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CNN Anchor Don Lemon Comes Out as Gay in New Memoir

CNN anchor Don Lemon made a startling revelation live on the air during the height of last September's news coverage on the four sexual coercion lawsuits filed against anti-gay mega-church pastor Eddie Long: The anchor revealed that he had been the victim of a pedophile as a child. Lemon discusses that ordeal and for the first time publicly discusses that he is gay in the new memoir Transparent.

The New York Times:

Even beyond whatever effect his revelation might have on his television career, Mr. Lemon said he recognized this step carried special risk for him as a black man.

"It’s quite different for an African-American male," he said. "It’s about the worst thing you can be in black culture. You’re taught you have to be a man; you have to be masculine. In the black community they think you can pray the gay away.” He said he believed the negative reaction to male homosexuality had to do with the history of discrimination that still affects many black Americans, as well as the attitudes of some black women.

"You’re afraid that black women will say the same things they do about how black men should be dating black women." He added, "I guess this makes me a double minority now."

Why now?

Mr. Lemon said he had been on a panel a couple of years ago called “The Black Man in the Age of Obama,” and was approached afterward by a publisher’s representative about writing an inspirational book.

"It was supposed to be a little pamphlet," he said. "You know: say your prayers; have a good, hearty handshake; say good morning to your boss." But as he began to write, he came to realize that he could not hold back the truth of who he was. He started to pour out the details of his personal life. How he had grown up not knowing his father, how he had suffered abuse by someone close to him.

The anchor joins a growing list of high-profile out newscasters, including MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Thomas Roberts. But the newsman was never "in" per se: Lemon anchored at my old station NBC 5 in Chicago and was fairly out to management and staff.

Don Lemon also becomes one of the very few Black openly gay personalities in cable or national news. Lemon's coming out was welcomed across cyber-space and media—especially by other Black gay television and film professionals.

"I am so proud of Don Lemon for being honest, proud and coming out," filmmaker Maurice Jamal told R20. "Don has been honest about his sexuality with management and co-workers, which is admirable in this industry. And now his revealing his true self to the masses marks an important step. I hope that others follow his footsteps."

Noah's Arc director Patrik-Ian Polk agreed. "When a high profile person like Don Lemon—who many let into their homes daily via their TV's—comes out, it makes a difference. The more of us who come out, the more they'll see—we're here 2 stay and we ain't going away."

Bravo and thank you, Don.

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CNN's Don Lemon Reveals Childhood Sexual Abuse

WATCH: NBJC's Sharon Lettman Hicks on State of Black Gay America

The fabulous straight ally Sharon Lettman-Hicks, the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, was the keynote speaker at the State of Black Gay America summit in Atlanta last weekend. Black LGBTs need a Black LGBT agenda, Lettman-Hicks told the audience.

"Black gay people are Black people first. Whether you are gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, questioning ... you are still Black first. So when we speak of  'our' people, we need to think of our entire community and bringing LGBT issues to the Black community. We need to create a Black LGBT agenda to move the bully pulpit forward."

Can I get an amen?

Other SBGA panelists included Joan P. Garner, who just became the first openly LGBT official elected to the Fulton County Commission;  Simone Bell, who was elected the first openly lesbian black state legislator in U.S. history; filmmaker Maurice Jamal; and athlete-model-actor Demarco Majors.

There is a gallery of photos HERE. Via the GAVoice, watch the video AFTER THE JUMP ...

WATCH: WGA Panel on Homophobia in Black Hollywood

Last week in Los Angeles, the Writers Guild West hosted a panel discussion on homophobia in black Hollywood and the state of black gay imagery in entertainment. "Flipping The Script: Beyond Homophobia in Black Hollywood" was moderated by actress, singer and HIV/AIDS activist Sheryl Lee Ralph to a standing room only crowd. The panel was a who's who of black gay directors and producers: Emmy winning producer-director Paris Barclay, Maurice Jamal (Dirty Laundry), Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gossett (The DL Chronicles), writers Demetrius Bady and Jasmine Love, Tim McNeal (VP of Talent Development and Diversity/Disney) and actor Wilson Cruz.. GLAAD's Tajamika Paxton was also on hand.

The discussion apparently went better than expected. "Often in Hollywood, its difficult to get sizeable crowds for events that deal with controversial topics," Maurice Jamal tells Rod 2.0. "And Black homophobia certainly fits that category. But there were people spilled over into the aisles, sitting on the floor, listening in the hallway and lobby. I think people recognize that is time for a paradigm shift."

The two-hour discussion started a conversation on homophobia on screen and off-screen, as well as offered reasons why it's never discussed in black Hollywood. Deondray Gosseett tells Rod 2.0 that black LGBTs should adopt the Tyler Perry model: Do it yourself. "We've cowered from this topic way too long in the hopes of not rocking the boat and maintaining our ability to secure employment," Gossett tells R20. "So it's time for a shift, where we wouldn't have to worry about losing opportunity solely based on sexual orientation." 

The panel noted out black lesbian comedienne Wanda Sykes has her own talk show and Nelsan Ellis' 'Lafayette Reynolds' is one of the central characters in True Blood. OTOH: Logo unceremoniously canceled Noah's Arc, television's first black gay specific television show. And a similar story at here!, which dropped the critically-acclaimed DL Chronicles without little explanation.

And on the lack of black LGBT characters on the screen and even fewer black-LGBT specific projects, Jamal says it's absurd "to say that white Americans can elect a Black man to the presidency" but Blacks in Hollywood don't support other Blacks based on sexuality. "That's bullsh_t," Jamal tells Rod 2.0. "It's cowardice to say its all about money. There are far too many examples of queer media, roles and images that are successful across the board." Jamal adds: "I have far more respect for someone who doesn't greenlight a project because they just don't like gays, than to hide their prejudice behind other excuses."

Mediaweek's Alan Frutkin spoke with several of the panelists after the discussion. Watch the interviews AFTER THE JUMP ...

News: Dirty Laundry, NAACP, Julian Bond, Hillary Clinton, Janet Jackson

· The NAACP nominates Maurice Jamal's Dirty Laundry for Best Independent Film in the upcoming 39th NAACP Image Awards. This marks the first time the veteran civil rights organization honors a film with a black gay character as its protagonist.

Executive producer Nathan H. Williams says the "nomination is a validation of all of the blood, sweat and tears my colleagues and I put into making this wonderful film a reality." Director Maurice Jamal adds "the NAACP recognizing this film makes a powerful statement: black audiences want films that are intelligent, honest and bold." Dirty Laundry recently opened in New York City and will expand to other markets. Our recent review and interview (PDF) with Jamal in The Advocate.

· Julian Bond, the civil rights icon and chairman of the NAACP, joins the fight against Florida's proposed marriage amendment. Bond is a longtime supporter of marriage equality and said Martin Luther King Jr. "would favor" gay rights.

· Salt Lake City: New mayor proposes Utah's first domestic partners registry. Maryland: Gay rights activists and opponents "clashed over a new regulation in Maryland that defines domestic partnerships in state law." New Jersey: State legislature expands hate crimes law to include "gender identity or expression."

· Janet Jackson covers the new Billboard. Video and review of "Feedback" by Darian Aaron, who says the track is a departure from Janet's previous work and "the more I watch it, the more I fall in love with it."

· Recession looms. The Dow drops 250 points, gold hits a record $900 an ounce and Moody's "warned that the U.S. is in danger of losing its stellar 'AAA' credit rating within the decade." Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says the central bank may be "ready to make 'substantive' interest rate cuts to avoid recession."

· Hillary Clinton upstages Republican candidates to propose $70 billion in emergency spending to help victims of the housing and credit crises. "Economists and politicians are finally waking up to what many of America's families already know. We might be sliding into a recession. We need an immediate strategy to get our economy back on track."

News: "Dirty Laundry" Pulled, Wall Street, Torture, Usher, Will Smith

Despite three sold out weekend performances and a considerable $12,000 weekend gross, the management at Manhattan's Clearview Chelsea Theater made the highly unusual decision to pull the plug on Maurice Jamal's Dirty Laundry, which stars Rockmond Dunbar and Loretta Devine. Theater Management "expressed concern that 'the producers may have bought the gross' ", reports Keith Boykin, who is the associate producer of the film and his partner Nathan H. Williams is the executive producer. Our review of the film and interview with director Maurice Jamal is in the current issue of The Advocate.

"They expressed suspicion because there were $1,500 in advance ticket sales for Sunday before the theater opened," Keith adds. "I hate to say it, but this smacks of racism, plain and simple. Black LGBT people have to fight every step of the way just to get a movie into the theaters, and even then, the theater owners would rather lose money than continue running a successful black LGBT movie. That makes no sense."

· The Dow Jones industrial average slides 294.26 points, or 2.14 percent, "after the Federal Reserve trimmed interest rates rather than slashing them, letting down investors who fear the economy might slip into recession."

· Will Smith previously expressed interest in starring in a Barack Obama biopic and now says he will hit the campaign trail for the presidential candidate. "I think he's what the future of America is going to be. Barack represents what I feel is the future of the optimum survival of America."

· Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Hayden fails to answer key questions at a closed door session before the Senate Intelligence Committee about the agency’s "destruction of secret videotapes showing harsh interrogation of terror suspects." Hayden testifies tomorrow to its House counterpart.

· Hayden claims "videotaping stopped in 2002" but a report in today's New York Times suggests it may have continued longer. A former terrorism detainee held in 2003 describes "cameras both in his cells and in interrogation rooms, some on tripods and some on the wall."

· Former CIA interrogator: We waterboarded prisoners because the White House told us to.

· Modern Fabulousity on the possible film adaptation of the Color Purple musical and R&B star Usher Raymond's return Broadway in a role that will include numerous shirtless scenes.

· Log Cabin Republicans denounce Mike Huckabee's previous positions on HIV/AIDS funding and a proposed quarantine. "Governor Huckabee shouldn’t try to revise history to explain away his comments from 1992," says president Patrick Sammon. "He ought to do the right thing and admit he was wrong."

Maurice Jamal Talks "Dirty Laundry" to "The Advocate"

Maurice Jamal's much-anticipated and groundbreaking new film Dirty Laundry is now open in limited release in Los Angeles and New York City. The film tells the story of Patrick (Rockmond Dunbar), a successful black gay man who returns home after many years and comes out to his family. The script has attracted considerable buzz because it may be the first time a mainstream, black film offers a gay protagonist.

"I've always wanted to do a black family film," explains director Maurice Jamal in our review and interview of the feature in the brand new issue of The Advocate. "My idea was ... how does the family accept, react, and, process the coming out of one of their own. We have never seen this before in black film."

Jamal says the personalities and experience of Dirty Laundry are almost universal. "You have these wonderful and wacky characters—just like anybody's family—who have to cope. The wonderfully acerbic, but sweet mom, played by Loretta Devine, the perfect Southern lady, so much like my own mom. The homophobic brother of the gay character. They are all wrestling with Patrick's coming out, and, eventually dealing with it."

"The standout, however, is Loretta Devine as Sheldon’s mother," notes a reviewer in today's New York Times, who calls the movie "comic gold." Devine's character, Evelyn, is descrived "as a fussbudget, chain smoker and world-class chef who proves that a mom’s love conquers all."

The Advocate issue 999 is on newsstands now. Keith Boykin is Dirty Laundry's associate producer and his partner Nathan H. Williams is the executive producer, and, they offer some new details on casting, screening and production.

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Tonight: The Ski Trip

The first time we met Maurice Jamal was around 2000, at Ira's bar-b-q party during DC Black Gay Pride. He was leaving Oaktown and headed toward the big city to seek his fame and fortune. Since then, you could say that Maurice has made his mark; appearances on Chappelle’s Show and finally, in January '04, helming his first feature, The Ski Trip.

If you haven't seen or heard about the movie, it's a romantic comedy about life, love and the unexpected from a witty, black and gay perspective. The script and ensemble cast provide a Woody Allen-esque element, imagine Annie Hall or Hannah and Her Sisters meets Something's Gotta Give ... and the Ice Storm ... only with a fierce, blatino flava. The Ski Trip went on to become a darling of the indie festival circuit—"Best New Feature Film" at the Oakland Black Gay and Lesbian Film Festival—and tonight becomes the first black, gay feature to be broadcast on Logo.