It's no secret that representations of LGBT people have been largely whitewashed. Though media visibility and representation has steadily increased over the past two decades, LGBT people of color have often felt ignored and invisible. It's a disparity that journalist Lennox Magee set out to correct with The Sip, a new radio show by Black gay men and about Black gay men, airing Friday nights on Urban Broadcast Radio.
"I had this idea to bring four guys together… to discuss real issues," Magee, a journalist who has worked for WBEZ and the Chicago Tribune, said. "There's a lack of a Black gay voice in America and around the world, and I wanted to have this show so we can talk about those things that we don't talk about on CNN or on MSNBC…"
The idea originated as Magee listened to radio programs which used "gay people on the show as caricatures of comedy relief," he said. "You never get our perspective." Tired of being the butt of the joke, Magee began thinking of potential co-hosts, including longtime friend and marketing executive David Dodd.
"He brought it to me and said 'David, we have this show, and I don't see it happening without you,'" Dodd, a transplant from Washington, DC who has lived in Chicago for 17 years, said. "I started digging in the coffers, seeing if I can go through this rolodex in my head."
That led Dodd to Isaac King, a local fashion stylist whose work includes fashion for Nikki Minaj, R Kelly, and the Ford modelling agency, as well as commercials for Nike and Bloomingdales. "In the last three years I basically turned my Facebook page into a bit of a blog, where I rant about fashion, I rant about social issues, and I rant about politics," King said. "And since I'm so opinionated, as David would say, I always give 'a hint of bitch.'"
Rounding out the quartet is Andre Darey, described as the "reflective soul" of the group. "I'm able to be opinionated but see others' points of view," said Darey, a former teacher and youth advocate. While not the moderator of the group, Darey's background as an educator is on full display. He often provides temperance to the boisterous discussions. "I'm always like, 'We need the facts checked, or girl are you sure?' I don't like BS to be thrown at me or be received," he said.
The show veers between the serious and the light-hearted. Segments have so far included interviews with reporters in Ivory Coast following a recent terrorist attack, Black LGBT North Carolinians talking about how the recent anti-gay law effects them, and speed dating. "We've gotten a lot of stories just from people who have listened…" Dodd said. "A lot of these stories people don't have an opportunity to talk about, ever. It's just nice to know people are listening and feel comfortable sharing."
"We wanted fun, but we wanted also serious too," Magee said, admitting "that balance has been hard to find."
Yet it's a balance that seems to be resonating with fans. Only in its first month, The Sip has reached 26,000 listeners and continues growing. This is echoed in the feedback the hosts have received from fans. "People leave really poignant stuff" on their Facebook pages, King said. "I posted our new logo and this guy put under it, 'I'm just so glad this is happening.' So you never know who you're helping or what they were hungry for or thirsty for that you were able to provide."
That hunger stems from an absence of content created for and by Black gay men. "It goes back to just media and that privilege. It's just one of those systems that's been in place for many, many years," Darey said. "Sometimes I think people still have a fear to even put themselves out to say, 'Hey, we support you, we're all in this together.' We just need to have presence."
While the show is about gay men, it is also unapologetically Black—a fact the hosts emphasize. From talking about racism King experienced at a fashion show to racism they've all experienced in Boystown and other gay spaces, the hosts do not shy away from indicting the broader gay community for its own problematic behavior.
"In terms of gay and Black, I feel like if we're going to talk about that from a gay perspective, people see this. They don't care about the fact that I'm gay. I'm Black. That's it. And that comes with a set of issues of its own that you may not want to deal with," Dodd said, adding that it's impossible to divorce these identities. "For me, gay and Black? I don't really live that way. I don't think about it. I'm just David."
With the magic these four make every week, though, none of them will be "just David," "just Isaac," "just Andre," or "just Lennox" for long. The Sip amplifies the voices of intelligent, political Black gay men in a meaningful and rare way: by allowing them to speak for themselves. These four have a lot to say, and listeners want to hear it.
The Sip airs on Urban Broadcast Media every Friday at 6-8 p.m.
