

joseph’s mother, dorothy beam and his friend, the late great essex hemphill, completed the work of joseph’s follow-up to “in the life.” it was published under the title of “brother to brother” in 1991.

joseph beam would have been 64 years today. his prolific words continue to inform us of a history that must always be remembered and his legacy continues to be a compass, a reminder that we may never forget to locate each other.

[torrid-wind]

Visibility is survival. It is possible to read thoroughly two or three consecutive issues of the Advocate, the national biweekly gay news magazine, and never encounter, in words or images, Black gay men….We ain’t family. Very clearly, gay male means: white, middle-class, youthful, naturalized, and probably butch; there is no room for Black gay men within the confines of this gay pentagon.

Joseph Beam, from the Philadelphia Gay News in 1984

[sailingwhoatough-guy]

joseph beam's brother to brother intro only had to show itself to get a grip on me OH MY GAAAHD

[otoso]

“What is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. I know anger. My body contains as much anger as water. It is the material from which I have built my house: blood red bricks that cry in the rain…. It is the face and posture I show the world. It is the way, sometimes the only way, I am granted an audience. It is sometimes the way I show affection. I am angry because of the treatment I am afforded as a Black man. That fiery anger is stoked with the fuels of contempt and despisal shown me by my community because I am gay. I cannot go home as I am.”

— Joseph Beam, In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology