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'Demascus': The Revolution Will Be…on Tubi?!

Tubi’s “Demascus” upends TV norms, blending sci-fi, comedy, and therapy to deeply explore Black masculinity and vulnerability. Writer, Josha Alston, argues that the show is a fresh, essential vision for Black storytelling, revealing how real revolution comes when platforms dare to center authentic voices and complex emotional journeys.

'Demascus': The Revolution Will Be…on Tubi?!

The Philanthropic Paradox of The Red Dress Run

The Red Dress Run in New Orleans is famous for its spectacle, but its true impact and meaning for the Black queer community remain complex and deeply debated. Dr. Deion Hawkins explores how visibility, philanthropy, and Black queer joy intersect, and sometimes collide, at one of the city’s most colorful events.

The Philanthropic Paradox of The Red Dress Run

From NBA Star to HIV Icon: Magic Johnson Changed the Narrative and Revealed Black Reality

Magic Johnson celebrates 66 years of life as a person with HIV, a testament to medical progress, while highlighting persistent disparities facing Black gay men who still bear the epidemic's heaviest burden despite available treatments.

From NBA Star to HIV Icon: Magic Johnson Changed the Narrative and Revealed Black Reality

Context Is Key: 4 Things To Consider When (Accidentally) Sexualizing Keith Lee

When Keith Lee’s fitness video drew sexualized comments from some men, his response highlighted a broader tension over how Black men’s bodies are policed online. Dr. Deion Hawkins argues that attraction isn’t the issue; the issue is harassment, and true queer-straight solidarity requires respecting boundaries and allowing all Black men to be carefree.

Context Is Key: 4 Things To Consider When (Accidentally) Sexualizing Keith Lee

One Man’s Perspective on How PrEP Is Transforming HIV Prevention for Black Men

For years, Akeem Touré has used and openly advocated for PrEP, the drug that helps prevent HIV. Through his personal journey and candid conversations, Touré is challenging stigma and closing the information gap around PrEP uptake among Black men.

One Man’s Perspective on How PrEP Is Transforming HIV Prevention for Black Men

Live, Laugh, Secret Love

Mr. Loverman is a quietly stunning drama about a 74 year old Antiguan-born British patriarch who has hidden a decades-long same-sex affair with his best friend and soulmate. The story of love, regret, and longing, inside the glass closet, is told through theatrical storytelling and remarkable performances.

Live, Laugh, Secret Love

How a Brush With Death Fueled Dr. Leo Moore’s Guide to Men’s Health

After surviving a near-fatal cardiac arrest during a routine surgery, Los Angeles-based physician and wellness advocate Dr. Leo Moore emerged with a renewed mission to empower Black men to proactively manage their health. His new book serves as a practical guide to screenings, self-care, and breaking long-standing barriers between men and the healthcare system.

How a Brush With Death Fueled Dr. Leo Moore’s Guide to Men’s Health

Malcolm-Jamal Warner: Redefining Black Boyhood

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s portrayal of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show redefined Black boyhood on television. Through Warner’s work, generations of Black boys, from all backgrounds, found permission to be complex and unapologetically themselves.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner: Redefining Black Boyhood

The Ones Who Live: 'Noah’s Arc' Returns to Meditate on Loss

Noah’s Arc: The Movie revisits the groundbreaking Black gay series two decades later to deliver a searing meditation on aging and loss centering the seldom-told experiences of middle-aged Black gay men.

The Ones Who Live: 'Noah’s Arc' Returns to Meditate on Loss

From Tumblr to X To BlueSky: Online Spaces as Archives of Sexual Autonomy

Freak Twitter, a hidden in plain sight, digital space where Black queer men explore their sexuality and build supportive connections is more than just an outlet for adult content. Dr. Deion Hawkins discusses how this overlooked corner of the internet offers a unique avenue for self-discovery and connection.

From Tumblr to X To BlueSky: Online Spaces as Archives of Sexual Autonomy

Dennis Rodman Was the Queer Icon the NBA Wasn't Ready For

Dennis Rodman was a rebounding king and a style icon. He bent gender norms in the macho NBA of the 90s, hanging with Madonna & wearing dresses. But did his flamboyance change the game for LGBTQIA+ athletes, or was it just another Rodman spectacle?

Dennis Rodman Was the Queer Icon the NBA Wasn't Ready For

The Black Queer Brilliance of 'Wicked'

Wicked's Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, shined new light on the story of prejudice and self-acceptance. In this piece, Dr. Deion Hawkins discusses how this casting choice illuminates the Black queer experience.

The Black Queer Brilliance of 'Wicked'

When Are We Accountable in the Nuanced Debate of Gay-Baiting

When Plaqueboymax’s (a heterosexual streamer) playful moment sparked talk of gay-baiting on Black Twitter, it raised tough questions about boundaries, expression, and accountability for both queer and straight communities online.

When Are We Accountable in the Nuanced Debate of Gay-Baiting

Bridging The Ivory Tower: Spotlighting Significant HIV Research

As an academic, I was aware of numerous groundbreaking studies and scientific advancements related to HIV. Yet, even those actively involved in HIV advocacy outside academia were largely unaware of this research. This urgency drives me to bridge the gap between research and practice, to ensure that the brilliance of research is not confined to the Ivory Tower. 

Bridging The Ivory Tower: Spotlighting Significant HIV Research

Remembering the "Power" of Queer Characters in One of Black America’s Most Watched Shows

in the Power universe, multiple Black queer characters are not caricatures or void of complexity. Instead, they are the core drivers of the plot and prompt character development for others. Their queerness is as apparent as their Blackness.

Remembering the "Power" of Queer Characters in One of Black America’s Most Watched Shows

An On-Court Kiss: Magic, Isiah and the Politics of Black Masculinity in the NBA

As their teammates traded pre-game handshakes at center court, Johnson, an auto plant worker’s son from Lansing, Michigan, and Thomas, a native of Chicago’s hardscrabble West Side, stepped toward one another. 

The best friends shook hands. Then they kissed one another on the cheek. 

An On-Court Kiss: Magic, Isiah and the Politics of Black Masculinity in the NBA

Atlanta Therapist Launches Online Community To Promote Black Mental Health

Atlanta psychotherapist Dr. Ed Garnes wears more hats than a pub coat rack. Healer. Educator. Community activist. Writer. Podcaster.

Despite such varied, complex interests, Garnes says his professional goal is quite simple. He wants to demolish the trope that Black people — specifically, Black men — don’t look after their mental health. He wants to make therapy cool.

Atlanta Therapist Launches Online Community To Promote Black Mental Health

Intentional Storyteller Doug Jones on Real Estate and “The Fantasies of Future Things"

Despite decades spent honing his skills in New York City’s cutthroat housing and economic development arena, then taking on Atlanta’s booming housing market, Doug Jones considers himself an accidental real estate agent. He considers himself a storyteller who happens to sell real estate. 

Intentional Storyteller Doug Jones on Real Estate and “The Fantasies of Future Things"