National Black Justice Coalition Responds to Andrew Gillum’s Appearance on Tamron Hall’s Season Premiere
** To book an interview with a leader from NBJC, contact cabot@megaphonestrategies.com **
NEW YORK — In response to Andrew Gillum’s recent extensive interview on Tamron Hall’s season premiere, the National Black Justice Coalition released the following statement:
“Black members of the LGBTQ+ community across the country watched Andrew Gillum’s interview with Tamron Hall today with empathy and love, as so many of us can relate to the complex issues and feelings he conveyed,” said David Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. “I applaud Gillum’s willingness to be vulnerable about his struggles and journey on national television, and deeply appreciate the raw emotion he conveyed in his conversation with Hall alongside his wife, R. Jai.
“Gillum’s reflections demonstrate that there must be space in our country for people to be themselves without shame and fear. When we are forced by harmful societal expectations to operate in black and white, with no room to express the many gray areas of ourselves that make us who we are, we get hurt.
“As R. Jai beautifully explained in the interview with Tamron Hall, no one should have the pressure of explaining or defending their relationship, the private covenant made between them and their partner(s), to people who are unable or unwilling to understand.
“As the United States continues with our long overdue racial reckoning, it’s imperative that we also address the deep seated homophobia, biphobia, bierasure, and transphobia that permeates our everyday lives, forcing countless people to hide essential parts of themselves at a great cost to themselves—and to our cultural consciousness at large.
“I am proud of my brother Andrew for blazing new trails by inviting the world into the fact that he is bisexual. He’s creating space for us to talk about a segment of our community that experiences erasure, stigma, and discrimination from both within and outside the LGBTQIA+ community. It is my hope that the conversation does not end with today’s interview, but is continued without stigma, and with a whole lot of grace. These conversations and the healing they may provide for so many members of our community are required for all Black people to be free—healthy, happy, and whole.
“At the end of the day, everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Everyone deserves to be recognized for who they truly are, and welcomed with open arms. We all deserve to live fully in our truth, and for our whole selves to be accepted and celebrated. And as Andrew said, none of us should be judged based on what someone else may think is our worst day. The National Black Justice Coalition looks forward to supporting anyone interested in learning more about bisexuality in America and in advancing radically inclusive social justice.”
The National Black Justice Coalition recently released a fact sheet that provides language and demographic information about sexually and romantically fluid people in the United States.
About David Johns, Executive Director of The National Black Justice Coalition
David Johns is the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC). The civil rights organization empowers the black LGBTQ community and aims to end racism, homophobia and stigma against black LGBTQ people.
