Black Gay Pride’s serious youthful aside [photos]

By Project Q Atlanta | Sep 9, 2011 | 10:46 AM

VIEW MORE PHOTOS | State of Young Gay America @ Black Gay Pride

Atlanta’s Black Gay Pride celebration wasn’t just a weekend-long party for youthful gays. They gathered to talk serious issues, too, despite Brandy, pool parties, and a nightlife schedule packed with options.

So Change Atlanta, a collection of groups focused on LGBT issues for young gays, organized the State of Young Gay America, a summit that served as an unofficial opening to Black Gay Pride. The Aug. 31 event at the Melia, the host hotel for Pride, attracted elected officials, gay activists and a youthful crowd for a lively discussion.

Black Gay Pride also featured the 5th Annual State of Black Gay America Summit, which focused on leadership, diversity and community.

The young gays pitched their event like this: “We will not bore you with statistics and meaningless jibberish, but we will be confronting, challenging and changing our generation by simply being relevant. STATE OF YOUNG GAY AMERICA will be the Kickoff to the Atlanta Black Gay Pride Events for young adults who are admittedly YOUNG but unquestionably FLY.”

On hand was City Council member Michael Julian Bond (top photo), who presented a proclamation he shepherded through City Council calling attention to the summit. He was joined at the event by Georgia state Rep. Simone Bell, the first African-American lesbian elected to a state legislature.

Also joining a panel discussion during the event was Jeff Graham, Georgia Equality’s executive director, Terence McPhaul, YouthPride’s executive director, and Darlene Hudson, an organizer of the Black Gay America summit.

Black Gay Pride’s serious youthful aside [photos]

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