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New Anthology "For Colored Boys" To Be Released August 8

The wait is over. For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Still Not Enough will be released next week. The much-anticipated new anthology is edited by New York Times bestselling author and television commentator Keith Boykin.

"For Colored Boys will be available online on August 8 and in bookstores on August 13," Boykin told Rod 2.0. "It will also be available as an e-book once it's released."

For Colored Boys collects the writings of more than three dozen Black LGBT writers—read the full list and bios—media personalities, activists, scholars and other thought leaders. The book was launched in the wake of numerous "young Black men literally committing suicide in the silence of their own communities" such as  Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, Jaheem Herrera, Raymond Chase, Joseph Jefferson and others reported on Rod 2.0,  Boykin announced last summer.

"It's been a long process but I'm finally glad that it's done," Boykin told R20 on Monday. "I am very excited about the book. It's going to make a huge difference for many people. So much has happened this year. President Obama endorsing same-sex marriage, Frank Ocean's new CD and many other news stories fit right into the themes of the book."

The publication For Colored Boys is very timely. A new survey was released last month that found a shocking 43 percent of Black gay youth have considered or attempted suicide as a result of issues related to their sexual orientation. Almost one in ten have been sexually or physically abused.

The publication also comes as new data released last week at AIDS 2012 revealed that Black gay men have been more affected by HIV/AIDS than any "other population in the world." The trend has been particularly “alarming” among young Black gay men aged 13 to 19, according to the Centers for Disease Controls. New infections have increased by almost half between 2006 and 2009.

For Colored Boys includes 44 contributions from 42 authors, "including 37 African-Americans, 3 Latinos, 1 Asian-American, 1 Canadian and 1 British writer," Keith Boykin told R20. "The contributors' ages range from 23 to 63. We have at least 5 writers in their 20s."

Many of the names should be familiar to R20 readers. For Colored Boys includes contributions from myself, Darian Aaron, Jamal Brown, Topher Campbell, Wade Davis, Kenyon Farrow, L. Michael Gipson, James Earl Hardy, DeMarco Majors, David Malebranche, B. Scott, Rob Smith, Kevin E. Tayor, Craig Washington, Tim'm West, Nathan H. Williams and Emanuel Xavier. The anthology will include nine poems. In addition to Keith Boykin, the editors include young filmmaker Mark Corece and author/scholar Frank Leon Roberts.

Stay tuned for more details on publication, the book tour and more. The Twitter hahtags are #ForColoredBoys and #ColoredBoys.

New Anthology "For Colored Boys" Debuts Website, Publication Details

The wait is over.  An exciting new multimedia website has been launched to support For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Still Not Enough, the much-anticipated new anthology edited by New York Times bestselling author and television commentator Keith Boykin. The new website includes a soundtrack  and additional editorial content. The book is scheduled for a July release.

For Colored Boys collects writings of more than three dozen Black LGBT writers—read the full list and bios—media personalities, activists, scholars and other thought leaders. The book was launched in the wake of numerous "young Black men literally committing suicide in the silence of their own communities" such as  Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, Jaheem Herrera, Raymond Chase, Joseph Jefferson and others reported  on Rod 2.0, says Boykin.

The publication of the book is timely.  A new survey was released this week that found a shocking 43 percent of Black gay youth have considered or attempted suicide as a result of issues related to their sexual orientation. More than a quarter of Black gay youth say they have experienced anti-gay bullying. Almost one in ten have been  sexually or physically abused.

"There are 44 pieces from 42 authors, including 37 African-Americans, 3 Latinos, 1 Asian-American, 1 Canadian and 1 British writer," Keith Boykin told R20. "The contributors' ages range from 23 to 63. We have at least 5 writers in their 20s."

Many of the names should be familiar to R20 readers. For Colored Boys includes contributions from myself, Darian Aaron, Jamal Brown, Topher Campbell, Wade Davis, Kenyon Farrow, L. Michael Gipson, James Earl Hardy, DeMarco Majors, David Malebranche, B. Scott, Rob Smith, Kevin E. Tayor, Craig Washington, Tim'm West, Nathan H. Williams and Emanuel Xavier. The anthology will include nine poems. In addition to Keith Boykin, the editors include young filmmaker Mark Corece and author/scholar Frank Leon Roberts.

"I'm really happy with the finished product," Boykin told R20. "It represents the hard work and dedication of a lot of people."

Stay tuned for more details on publication, the book tour and more. The Twitter hashtags are #ForColoredBoys and #ColoredBoys.

Track Star Jamal Brown Describes Coming Out at Dartmouth

Jamal Brown, the openly gay track star who recently graduated from prestigious Dartmouth College, shares his coming out story with Outsports. Brown first came to our attention as one of several black openly gay jocks in the Fearless Campus Tour, a photo retrospective of out high school and collegiate athletes by Jeff Sheng. The handsome Ivy League grad writes a poignant essay about being closeted and "arriving at an institution with a long history of homophobia as well as racism."

Gays were visible in campus politics and student life but barely on varsity or club teams. Some lesbian women competed openly, and out all-American lacrosse goalie and a friend of mine, Andrew Goldstein, was a senior my freshman year. Still, as an African American, I had no gay person of color to look up to. That along with the fact that I have feminine mannerisms and don’t always exude a masculine persona made it difficult to be accepted by teammates. In the past, the track team had several out gay athletes on its roster, and some of them quit or were reluctant to embrace the gay athlete identity because of homophobic backlash. I knew that if I came out there was no obligation to work towards inclusion of gay athletes nor serve as a role model for athletes coming to terms with their sexuality. But I knew that the only reason there was even an ounce of potential for me to come out was the bold and courageous acts of the Andrew Goldsteins and Billy Jean Kings who came out before me. I knew that the only way to be comfortable with myself would be to be myself.

One evening after practice, I built up the strength to finally come out to my team. Apprehensive about how I should go about the process, I decided to take advantage of the Internet and declared being interested in men on Facebook. The next day at practice during warm-ups, one of my teammates approached me and said he liked my Facebook updates. Curious if he was referring to my newly stated sexual preference or another random update, I asked him to clarify, and he responded, "J. Brown, you’re OK here. Be yourself. Know that you are in for a long journey, but your team is here for you, man."

Jamal Brown's full essay is at Outsports. After graduation last year, Brown has worked as an activist at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) in Boston. Next month, Jamal Brown will be a part of Out magazine's Out 100. Bravo and congratulations.