While February was declared Black History Month to recognize the many accomplishments, contributions, and legacy of black lives, often the lives of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBTQ) people are left out of the picture. The Black Gay Men’s Network of Ontario is a centralized hub for same-gender-loving men of African, African diaspora, Afro-Latino, Caribbean, and Black identities, operating from Toronto and Ottawa as an independent and autonomous entity.  They want to bring awareness to the rest of Canada and help build and support a thriving community showing the importance of inclusion and representation in “Black Futures”.

This month BGMN wants to highlight the importance of Black Queer History by featuring some trailblazers in the community. As well they will be rebroadcasting the special they produced on December 30th called JOY, hosted by Hollywood Jade ( Canada’s Drag Race), and featuring Gary Beals, Tafari Anthony, and R.Flex. 

Their goal of BGMN is to provide cultural, intergenerational, and mentorship opportunities, leadership, self-development, and empowerment as well as activism support aimed at improving the lives of Black queer people in Ontario.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.