Black gay actress
Black History Month is often about dusting off the archives and uplifting the names of figures who paved the way for the privileges we currently enjoy. You know, the Martin Luther King Jr.’s, Malcolm X’s and Rosa Parks’ of the nature. If we’re lucky, LGBTQ2 folks like James Baldwin, Langston Hughes and Audre Lorde are included. But with all due respect, I’m a little over the same ol’, alike ol’ when it comes to recognizing our history. So, I’m taking it upon myself to liven up our month-long celebration of Black excellence. When I think of key moments in Black history, I conjure up more recent instances in pop culture where Black gay and trans people triumphed—everything from RuPaul’s Drag Race lip syncs and American Idol performances to epic characters on the huge screen. With that in mind, I’ve put together some of my favourite pop culture moments worthy of our Black History Month adulation.
Lafayette serves up burgers “with a side of AIDS”
In the first season of True Blood, the overdue Nelsan Ellis played everyone’s favourite chef, Lafayette Reynolds. The lifeblood of the v
Cynthia Erivo on Bringing Her Black Queer Persona to ‘Wicked’: ‘It’s a Love Letter to Everyone Who Feels Different’
Last Friday night, “Wicked” celestial body Cynthia Erivo surprised a theater packed of moviegoers at the Odeon Leicester Square in her hometown of London. As the thespian walked onto the small stage, the audience erupted into screams at a pitch that rivaled Elphaba’s own lofty notes.
“This has been the most amazing tour, but this is probably the most marvelous part of it,” Erivo told the giddy crowd. “You’re one of the first sets of people to arrive watch this clip and I wanted to say appreciate you personally.” Erivo kept her remarks short and pleasant, closing with a wink to one of Elphaba’s most famous lines from the hit Broadway musical-turned-Universal movie: “Pink and green goes well together.”
Indeed, the signature colors of the film’s protagonists possess gone golden as “Wicked” shot to No. 1 at the global box office with $165 million — breaking records for the biggest opening for a film based on a Broadway adaptation and the best start for a non-sequel clip this
Cynthia Erivo Delivers Powerful Speech About Being ‘Black, Bald-Headed, Pierced and Queer’
Cynthia Erivo may not be a emerald witch but that doesn’t mean she can’t relate to Elphaba, the sorcerer she plays in the upcoming “Wicked” movies.
“As I stand here in front of you: Black, bald-headed, pierced, and queer, I can say I know a thing or two about being the other,” the Tony winner said Saturday evening at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala, where she was presented with the Schrader Award by Jada Pinkett-Smith. “Elphaba’s story is… about how a colorful, powerful, magical woman—despite being disparaged, demonized, and discriminated against—becomes a hero.”
“Wicked is a reclamation and a reimagining of the labels used against her. It is the proclamation of her right to exist in all her power,” she continued. “If that sounds familiar to you colorful, magical people in this room—it should.”
Erivo came out as multi-attracted in the pages of British Vogue in 2022. “I lived in thick admiration of anyone who could fully embody their accurate authentic
'Wicked' star, self-identified bisexual actress Cynthia Erivo cast as the Son of God in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'
Pastor blasts casting choice as 'blasphemy'
By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post Reporter
A ebony LGBT-identified British actress best established for her role in “Wicked” has been tapped to perform the role of Jesus in an upcoming production of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Cynthia Erivo, 38, is no stranger to the longtime Broadway hit: she previously portrayed Mary Magdalene in an all-female version of “Superstar” in 2020.
But the Feb. 18 Hollywood Bowl announcement that Erivo will portray the Son of God in the musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber has drawn criticism from pastors and Christian audiences alike.
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In addition to her winning Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards, Erivo is a three-time Oscar nominee, including for Best Actress and Best Imaginative Song for the 2020 movie “Harriet,” a biopic on the life of escaped slave and civil rights icon Harriet Tubman.
While Erivo attended Catholic school in London as a ch