Connect • February-March 2022

february 2022 • weconnect.lgbt

inside: CELEBRATING

MAC huffington New Pride president speaks about the future of Nashville’s festival and more

Inspire. Empower. Change.

10 th A NNIVE R SARY O F C H EE KWOOD IN B LO O M

Get into the Spring Spirit MARCH 12 - APRIL 10 TOTS! Wellness 360 Classes Music in the Beer Garden Art Exhibitions in the Museum Visit cheekwood.org for more information and reservations.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

We give recognition to the hard-working, history-making people As we begin February and celebrate Black History month, we want people to see history in action. This issue is dedicated to all the hard-working, history-making, determined, fantasticallywonderful Black people from the past, present and future who don’t take no for an answer, forge ahead and overcome obstacles of racism and inequality.

Representation matters. We hear this all the time so we wanted to make sure that Connect provides a diverse look at people.

We generally do, however, in this issue, we solely focus on Black leaders in the Middle Tennessee area. There are so many and we couldn’t possibly feature them all, but over time, we certainly will.

You will get to know the first-ever Black, female, Nashville Pride President, Mac Huffington. I’ve known Mac for years and I love her tenacity and spirit of getting out there and getting involved. We have a couple of local authors we feature and you will learn the story of the first gay, African-American, Major League Baseball player, Glenn Burke. His story is riveting and yet, far too common in the sports world.

Speaking of firsts, I’m still amazed about the first-ever Pulaski Pride that took place in 2021 spearheaded by African-American, Layla Quiñones and her wife, Erica. Pulaski is more well-known for being the “home” of the KKK. Layla wants to change the negative perception that Pulaski is known for into something positive and uplifting.

These above mentioned people are just a smidgen of what’s in store for this issue. Please enjoy and remember to celebrate who you are each and every day.

Let’s do this and Let’s Connect!

Co-founder and Publisher

n Read our virtual issue online at weconnect.lgbt/issues.

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SELENA HAYNES | LAUREN MEANS PUBLISHERS/FOUNDERS Connect Magazine is a product of Connect Media Group, an S&L Companies venture.

Lauren Means CONTENT EDITOR Sarah Calise, Joe Woolley, Diah March, Lauren Means, Selena Haynes CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brian Goins GRAPHIC DESIGNER David Duplessis/Tennessee Photographs COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Selena Haynes ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE SUBSCRIPTIONS | LOCATIONS To subscribe, visit weconnect.lgbt or call 615.603.6169 or email us at info@weconnect.lgbt.

WRITING OPPORTUNITIES We are always willing to consider freelance or story ideas. Send queries or story suggestions to editor@weconnect.lgbt.

WECONNECT.LGBT Visit us online for information about our latest events, or to read all of our latest content and see our latest photo galleries.

SOCIAL MEDIA /weconnect.lgbt

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Volume 2 | Issue 1 Connect Magazine Murfreesboro, TN 37128 weconnect.lgbt

A member of

contents

in this issue

22 6

8

CONTENT 4 Letter from the publisher 6 BUSINESS Meet Greg Cason, owner and founder of Inspired Concepts and Events 8 COMMUNITY Dr. Marisa Richmond talks about activism and advocacy in the LGBTQ+ community

12

12 SPORTS Andrew Maraniss, a Nashvillebased author, is shedding some light on Glenn Burke, an LGBT+ pioneer in sports.

16 LGBT Chamber Connect 18 LGBTQ+ HISTORY Six icons who sparked a movement in LGBTQ+ rights

22 COVER STORY Nashville Pride president Mac Huffington discusses her plans with Pride 26 LIFE Phil Michal Thomas shares his experience living as a black gay man in Tennessee 28 COMMUNITY Layla and Ericka Quiñones bring pride to Pulaski 30 SOCIAL JUSTICE Dakerri Rhone advocates, educates and creates change 32 CULTURE David Wyley Long shares his experience through his new book, “Up Against the Wind: Chasing David Wiley”

business

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREG CASON

Leaving a legacy

By Selena Haynes @sjhaynes321

H L

usband, father, grandfather, entrepreneur – Greg Cason has always had a knack for planning parties as he would quite often plan parties for his family and friends. He realized he liked it so much that he should start his own business and that’s exactly what he did.

Greg, the owner and mind behind Inspired Concepts and Events, needed something outside of the corporate setting to feed his creative spirit. In its first year of operation, revenue projections were surpassed and in their sophomore year, they planned and executed 40 signature events.

In business now for five years, Greg has become increasingly busy. Of course, like much of society, when COVID first hit, he had to shut down because there were no events that could

be held. It wasn’t even just people canceling events, but the hotels and event spaces — especially in the Nashville area — could not host large gatherings.

As it was becoming evident this might not be a shortlived shutdown, he started to focus on planning for future events to keep the workflow coming. People also became more creative during the pandemic on how to continue to safely celebrate milestones with socially distanced events. People began calling upon Greg to create drive-by celebrations and parades that would leave lasting memories.

Most recently, Greg has added a new chapter to his business – rentals. Greg says that he’s so busy with his day job of 21 years at Nissan that he’s had to cut back on events, but with the rental side, it’s lucrative and easier.

This also gives him more freedom to do events when he wants to which helps keep his passion for events alive.

He also has an apparent passion for finding fun, unique items to add to his rental inventory. He shares

Page 6 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

CONNECT

To learn more about Inspired Concepts and Events or book them for your next event, visit https://inspiredconceptsandevents.com/.

his new items on social media with excitement.

Family Man While Greg mostly handles his business, his husband Isacc does assist as he’s needed.

“This is not his forte,” Greg explained but says Isacc is there to pitch in when he can.

Greg and Isaac just celebrated their five-year anniversary.

When asked about how it’s been being a gay father and grandfather, Greg says he doesn’t view it as being a gay father or grandfather.

He’s simply a father and grandfather.

He does acknowledge that while he doesn’t view his sexual orientation as a major factor in his family life, he’s aware it does play a part in

everything he says and does because he’s so active in the LGBTQ+ community.

He has served on many community committees including Nissan’s GayStraight Alliance, Community Engagement Director and Treasurer of Nissan’s MultiCultural Business Synergy Team, Nashville CARES, Nashville Black Pride, Nashville Pride, Nashville LBGT Chamber of Commerce, Common Ground Cooperative, and MashUP Nashville.

While building bridges of understanding with community leaders, policymakers, and educators on the needs of LGBTQ+ people of color is important to Greg, his true focus is on leaving a legacy for his family. n

— celebrating —

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 7

community

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community

Curator

of change

A

By Lauren Means

L @LaurenInMidTenn

PHOTO COURTESY OF H.N. JAMES

ctivism. Advocacy. Education. Where you find one, the other two are sure to follow. This is nowhere more evident than in the work of Dr. Marisa Richmond. The Nashville native has an extensive resume including being a commissioner at Metro Human Relations Commission, Former Member-at-Large for the Democratic National Committee, and Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). She speaks at many events throughout the year and can be found at various community activities showing support for various causes.

She’s seen a lot of change come to Tennessee in her life. She moved away to attend Harvard and Berkeley but returned to her home state in 1992. Since her return, great strides have been made in the LGBTQ+ community. “We added a State Hate Crimes Law in 2000, and we have inclusive policies in higher education. In addition, several private employers have also adopted inclusive, non-discrimination policies, along with a few local governments,” says Richmond.

While there’ve been positive changes for the LGBTQ+ community in general, the Black LGBTQ+ community still sees discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia. Richmond says there’s a lack of recognition for Black leaders and institutions. There is also the obstacle of the straight, cisgender, Black politicians who support homophobic and transphobic positions on proposed legislation.

“There were Black Democrats who refused to stand against the trans

sports ban, with one from Memphis actually voting yes.

Some of the most hateful comments about trans people during our recent hearings before the Metro Benefits Board came from Black members,” recalls Richmond.

“We still have a way to go.”

The continuing fight Dr. Richmond says the state legislature is off to an awful start in 2022. “Most of the focus is on the racist redistricting maps. They do not come as a surprise, but I was hoping they would show some class,” explains

»

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 9

community

Richmond. She also says that anti-trans bills are making a reappearance for this legislative session. “At this writing, we have two more anti-trans bills, both in the area of sports participation.

With all of the problems we are facing in health care and violence, the obsession with trans bodies and the myth of trans physical superiority is just ridiculous.”

At the federal level, she says the filibuster is blocking many good bills, including the much-needed Equality Act. Dr. Richmond explains, “We have been working hard for more than a decade, and it is just so frustrating to be so close, and yet so far.”

While she says she’s pleased with the executive actions and appointments coming from the BidenHarris Administration, she’s urged the White House to push the Department of Justice (DOJ) to join, or lead, the lawsuits against the laws passed here in Tennessee. “I understand that the President

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About Dr. Marisa Richmond Nashville native Dr. Marisa Richmond is a commissioner at Metro Human Relations Commission, Former Member-atLarge of Democratic National Committee, and Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). She is a frequent speaker and is the first trans person appointed to a city board or commission in Nashville.

does not want to interfere with DOJ as the previous President did,” Richmond says, “but for those of us on the front lines, we need more direct action.”

A history of activism When Dr. Richmond returned to Nashville in 1992 she taught at Tennessee State University (TSU). After a brief sabbatical, she returned to teaching in 1996 when she took a position as an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where she shares her love of history with her students. She wasn’t always focused on history or education though. She

initially was looking to be an attorney before changing her focus to history.

“When I was in high school, I joined a group called the Young Barristers of Nashville, or something like that. My focus was civil law. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund had led the fight against Jim Crow and helped bring it down in court.

I wanted to do something like that,” recalls Richmond.

She says she changed her focus because she thought the trans rights movement would still be decades away.

She saw education as a viable option explaining, “Since I wanted to make a difference, I figured I could do so by

community

“

Above all, don’t be afraid to ask questions and listen to the advice of those who have come before you.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARISSA RICHMOND

— Dr. Marisa Richmond

influencing young people as an educator.”

The Next Chapter Dr. Richmond has had a lifetime of experiences, and she isn’t done yet.

But of all her accolades and achievements, the accomplishment she’s most proud of is earning her Ph.D. in history. “Both of my parents, and one of my grandparents, were educators, so my getting my terminal degree in my field was an important accomplishment. It has opened doors for me and can never be taken away,” states Richmond.

Although she’s still active in her advocacy work, Richmond says we can expect her to be slowing down in the next year saying, “Believe it or not, I am excited about retirement.

I am trying to pass the torch

to others, but one way or another, my biological clock is ticking and my time is nearing an end.”

Dr. Richmond has advice for those who might want to become more involved and ready to take the torch when she does pass it. She says first pick a cause you can stand behind. “If someone wants to get involved in service or advocacy, [they need to] find a group that is doing the work they find of interest. You often have to start as a volunteer, but in some cases, you can work yourself into a paid position,” she explains.

It’s also a major election year and she hopes more people will run for open positions. She says anyone interested in running should sign up for training as soon as possible and cites the Victory Fund and Emerge Tennessee as two excellent

resources. “Above all,” she notes, “don’t be afraid to ask questions and listen to the advice of those who have come before you. There are years of wisdom available which they are willing to pass on if you are willing to listen and learn.”

As Dr. Richmond starts to wind down her career, she says she appreciates the opportunity she’s had to serve the community. “I feel that I have achieved some change during my years, and that is what I told myself way back in high school that I wanted to do,” she remarks.

There’s still one milestone Dr. Richmond is looking to witness before she officially hangs up her activist hat. “I hope to see the adoption of the Equality Act before then.

I have been keeping a bottle of champagne in my fridge for years waiting to open it and celebrate.” n

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 11

sports

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN FRANSCISCO CHRONICAL / AP PHOTO/LM / ASSOCIATED PRESS 1977

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sports

Glenn Burke and the

burden of baseball

By Sarah Calise @SarahCalise

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ne of my first gay crushes was a girl named Samantha on my Little League baseball team. I did not know what the word “gay” meant, but I knew I loved her laugh, the way her dark curly hair fell out from her baseball cap, and how our hands touched and electrified during a high five. About fifteen years later, I learned that a Dodgers player, Glenn Burke, invented the high five in 1977. Since I grew up among avid baseball fans and had a love for the game’s history, it was weird I did not know Burke’s name. Then I learned that Burke was gay and died of AIDS in 1995. His obscurity suddenly made sense. Andrew Maraniss, a Nashville-based author, is now shedding some much-needed light on this pioneer in sports. »

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 13

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LA DODGERS

sports

In Singled Out (2021), Maraniss gives an enthralling biography of Burke among the backdrop of the gay rights movement in the 1970s. Burke was born on November 16, 1952 in Oakland, California to a strong mother, Alice, and an abusive father, Luther.

He also had four older, protective sisters: Beverly, Lutha, Joyce, and Elona. He found his talent for baseball and basketball at Bushrod Park, spending long hours in sweaty uniforms. He graduated from Berkeley High School in 1970 with a legion of admirers, not only for his athletic prowess but his humor and charisma, too. Maraniss writes that Burke was “the teen idol every other boy aspired to be.”

His popularity translated to professional baseball, too—at least for a little while. He signed a contract with the Dodgers in June 1972. Burke’s Minor League teammates noticed his lack of interest in women, Page 14 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

and he struggled with knowing he was different.

This underlying tension sometimes burst forth and caused fights with teammates. But ultimately they respected him for his toughness and incredible baseball abilities. They easily ignored Burke’s oddities.

Besides, a pro athlete couldn’t possibly be gay, right?

Maraniss points to a groundbreaking essay series published in the Washington Star in 1975 that examined “Homosexuals in Sports.”

Reporter Lynn Rosellini noted that homosexuality remained a “fearsome, hateful aberration” in the professional sporting world, and she quoted a homophobic rant from Minnesota Twins public relations director Tom Mee as evidence. In the late 1970s, gay rights activists and allies clashed with the rise of the Religious Right and conservative public figures like Anita Bryant. It was within this environment

that Burke rose to the ranks of professional baseball.

He made his Major League debut in San Francisco on April 9, 1976. It could not have been a more apt city for Burke to launch a career.

The Bay Area was his home in more ways than one. His family lived there, he built his athletic talent there, and, during the winter, it is where he explored his sexuality and enjoyed rich, gay community before going back into the closet for baseball season. But his double life was falling apart by the end of 1977.

Burke’s sexuality became an open secret. Maraniss’ book describes a change in the Dodgers locker room. Some players started wearing towels more often and cracked homophobic jokes at Burke’s expense.

Despite being critical to a World Series run and named Dodgers’ Rookie of the Year, the team got rid of Burke in 1978. Many of his Dodgers teammates cried at his departure. The managers

shed no tears. They traded him to Oakland because he was gay. Burke got more playing time in Oakland, but he was on a team that suffered in the wins column and increasingly objected to his sexuality. Burke quit baseball on June 4, 1979.

Finally able to live as himself, Burke never found any financial footing again.

He stayed in sports any way he could, winning medals at the first Gay Games in 1982. He also publicly came out that year on The Today Show. The confession did not make waves but instead went largely ignored. In 1987, Burke broke his legs in a freak car accident which buried any future athletic dreams.

He went on to experience homelessness and drug addiction, and eventually, contracted HIV. In 1994, he was dying. Burke’s friend Jack McGowan called Sandy Alderson, the general manager of the Oakland A’s.

He told him that “baseball should be ashamed of itself.”

To Burke’s shock, Alderson found him some help and he was able to live out his final days in peace. He died on May 30, 1995.

“I think MLB and the teams Glenn played for have really dropped the ball on recognizing Glenn’s place in history and using his story as a springboard for greater support for LGBTQIA+ players and fans,” wrote Maraniss in a recent email exchange. “It’s clear these teams and MLB are embarrassed by how Glenn was treated and have not figured out a way to deal with that uncomfortable truth in a productive way.”

Glenn Burke was never a burden to his teammates or his family. Society’s homophobia wants gay people to feel that way— Burke certainly did. But it is

TeNNessee PhoToGraphs PORTRAITS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

EVENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

READ IT

From New York Times bestselling author Andrew Maraniss comes the remarkable true story of Glenn Burke, a “hidden figure” in the history of sports: the inventor of the high five and the first openly gay MLB player. Perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Daniel James Brown.

Click here for the book.

LIFESTYLE 615.267.8948 tennesseephotographs.com @tennesseephotographs @tnphotographs

baseball’s homophobia that is the real burden; it is the closed minds and bigotry that make the supposed national pastime difficult for marginalized people to enjoy. Major League Baseball and the National Baseball Hall of Fame must do more to recognize Burke’s historic contributions and courage, and they need to enact greater support and resources for any current players, coaches, or management that identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Professional sports continue to slide by on performative allyship and meaningless gestures. Real change takes greater action and a lifelong commitment to inclusion at every level of the game. Burke’s friend Jack McGowan was right back in 1994. Baseball should be ashamed of itself. n February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 15

business

Chamber Connect

A

dvocating, educating and connecting our members and the LGBTQ+ and allied community, The Nashville LGBT Chamber advances common business interests, economic growth and equality in the workplace and society for its LGBT members, businesses and allies by providing educational, networking, and community-building opportunities. As we still face struggles with the pandemic and equality issues, we want you to know we are here for YOU.

Be a Member and Find our Members We’ve proudly added many new businesses and individuals to our membership in 2021 and look forward to more growth in 2022! A great way to support the LGBTQ+ community

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is by frequenting chamber member businesses—just look for our OPEN and EQUAL membership sticker on windows and next to cash registers when you’re shopping. A full list of members and certified LGBT-owned businesses

can be found on our website directory.

In honor of Black History Month, we are celebrating Black business owners! It is impossible to highlight every deserving company and member, but here is a list of a few from several different

industries: Mac Productions, Inspired Concepts and Events, Lashley Security, STF Catering, EVO, National Museum of African American Music, Slim and Husky’s If you’re interested in joining the Chamber, visit our website at nashvilleLGBTchamber.org to learn more about membership levels and benefits.

Advocate.

We are carefully monitoring and actively engaged in stopping discriminatory legislation at the legislature.

The 2022 General Assembly reconvened in January and we expect to see more anti-LGBT bills proposed. We will focus the business community on pushing back against these bills and keeping Tennessee a welcoming and inclusive place to live and work.

Educate.

Get connected to Classroom Connect! We are teaming up with Grow with Google to bring our members and the community a series of training, tools, and resources to help grow their skills, career, or business. Members of the LGBT Chamber will help facilitate a curriculum focused on websites, marketing, and more.

Corporate Connect is a bi-monthly round table discussion for leaders of LGBT Employee Resource Groups. The national awardwinning program has helped more than 5 companies start LGBT Employee Resource Groups. Pride in Business has had a positive impact on employee engagement, education, and awareness in the workplace, defeating

anti-LGBT legislation in Tennessee, fundraising for LGBT youth, and other LGBT organizations, and more.

Connect.

Have you attended Brewing Up Business yet? This monthly networking event highlights member spaces and gives guests an opportunity to connect with the best in our community. This is a free event for members and firsttime guests.

The Nashville LGBT Chamber will present its annual business awards at a high-profile virtual event on Friday, June 3, 2022. Support the Nashville LGBT Chamber Foundation at our annual Pride in Business Awards, which includes a Who’s Who of Corporate leaders, small business owners, civic leaders and professionals.

While reimagined for a virtual world, this highenergy event will still bring a powerful audience, emotional acceptance speeches and optimism among those committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Check our website for details on the location, sponsorship, tickets, and more.

Please join us at any of our events, or subscribe to our newsletter for more information.

Special thanks to Connect for letting us highlight our work and our members!

WRITERS WANTED Are you looking for a way to become more involved in your community? Do you enjoy writing?

If so, we have an opportunity for you! Connect is always looking for volunteer writers to cover topics in the LGBTQ+ community in Middle Tennessee, such as politics; music; arts; volunteerism and charities; and other topics as they may pertain to our community.

It’s a great way to build a portfolio of published work, and to connect with well-known figures of Middle Tennessee.

Not a writer? No problem! If you have a story idea of a topic that should be covered, contact us!

Send queries or story suggestions to editor@weconnect.lgbt.

ABOUT CONNECT Connect is an inclusive community and media brand committed to providing information and access to resources for the LGBTQ+ community. Connect debuted in January 2021.

Vision We will be THE LGBTQ+ source that connects people and communities to the businesses, resources, and each other in order to live robust, meaningful and healthy lives.

Mission To provide a hub of information and resources through our website, print publication, and community events.

Values

Joe Woolley Nashville LGBT Chamber CEO

Diversity | Equality

| Sustainability

Empowerment | Education | Unity

L @NashLGBTCC

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 17

lgbt+ history

“

No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us!”

— Marsha P. Johson

Marsha P. Johnson Often seen as the face of the Stonewall Riots, Marsha P. Johnson was active in the LGBTQ+ movement up until her death in 1994. After graduating from high school, Johnson made the move from New Jersey to New York’s Greenwich Village where she found her family and community on Christopher Street.

In 1970, Johnson and her friend Sylvia Rivera founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). This program provided support, resources and advocacy for transgender youth. She was also an early member of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP).

Johnson had a natural aptitude for art and theatrics.

This made it no surprise she performed around the world with Hot Peaches, a drag theater company. She was also

photographed by Andy Warhol and included in his “Ladies and Gentleman” Polaroid series.

Although Johnson was very vibrant and boisterous, she had her share of dark moments including breakdowns, health scares, and run-ins with the law. She always persevered. She didn’t let the world bring her down.

Her shining light was dimmed in 1992 when her body was found floating in the Hudson River. Authorities recklessly declared her death a suicide without any evidence to substantiate this claim. It wasn’t until 2012 after private re-examinations of evidence that officials agreed to change the cause of death to undetermined and reopened the case where it’s an unsolved cold case.

IMAGE COURTESY OF NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY ‘THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON’

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lgbt+ history

movement sparking a

We pay homage to the people of color who blazed trails in our community

By Lauren Means @LaurenInMidTenn

L

W

e have come far in our fight for equality in the LGBTQ+ community but we would be nowhere near where we are today if it weren’t for the groundwork that was laid by the Civil Rights Movement. The intersectionality between the two can’t be ignored. Trailblazers like Bayard Rustin and Marsha P. Johnson pushed political matters while artists like Audre Lorde and Alvin Ailey gave future creators the freedom to express themselves openly.

In the following pages, you will find the stories of those members of the Black LGBTQ+ community who paved the way for the people in our community who are making history today. These pioneers are beginning to get their stories told, but still have a long way to go to garner space in history books that are typically held by white, cis-gender (and oftentimes male) individuals.

Throughout this issue, you will also read about modern-day history makers from our own communities. We are making history for all those who will come after us. »

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 19

lgbt+ history

IMAGE COURTESY OF UNITED STATES CONGRESS

Barbara Jordan Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Barbara Jordan was a civil rights leader and attorney. She became the first African American elected to the Texas Senate and the first woman and first African American elected to Congress from Texas. As a woman of firsts, Jordan also became the first African American woman to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

Jordan retired from politics in 1979 and became an adjunct professor teaching ethics at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1990, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame as one of the most influential women of the twentieth century.

When she passed away in 1996, Jordan was survived by her partner of 30 years, Nancy Ear.

Being born into a family of teachers, it’s no surprise Alain Locke also ended up in the field of education. He attended Harvard and completed his four-year program in three years where he graduated second in his class. Locke then became the first African-American to be named a Rhodes Scholar and received a scholarship to Oxford where he earned his Ph.D. This led Locke to his role in education as a philosophy professor at Howard University.

Locke also embraced his position as a leading authority on African American culture. He edited several works of African American literature and actively promoted his theory of cultural pluralism. This theory declared a democratic society should value the uniqueness of the different styles within that culture.

Through his theory of cultural pluralism, Locke helped gay African-American artists find pride in their heritage through their works of art. At the time of his death, he was working on completing “The Negro in American Culture,” which was his definitive study of the contributions of African-Americans to American society. This work was eventually completed by Margaret Just Butcher by drawing on decades of work done by Locke.

IMAGE COURTESY OF K. KENDALL

Audre Lorde

“

Audre Lorde spoke directly on the intersectionality of her life saying, “I am defined as other in every group I’m part of… my sexuality is part and parcel of who I am, and my poetry comes from the intersection of me and my worlds.” Lorde, an American feminist poet, published twelve books and a number of her poems were also published in anthologies.

In her writings, she tackled themes of love, fear, racial and sexual oppression, survival, and urban struggle along with her experiences as a woman, a lesbian, an African American, and a mother. In the 1970s, Lorde became the poetry editor for the lesbian journal, “Chrysalis: A Magazine of Women’s Culture.”

Lorde was also an advocate for global concerns. This led her to co-found Sisters in Support of Sisters in South Africa (SISA) to raise concerns about black women under apartheid.

Just remember the world is not a playground but a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday but an education. One eternal lesson for us all: to teach us how better we should love.”

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— Barbara Jordan

IMAGE COURTESY OF ALFRED EISENSTAEDT

Alain Locke

lgbt+ history

Best known for helping to organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, along with Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin was behind the nonviolent, peaceful protests often utilized by Dr. King.

He was known as one of the most influential and effective organizers of the civil rights movement. His sexuality was brought into question by some in the movement, but Dr. King always valued his expertise and commitment to the movement.

Rustin was arrested 23 times throughout his civil rights career including a 1953 arrest where he was charged with vagrancy and lewd conduct in Pasadena, California. He served 50 days in Los Angeles County jail and had to register as a sex offender after being found having sexual relations with two men in a parked car.

In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom pardoned Rustin for his arrest. In this pardon, Newsom also noted how, historically, LGBTQ+ people were unjustly punished for their sexuality by U.S. law enforcement.

Rustin was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2013 for his activism.

Rustin testified in favor of New York State’s Gay Rights Bill the year before he died. A version of this bill passed in 2002 — 15 years after Rustin’s death.

IMAGE COURTESY OF WARREN K. LEFFLER LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Bayard Rustin

Overcoming poverty, racism, and homophobia, Alvin Ailey became one of the most accomplished and celebrated choreographers to date. After being mentored

by Lester Horton and studying under the likes of Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey, Ailey assembled a company of Black dancers and founded the Ailey American Dance Theater.

“Revelations,” Ailey’s choreographic masterpiece, is believed to be one of the best-known and most often seen modern dance performances ever created. Ailey combined elements from ballet, modern, jazz, African ritual and contemporary dances.

He used each dancer’s uniqueness to set apart his choreography from mainstream choreography. By doing this, he brought concert dance into harmony with other forms of African-American expression.

Ailey achieved worldwide admiration and received numerous honorary degrees, accolades and awards including the United Nations Peace Medal. In 1988 Ailey received the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to American culture.

“

IMAGE COURTESY OF CARL VAN VECHTEN LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Alvin Ailey

To be who you are and become what you are capable of is the only goal worth living.”

— Alvin Ailey

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 21

PHOTO COURTESY OF TENNESSEEPHOTOGRAPHS.COM

community

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community

madame president

By Diah March @Sunrayzz94

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ho is Mac Huffington?

An equal mix of advocate, entrepreneur, and life of the party, Mac is a person of the people.

She is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community and the Nashville community as a whole.

She recently made history becoming the first Black female president of Nashville Pride — a position of which she is both excited and proud.

In addition to her newly appointed position with Nashville Pride, Mac also serves on several community boards, has a full-time day job and is the owner of

Mac Productions. It’s safe to say she has a pretty full plate. It’s all something she enjoys and gladly spends her time doing which is always the best way to work. She also does a bit of activism work in the community to advance equality and to shut out injustice. Mac is one you should keep an eye out for because you never know what she will join in on or create as her next big project.

Finding Community Mac came to Nashville by way of Chicago for school.

She found the local LGBTQ+ community and Nashville Pride and quickly fell in love.

“Pride was just starting so I

went to a meeting and have been hooked ever since. I love pride and our community and everything that it has grown to be.” Now, as President of Nashville Pride, she can continue to lead the organization she loves and support the community. In the coming years, Nashville Pride is going to continue on the strong foundation of its being a two-day festival of love, inclusion and community that anyone can attend.

“Nashville Pride has grown as the city has grown,” notes Mac. Starting with a small parade at Centennial Park, the pride festival has since grown, moving from Centennial

CONNECT

Nashville Pride is scheduled for June 25-26 at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. For vendor information or queries, email info@nashvillepride.org. For ongoing updates to the festival, visit nashvillepride.org and sign up for the newsletter or follow on social media: @nashvillepridefestival.

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 23

PHOTO COURTESY OF TENNESSEEPHOTOGRAPHS.COM

community

Park to Riverfront Park to Public Square Park to its current location in the large and spacious Bicentennial Park. She also explains how the Nashville Pride Board has grown from its founding name “Our Pride Encompassing Nashville (OPEN)” to Nashville Pride Inc. while still remaining the same in terms of how it serves the community.

She says, “Now we have encompassed all facets of the LGBTQ community in our events, our festivals and the diversity in the board as we continue to grow with Nashville.”

She wants to build off that existing history and push the organization forward.

Mac says, “I am not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Nashville Pride has a strong foundation and I want to continue to build on that foundation. I also want to work more with our community organizations and continue to make positive partnerships.” One thing that is very important to her is making sure everyone knows they are welcome. Of course, in true Mac fashion, she says, “I just want to add just a little flavor to my presidency.”

Promoting Entertainment and Diversity Her brand, Mac Productions, is an

entertainment production company, specializing in show performances and pageantry. “We are an equal opportunity company that is always searching for a variety of diverse people to join our production team and be a part of future endeavors. We have promoted all types of impersonators, comedians, live singers, spoken word, rappers, dancers and more,” Huffington states.

Mac began her company once she realized the lack of representation of Male Impersonators and Divas in the drag industry. The drag scene in the ’90s was geared towards drag queens more than the drag kings and to change that, the Mr. Esquire pageant was born. Since its founding in 1997, it has become one of the longeststanding premier pageants in the Southeastern region.

It was added after the Ms. and Mr. Nashville Pride Pageant which started in 1996.

In the past 20 years, the popularity of drag kings and drag king pageants has grown tremendously, but Huffington still feels the main struggle is getting equal pay and booking for the drag kings because they’re still not as widely promoted as drag queens.

Mac Productions also hosts the Ms.Tennessee Diamond Diva Pageant for femme girls. “It continues to represent the production company’s new focus on discovering, developing and promoting innovative feminine and sexy creative talent,” Huffington explains.

These entertainers have performed at events such as The Tennessee Continental and Continental Plus Pageants, the Tennessee US of A Pageant, Ms. Kentucky USA,

“

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAC HUFFINGTON

Nashville Pride has a strong foundation and I want to continue to build on that foundation... I just want to add just a little flavor to my presidency.”

Ms. Grand Diva Pageant, MR. U S Of A, Mr. Southern States US of A Pageant, Glamour City Pageants and many more.

They have also performed at pride events and in pageants in a multitude of states and cities including Canada. This exposure to the drag and pageant industries promotes validity and acceptance. It also helps people enjoy themselves doing what they love.

Balancing Act Mac still finds time for activism with organizations she holds dear such as Launchpad, Nashville Black Pride, MashUp Nashville, Nashville LGBT Chamber, Women Who Rock and more. Her involvement in the community is not just important for the LGBTQ+ community but specifically for the Black LGBTQ+ community. For people of color, community support is imperative. Representation inspires others to pursue

their passions and make dreams a reality.

Balancing work and life is important for Mac. Even with everything that she has committed herself to, she still finds time to relax and enjoy her life. When she is not busy, she likes to watch tv, listen to music, and spend time with her partner of 24 years, Stallion.

Mac is an amazing person who cares about others and likes helping people in the community. Whether it is helping someone promote their craft or just giving someone words of acceptance and validity, she is a selfless giver. She has made a name for herself in Tennessee and surrounding areas and shows no signs of quitting anytime soon.

Mac is a living example of the phrase “do what you love and love what you do.” If you want something that isn’t already out there, create it. n

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February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 25

TESY PHOTO COUR

OF PHIL MIC

HAL THOMAS

life

SPEAKING OUT

By Sarah Calise @SarahCalise

L

B

orn and raised in Nashville, Phil Michal Thomas has been an integral part of Music City’s LGBTQ+ community for decades. I recently sat down with Thomas to interview him about his experiences living as a Black gay man in Tennessee and other places around the country.

Page 26 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

After attending high school and college in Nashville, Thomas moved out of state. He spent time in New York and Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s. He was an early member of ACT UP New York and participated in the organization’s crucial die-in protests that called out the government’s lack of action for supporting AIDS patients and HIV research.

He was also active in AIDS organizations in Atlanta, particularly AID Atlanta.

Thomas returned to Nashville around 1990 and discussed that coming back to the city “felt like being caged” when it came to speaking out about gay rights issues. But he wasn’t raised to stay silent. He joined Nashville CARES in its founding years, and his experience with AIDS organizing in New York and Atlanta was pivotal for the outreach and success of Nashville’s own group.

He became one of the most

recognizable faces for Nashville CARES because of his appearances in the media. But this led to some sacrifices, too.

“I lost a lot of friends in the Black community, especially the Black gay community,” Thomas said. Because his face and name became linked with gay rights and AIDS issues, many Black people did not want to be associated with him. He understood their concerns, and ultimately did not mind the isolation as the most visible Black gay man in Nashville. He “had a purpose” and was going to speak out.

He also joined the Tennessee Gay and Lesbian Alliance (T-GALA), an important organization involved in planning Nashville Pride events, combatting anti-gay legislation, and building community resources, like The Gay & Lesbian Community Center once located at 703 Berry Road. The Center had a gay information switchboard,

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHIL MICHEL THOMAS

Phil Michal Thomas on Life as a Black Gay Man

life

a teen support group, and other services. They reached LGBTQ+ people across the city and even rural areas.

“We gave these people hope… people that had no support, and they wanted to know if they were the only ones.”

Thomas remembered Nashville’s gay nightlife as a rich but typically segregated culture. Due to his work with AIDS issues and mental health in the community as well as dating white men, Thomas had greater leeway for entering predominantly white spaces. But for most Black people, there were restrictions at gay clubs.

One time, at the popular gay bar Warehouse 28, Thomas noticed a group of Black men

holding their identification cards out and trying to get in the front door. He asked a friend, “When did they start asking for I.D.?” His friend responded, “Oh, they must be Black.”

He realized these policies were common and they prevented many Black people from fully participating in Nashville’s gay community.

He found a similar situation in Atlanta, and experienced racism at the well-known club called Backstreet.

Thomas recalled the strongest safe spaces for Black gay people to hang out together were private house parties, which are a tradition that still continues today. In terms of clubs, The Jungle,

The Gas Lite Lounge and Towne House Tea Room, and The Cabaret were some of the places in Nashville that welcomed everyone.

Although these microaggressions and racist policies existed, Thomas described an overall positive experience living as an openly gay Black man in Tennessee. He’s had more beautiful memories than anything else, and it gives him joy to see young gays and lesbians walking around being themselves. As for being one of the few public Black gay faces in Nashville, he said it was all worth it if even one person felt represented and thought, “Hey, he looks like me.” n

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February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 27

community

Stepping out of the

Shadow

By Lauren Means @LaurenInMidTenn

L L

ast year was the return for many pride celebrations throughout the state after a year off during the pandemic. For the city of Pulaski, it was a first with 2021 marking the first-ever Pulaski Pride. Organizing an event is no small feat. Organizing a pride event in a historically discriminatory area may have some people saying it’s impossible.

Layla Quiñones and her wife Ericka were up for the challenge.

Layla, who is originally from Texas, grew up the middle of five children.

She says she didn’t have a good upbringing as a kid and went through a lot of trials and tribulations. This was partially due to her mother having an “issue” with gay people. This was problematic as Layla is gay and she has a trans sister and a younger sister who is also a lesbian. Her mom is a minister and had to learn how to maneuver her children being LGBTQ+.

Layla credits her trans sister for paving the way for her to come out and she paved the way for her younger sister.

Now a mother herself to an almost nine-year-old, she says she’s learned a lot from her daughter. “She’s amazing and funny. The light and love of my life,” proclaims Layla.

She found love again after her twelve year marriage came to an end. Layla and her current wife Ericka met online through an LGBT group on Facebook. About two years after their initial interactions, Layla reached out to Ericka through Facebook Messenger. She asked Ericka out on a date and she knew it was meant to be from the first in person meeting. “When she pulled up I felt a sense of a missing part of me coming to me. I felt I was being

Page 28 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

completed,” explains Layla.

They have now been married for three and a half years and completed a handfasting ceremony for a year prior to getting legally married.

Layla says she is a survivor in many ways, including being a two-time cancer survivor, and through her journeys, she learned a lot about herself. Discussing what she learned she says, “One thing I like about myself is I am still able to love myself and accept love from other people.” She also discovered she’s a lover and a servant. “I love doing things for people and being able to help people when I can… even if it means doing without at times,” says Layla.

community

(Soul)Waves of Change She continued making positive changes in her life last year by becoming a business owner when she and her wife opened SoulWaves Sanctuary in Pulaski. “We opened right smack in the middle of a pandemic,” exclaims Layla. She says they honestly weren’t expecting a lot of business but the community rallied.

She says in addition to their store they offer classes, holiday themed events, and community work. They distributed food boxes at thanksgiving and are planning a Valentine’s dinner next month where Layla, who is also a singer-songwriter, will perform. She has also followed in her mother’s footsteps becoming a minister who offers spiritual counseling and performs marriages.

SoulWaves has now been open for over a year and Layla says she cried when they reached the one-year mark. “My heart was filled that we were able to be open for 365 days. People wanted and still need us,” she notes.

Coming from a long line of impoverished people, Layla says opening a business that stayed open for a whole year was an accomplishment within itself. “I’d like to say I’m one of the lucky ones but I am really one of the blessed ones.”

Support Abounds Last year, the Quiñones’ decided it was time for

Pulaski to have a pride celebration. According to Layla, “I think Pulaski has been in the shadow of the KKK for so long, being different or expressing yourself has never been a part of Pulaski. We’re not in the closet and we’re not hiding behind anything so [we thought] if we’re not hiding, let’s give someone else the courage to be a part of something in the community so they can be themselves.” They want people in the LGBTQ+ community in Pulaski and surrounding areas to not feel like they have to hide anymore.

As for the celebration itself, Layla said it spread like a forest fire. Initial attendance was estimated to be 30-40 people. Then as word spread, they had allotted for 400 wristbands thinking it would be more than enough. By three o’clock, they were sold out and had to figure out how to handle the additional people who were still showing up. They estimate attendance was around 800 that day with 60% being from the local area. “It was

amazing. Wonderful and beautiful. People shared their stories. Pride gave them so much hope,” says Layla.

Thankfully, they didn’t experience any push back from the people in Pulaski.

Layla says the business support was unexpected but welcomed. She also says they found out after the festival that local police had already approached the churches to discuss the event and informed them to stay away if they intended on protesting.

“A couple of religious fanatics did come. I spoke with them and encouraged them to stay as long as they did not make anyone uncomfortable,” Layla recalls. After the event, the sheriff came and shared his thanks and said police will be available for the next event.

As for what we can expect for Pulaski Pride 2022, Layla says attendance could be double or triple in size. They are expecting to increase from 20 vendors to 60-70 with an increase in food truck offerings as well. Pulaski Pride will be held on Saturday June 11, 2022.

For Layla, this experience has solidified that family is more than blood and she is thankful she is able to provide others with a safe place to be who they are. n

CONNECT

Follow Pulaski Pride on Facebook for updates and details and to see how you can get involved.

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 29

social justice

Pride and Honor Through Activism

By Selena Haynes @sjhaynes321

L

D

akerri Rhone has had a zest for activism since she was in the eighth grade. She was involved in several community service projects and continued doing it through high school. Her activism became more personal after she came out.

“After coming out and feeling confused about how just being me could be so wrong. I started researching and looking for answers. I volunteered my time with everything I could find,” said Dakerri.

The first initiative she ever led was the National Gay Blood Drive, which was a nationwide effort to bring attention to the FDA’s

Page 30 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

ban on gay/bisexual men donating blood.

Currently, to be eligible to donate blood in the United States, men who have sex with men must abstain from same-sex sexual activity for 90 days in order to be eligible to donate blood. This law is outdated, invasive, and discriminatory when we are in the worst blood shortage than we’ve been in 10 years.

“We set up at Red Cross and encouraged people to donate blood. When gay/bisexual men were denied, we kept track to show the impact that this discrimination had. We also provided free and confidential HIV testing,” Dakerri recalled.

During this time she met Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project and Dwayne Jenkins from Nashville CARES. “I started attending events, rallies and protests, going to talk to legislators about antiLGBTQ+ legislation, and meeting other amazing advocates,” noted Dakerri.

Changing Mindsets In years past, Dakerri witnessed a lack of intersectionality within the LGBTQ+ community. “I can remember going into a small LGBTQ+ club in an area not far outside of Nashville.

Being a young, out and proud lesbian, I was excited, but that quickly faded. I’d never felt so uncomfortable amongst my community. There was one other person who looked like me and she was treated as a ‘token’ from what I could see. It was that day that I realized that there was work intersectionality that needed to be done. We weren’t one big happy family. We, unlike any others, face racism and discrimination within our own community,” said Dakerri.

However, she’s seen mindsets change. “We realize that we’re bonded by our identities as LGBTQ+ people, but more importantly we are weakened when we don’t focus on the work with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.”

When she’s speaking to

social justice

legislators and advocating for equality, she sees the LGBTQ+ community advocating for issues that specifically affect Black Brown, AAPI, women, and more.

The biggest challenge now has become people acting out of fear. “We are targeted every year by horrific antiLGBTQ+ bills. The legislators are determined to instill fear to push their agenda.

I hear from people, good people who have oppositions due to fear being put into them. It’s creating division and discrimination and our LGBTQ+ youth are paying the price for it,” explained Dakerri.

More than activism As if her local political activism wasn’t enough, Dakerri became the community leader for the Elizabeth Warren 2020 Presidential campaign. “My experience working with the Elizabeth Warren campaign was amazing! It was the first time I had ever gotten involved in a Presidential campaign so heavily and so early,” said Dakerri.

Starting from scratch, Dakerri and her team learned a lot and were empowered to create the strategy for all aspects of the local campaign. When asked if she’d be involved with another campaign or run for office herself, Dakerri said, “I absolutely would get involved with another campaign if it was

a candidate I truly believed in as I do Elizabeth Warren. I have thought about running here locally in Nashville to start. It could happen. Maybe in the next 10 years lol.”

Dakerri also heads up The Nashville Bevy, which is a monthly meet-up for LGBTQ+ women and non-binary peoples. “We meet monthly at local LGBTQ+ friendly bars and breweries. We realize that a lot of our members (including me) are parents, and often our meetups are at kid-friendly locations. It’s a time where we can unwind during the week, meet new friends, network, and just have a great time!”

Currently, there are six chapters – Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville, Nashville, Memphis, and New Orleans with the first being in Birmingham. The Bevy was created by Carmen Chambers and Brit Blalock.

Dakerri is also proud to have been a member of a national LGBT Greek organization called Beta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc., founded in 2000.

The local Beta Mu chapter in Nashville has been heavily involved in fighting antiLGBTQ+ legislation and pushing for equality/equity.

They have been partnering with multiple organizations locally and nationally.

Dakerri serves as the national social justice coordinator and has been hosting a series of virtual round tables addressing issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community such as the anti-trans student bills that were signed into law in 2021.

Beta Mu will be hosting an essay contest very soon for LGBTQ+ high students

and giving away a laptop to the winner. Once announced, they will be accepting submissions via email at BetaMuChapter00@gmail. com.

Making History With all that Dakerri is involved in, she’s bound to be in the history books. She said being a part of history is something that she’s really thought about. “I don’t usually think about where I fit in this. Advocacy gives me a sense of pride and I am honored to be doing this work and impacting lives.

I truly feel this is why I am here, to advocate, educate and create change. Not just achieving equality, but establishing equity with a focus on intersectionality.

I have so many emotions when I think about making history,” said Dakerri. n

ABOUT DAKERRI

Dakerri has been a Tennessean since she was 4 years old. She came out to her friends in 2001 and her family in 2002. Her best friend and sister, Donielle, was the first person she came out to and although they have a 10 year age gap, they are extremely close and advocate together.

She has an amazing partner named Ashley and they have two beautiful children, Sydney (15) and Jensen (5). Dakerri says they are “little activists in training.”

For her work life, she is the volunteer and community engagement manager for Nashville CARES and when she’s not working, you can find her around town at different coffee shops, breweries and rooftop bars/ restaurants. She lives for coffee, wine, craft beer, and good food. She loves music, singing and all things DRAG. February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 31

culture

Zephyr, Gale, Tempest:

UP Against the Winds

By Lauren Means @LaurenInMidTenn

W L

riting your memoir isn’t just something you do to share your story with others. It’s oftentimes also a therapeutic activity for oneself. This was the case for David Wyley Long. When discussing the motivation behind penning, “Up Against the Wind: Chasing David Wiley,” he explained how he had been living with childhood pain and trauma for a long time. “Releasing my life, so far, has freed me from the emotional bondage of understanding my life. My therapist helped me heal through the pages and pain, but I also hoped it would inspire others,” said Long.

“Up Against the Wind” is a story of life, love, loss, and rebirth. In it, Long, a selfproclaimed proud pansexual man, shares forty years of personal stories from his parent’s tumultuous relationship to the loss of his mother and father. He also

Page 32 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

shares personal recollections of relationships, exploring his sexuality, troubles with the law, and the obstacles he had to overcome to achieve the success he has today.

“Everyone has a story, and I am hopeful everyone would love mine.”

We learn how HIV has taken important people from him through the years and we also read about how HIV education and assistance played a major role in his growth personally and professionally. While reliving past pain and trauma

»

IMAGE COURTESY OF DAVID WYLEY LONG; ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN GOINS

culture

February-March 2022 / weconnect.lgbt / Page 33

can be hard, sometimes it’s necessary to learn more about yourself. Long learned some important things during his journey explaining, “Everything in life ain’t pretty. You can’t make a happy ending if there’s no sunshine in the narrative. You can find peace, love and survival, but stop trying to make things pretty, when they are not.”

Long reveals his struggles with housing insecurities which included not one but two tragic fires that claimed everything he owned.

He shares that of all the moments in his life he wrote about, the dual fires hit the hardest. He says, “Just writing about it, and feeling it, even a decade later is tough. Part of me will never recover, but I have processed it, and come a long way.

While we all know fires are powerful forces, to have two of them, and lose it all, all within a year, proves I am way stronger than I knew.”

Coming from a Loving Place We are introduced to many of Long’s family members as he takes us on a journey through his life. We meet his biological mother Hessie and his father David. He also tells us about Lillian who was a second mother to him. Long also shares that he has a sister named Lorrie along with a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles. He didn’t know a lot of his family until he became a young adult.

He does still speak with some of his family including Lillian and Lorrie. He said his sister Lorrie hasn’t read

Page 34 | weconnect.lgbt | February-March 2022

his memoir as it’s hard to discuss their mother. Most of his family, including Lillian, have mixed feelings which he says disheartens him, “I wrote [“Up Against the Wind”] from a sincere place of love, and although I am saddened that they were not pleased with the book for me stating real names, I [was] hopeful they would receive it with my intent of releasing pain and having the fuel to fight any storm now and forever.”

Family is a tricky thing sometimes, and one story that stood out was how his cousin, Lanier, submitted Long’s name as a known alias when he was convicted for a felony. This has caused issues for Long later in life when this shows up on his background and he has to provide proof that it was a mistake. For some people, this might have been a relationship ender but Long says he has forgiven his cousin. “I am able to show it is a mistake, as I am out in the world, and he remains locked up,” explains Long, “I still talk to him, and love him dearly.”

Reflection In the four short decades he has been around, Long has made lasting impacts such as his involvement with the creation and operation of Project UNO. Project UNO was a program in Nashville that focused on empowerment, outreach and education surrounding issues concerning the MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) population. He says he’s thankful for the blessings

PHOTO COURTESY OF @PROJECTUNO

culture

that grew from this project, “Many members have grown to heights unimaginable.

The community at large was thankful for the collaborative approach. It was a surreal ride, and I miss it all the time.”

Not one to stay still for long, he has lived in many states along the East Coast including New Jersey, New York, Michigan, and Georgia.

Long moved to Nashville to start Project UNO in the fall of 2012. He has been here since but shares that he’s not against the possibility of a scenery change, “I am hopeful to fly into a slightly warmer and water-based state soon. While it is not immediate, it is being thought of and explored.”

Even if Long ventures out, his business, Real Love Tennis, will keep him coming back to Nashville from time to time. n

CONNECT

For more information about David Wyley Long, his book “Up Against the Wind: Chasing David Wiley,” and his business Real Love Tennis, visit davidwyleylong.com.

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