Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC) in collaboration with hosted a virtual pride event in honour of the global Black LGBTQ+ community.
The founder of GBGMC, Michael Ighodaro, a Nigerian, tells TimeOut, “This space has always been led by white gay male individuals, so we feel like it’s time for us as a group to say that Black Lives Matter; ALL Black Lives Matter.”
In a special message recorded for the Global Black Gay Men Connect, Kalen Allen, famous YouTuber said, “It is a complete honour to be the Grand Marshal for the first-ever Global Black Gay Pride. I think now more than ever, this is a time to celebrate our queerness and our Blackness and I will make sure that I do that with every ounce of my being.”
We are very excited to share the very first list of performances and speakers for our event! Stay tuned for more announcements coming this Friday!!! pic.twitter.com/vGABR9JbgG
— Global Black Gay Men Connect (@GBGMC_Int) June 30, 2020
According to TimeOut, the July 10 riot grew out of a survey that a board member Keletso Makofane conducted on the impact of COVID-19 on Black LGBTQ+ communities. Makofane, an HIV/AIDS researcher, found that in addition to the medical and mental health challenges that quarantine isolation unleashed, it was also being used by the Ugandan government to blame LGBTQ+ individuals living in shelters for spreading the virus.
Watch it here
