Certain communities of gay men, youth, transgender individuals, immigrants, men of Caribbean and continental African heritage tend to be overlooked, even when they are specially impacted by social, economic and health concerns. The Network collaborates to build smaller and under-organized communities’ capacity by cultivating and developing local leaders, organizations, and services. The Network also develops the leadership of individual Black gay men who participate in its Leaders Group by providing opportunities for professional and personal growth.
BGN Initiatives
The 1st Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People of Color Health Summit - February 21st - 23rd, 2008 in Albany, NY;
Learn more and register at the official Summit website: www.2008LGBTPOCSUMMIT.com
The 1st Annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People of Color Health Summit - February 21st - 23rd, 2008 in Albany, NY;
Learn more and register at the official Summit website: www.2008LGBTPOCSUMMIT.com
Training Institute
NYSBGN
Campaign for Black Gay Men’s Lives
Much of the work of HIV prevention from community based organizations has been about exposing and challenging homophobia and de-stigmatizing HIV. Opening dialogues within the larger Black community concerning sexuality, difference and HIV prevention has been an underlying goal of the work for as far back as the first organized effort responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Community based service organizations have struggled with producing large scale campaigns that really impact norms and attitudes mainly due to limited or lack of resources. NYSBGN has taken lead on the creation of a three tiered effort to re-imagine; re-vitalize and re-initiate critical conversations about the silence concerning the value of Black gay Men’s lives. This effort will transform community attitudes and values regarding Black gay Men in the following ways:
- Model behavior for community members
- Develop leaders to combat homophobic rhetoric and the community level
- Stimulate dialogue regarding Black gay men’s lives and community norms
- Uncovering homophobic ideology
- Making homophobia socially unacceptable
- Establish genuine strategic partnerships with heterosexual groups to denounce homophobia
- Creating spaces for heterosexual peoples contribute to an ongoing campaign to the hatred
Visit the current media campaign: www.wearepartofyou.org & expect the 2008 Black Paper – a culmination of US HIV/AIDS research efforts focused on Black gay men, cultural and traditional nuances that have impacted HIV prevention efforts and next steps at the federal and local level to stem the tide of the epidemic among Black gay men.
Quarterly Meetings
NYSBGN convenes quarterly membership meetings of its 30 member organization delegates to share resources, best practices, assess state-wide needs, identify program and fund development gaps. Rotating across all of New York’s urban centers – Albany/Capitol District, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester & Syracuse – the quarterly meetings not only to serve the purpose of taking care of “network” business matters and decision-making, but also to gather critical data from community leaders on emerging issues related to youth, HIV prevention, testing and care, and other issues related to the lives of Black gay men. The Network also works to increase the visibility of Black men who practice same-sex desire in each city during the quarterly by coordinating local awareness raising events with local organizations and community members.
GLBT Positive Youth Development Leadership T.A.
In addition to developing a pilot project for safer schools for GLBT youth and young adults in
Fluid Bodies
Did you know that most Black folks in
The project, initially funded by the New York City Council, is a partnership among Caribbean community members and providers of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, immigration, legal, advocacy and other health and human services.
The fundamental goals of the
For more information on
REVIVAL! Initiative
The Black church is the most influential and strong standing entity in the Black community. This entity serves in many ways as the container and facilitator for much of the Black community’s value setting and mobilization efforts. Black gay men routinely experience an unprecedented level of attacks from the pulpit as well as publicly from conservative members of the Black church, primarily Black clergy. These attacks on Black gay men largely stem from interpretations of religious doctrine.
In late Fall 2004, the Network and several NYC member organizations felt the need to address the homophobic rhetoric coming from the pulpit of a few but very vocal Black Clergy. With the success of July 2005’s REVIVAL!: Victory Over Spiritual Violence Through Grace and a World AIDS Day Service, the REVIVAL! Initiative has become a force for challenging spiritual violence in
The REVIVAL! Initiative’s goals are to provide an opportunity for members of our community to be spiritually affirmed, to say that homophobia from the pulpit is spiritual violence, to highlight welcoming and LGBT inclusive congregations, and give attendees some tools to challenge homophobia and intolerance in their own places of worship. REVIVAL! Initiative is comprised of the New York State Black Gay Network, Gay Men of African Descent,
