Queer Characters Feature in ‘Fat Ham’ and ‘Mercury;’ ‘The People’s Joker’ is a Trans Coming of Age Story
Charles Stephens: Collective memory is an act of resistance Charles Stephens Outspoken August 18, 2017 0I am a black gay man from the South. I came of age in the ’90s and early 2000s. Like...
Charles Stephens: Language of trauma is silence: Part 2 Charles Stephens Outspoken November 15, 2015 0We became big brothers without first being little brothers. Elders without first being youth. This is how I think about those...
Charles Stephens: The language of trauma is silence: Part 1 Charles Stephens Outspoken October 31, 2015 0Over the past week I’ve been furiously emailing every public health official I can think of, every agency, every friend connected to...
Charles Stephens: On the cruelty of our elders Charles Stephens Outspoken October 19, 2015 0I’ve been organizing for as long as I’ve been breathing. It’s been mostly good, but not all the time. I...
Charles Stephens: Because being resilient isn’t enough Charles Stephens Outspoken October 7, 2015 0Late last week, I had the opportunity to lead a discussion with a group of young black gay men in...
Charles Stephens: On loving the work Charles Stephens Outspoken September 21, 2015 0Community organizing is nothing if not humbling. You have to have nerves of steel. I mean, it’s beautiful, don’t get...
Charles Stephens: On arts funding, racial justice, and cultural innovation Charles Stephens Outspoken September 4, 2015 0Art is indispensable to social justice. Effective social movements are often accompanied by, if not shaped by, art and artists....
Charles Stephens: Quirk is the new camp on ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Charles Stephens Outspoken August 27, 2015 0At best, television has the power not only to represent the highest values of our culture, but also to elevate...
Charles Stephens: On problems and perspective Charles Stephens Outspoken August 9, 2015 0A few weeks back I was co-hosting a staged reading of the Tarell Alvin McCraney play, "Choir Boy," and I...
Charles Stephens: Perfect black gay men; on being thrice as good Charles Stephens Outspoken July 30, 2015 0Atlanta is the city of perfect black gay men, or rather the illusion of perfection. Perfect bodies. Perfect jobs. Perfect...
Charles Stephens: E. Lynn Harris and black gay reflections Charles Stephens Outspoken July 12, 2015 0Every black gay man I know, around my age at least, has been significantly impacted by the novels of E....