“The main difference between then and now is visibility,” says activist James Charles Roberts, talking about Black presence in the early days of the LGBTQ+ movement.
Addressing the issue of visibility, as part of their Pride month observance, on June 26, the Free Library will present the second in its series “Black and Queer in Philadelphia,” to be hosted by community activist Gary Hines. Hines will hold a conversation with James Charles Roberts and Sappho Reynan Fulton on the Black gay experience in Philadelphia.
Roberts has been active in Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ movement since its early formative days. While a student at Temple University, he was one of the original founding members of the campus’ Gay Liberation Front in the early 1970s. In those days, the movement was mostly about gay white men; women and people of color were often marginalized, and had to fight the activist battle on multiple fronts.
When PGN spoke to Roberts, he had yet to decide where to begin his overview of the Black gay experience in Philadelphia.
“It’s hard to decide where to start—there’s so much ground to cover,” he said.
As a cogent observer of what was going on in the city, Roberts also became a contributing writer to both PGN and its then-competitor Au Courant. [Full disclosure: this reporter was on PGN’s editorial staff when Roberts was a contributor.]
Roberts feels that it’s important that today’s younger generation learn about what went before.
“A lot of the younger people today take for granted so many things we had to fight so hard for 30-40 years ago. So many of them have no sense of history.”
Roberts is also keenly aware of almost an entire generation of gay men lost to AIDS in the ’80s and ’90s, and how lucky today’s LGBTQ+ elders are to have survived.
“A lot of people aren’t here anymore—but we must never allow them to be forgotten,” Roberts said
When asked about what historical event sparked Black gay activism in Philadelphia, Roberts answered, “The first gay dance at Temple, in 1970.”
Roberts will be joined in the conversation by Sappho Reynan Fulton, also an activist and a fighter for diversity. Sappho serves on Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee and is a board member of DVLF. She is the owner/founder of Sapphosway LLC trauma-informed coaching and counseling services.
“Black and Queer in Philadelphia 2: A Conversation” will be held at 6 p.m. on June 26 at the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St. in the Skyline Room, 4th floor; and virtually. For more information and to register for in-person or online events, visit https://bit.ly/3VO3oRG.