In the Black gay community, so much emphasis is placed on sex, six-pack-abs and the club scene there is a perception that the biggest gay celebrities are all porn stars and tumblr models. It wasn’t until Jason Collins made his big announcement that I really started to think about who our celebrities really were.
Its really difficult to gauge popularity nowadays when actors in reality shows are considered “stars.”
Regardless, I turned to the biggest high school environment on the planet, Twitter, to determine which openly gay male personalities of color were in fact the most popular. As it turns out, just like a high school, we have a wide range of gay men of color who fall into standard archetypes. We have big ol’ nerds, masculine jocks, feminine boys, quiet types, class clowns, singers, actors, models and yes, six-pack-abs.
So check out who made the cut as our most famous Out gay celebs. Some names will surprise you, some you will want to immediately start following. Who are your favorites? Who did you expect to see make the list but didn’t?
#20 Marcellas Reynolds 11,900+ Twitter Followers
Marcellas Reynolds is a former model turned fashion stylist who now can be seen reporting fashion/entertainment news for CNN, Fox News, E! and Style. He first got real exposure as a house guest on Big Brother 3. To be honest, I’ve never heard of him before today but he currently has over 11,900 Twitter followers so he must be doing something right.
#19 Emil Wilbekin 12,200+ Twitter Followers
Born in 1968, Emil Wilbekin is best known for being the Editor-in-Chief for VIBE Magazine for 10 years. It was during this time at the company that he spearheaded stories covering the infamous East Coast/West Coast rap beef of the 90s that would eventually lead to the deaths of Tupac and Biggie. Currently the Managing Editor of Essence.com, Wilbekin boasts over 12,000 Twitter followers making him a Out gay celebrity of color to be proud of.
#18 John Amaechi, OBE 12,800+ Twitter Followers
Holding down over 12,800 Twitter followers, 6′ 10″ tall former NBA player John Amaechi was the first ball player to come out publicly. His New York Times best selling memoirs, Man in the Middle, chronicled his life not only as a Gay man but also his 8 years playing in the NBA. At 42 years old he not only mentors young gay men, he also spends a great deal of time on charity work.
#17 Bry’Nt 12,900+ Twitter Followers
Admittedly, this young Out gay Hip Hop artist named Bry’Nt was my introduction to the Black Gay lifestyle. I’ve never met him personally but during a random Google search 4 years ago, I saw the words “gay rapper” and “BryNt” and immediately started snooping for more information which led me to discover Lasto, DJ Baker and many others. Four years later, I’m writing about the man on my own Gay website. Look at what he started.
He’s a triple threat of sorts, model/actor/rapper…even when he’s on extended hiatus, somehow his star continues to shine amongst many Black Gay men, garnering him nearly 13,000 followers on Twitter.
#16 LZ Granderson 15,000+ Twitter Followers
There aren’t too many American sports fans who don’t know 41-year-old LZ Granderson. His columns can be read all over ESPN the Magazine, ESPN.com and we’ve all seen him on many ESPN television shows adding to sports analysis and commentary. In June of 2012, Granderson penned a powerful column for CNN.com called, “No Contradiction: I’m black and I’m Gay.” Gaining over 15,000 Twitter followers is no small accomplishment either.
#15 Darryl Stephens 16,100+ Twitter Followers
Its hard to imagine 39-year-old actor Darryl Stephens portraying anything other than the title character on Noah’s Arc but he’s had a long and diverse career spanning 14 years. His latest series DTLA can be seen on the Logo Network. With over 16,000 Twitter followers, he’s definitely one of our more famous celebrities.
#14 Wilson Cruz 16,700+ Twitter Followers
39-year-old actor Wilson Cruz got his start on the cult television series My So Called Life and Party of Five. However many in the Black and Latino gay community know him as the HIV positive Junito on Noah’s Arc. Since his start he has been cast in many television and film roles and had a great run on Broadway in RENT. Cruz currently spends a lot of valuable time advocating for gay youth of color.
#13 Keith Boykin 23,000+ Twitter Followers
Named Cypher Avenue’s Best Gay Personality of 2012, 47-year-old Keith Boykin is one of the hardest working men in news media making appearances on several different cable programs. Last summer, Boykin released a new much-needed book, “For Colored Boys (who have considered suicide when the rainbow is still not enough).” The compilation contains essays and articles from 45 different writers throughout the gay community covering issues such as sexual abuse, suicide, HIV/AIDS, racism and homophobia.
#12 B.D. Wong 33,200+ Twitter Followers
Seriously, who doesn’t know Dr. George Huang on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit? Or how about Father Ray Mukada on HBO’s Oz? The 52-year-old openly gay Chinese-American actor is a living icon for many of us television junkies. His whopping Twitter following count (over 33,000) is a testament to his acting as well as his volunteer work with charities.
If you’re a Liberal and a viewer of MSNBC then its likely you’ve seen openly gay journalist Jonathan Capehart on any number of the cable news networks prime shows. Known for his sharp fashion sense and keen insight into current events, Capehart also gets checks from The Washington Post as a staff writer for the last 6 years. At nearly 60,000 followers, he’s definitely one of our most popular gay personalities.
I didn’t even know that HUCK aka Guillermo Diaz is homosexual. That one took me by surprise, but that is DAMN good!
Yeah, that brought a smile to my face as well. GO HUCK!!! lol.
I’ve known about:
1) Emil Wilbekin – if you’re into the music/entertainment industry and watching documentaries chronicling urban pop culture and the lives of big time performers, you’ll def see this man speaking on different things. He recently was featured on the TVOne special talking about the ‘Top R&B Divas of All Time.’ He is really good at what he does!
2) John Amaechi – never knew about him until I watched the “Shirts and Skins” series about 1.5 years ago on LOGO website. What he does is very good for the community.
3) Bry’Nt – I found out about him after I heard about LastO. I think he and LastO are my favorite OPENLY gay rappers. He was recently on BET’s Rip The Runway special with Kelly Rowland & Boris Kudjoe as a model. Get that money man!
4) Darryl Stephens – DTLA & Noah’s Arc. This guy stays husslin’ as an actor and executive producer!
5) Wilson Cruz – found out about him when I watched Noah’s Arc about one year ago.
6) Jason Collins – I’m in awe of Jason’s courage and I hope to be at that level someday. I can’t wait to see who else in the world of entertainment (sports, music, movies, etc) will come out. I don’t why I’m curious but I wonder who else will. I also wonder if a huge star in sports, music industry, etc will ever come out and be as successful like “those we don’t speak of.” LOL.
7) Shaun T – I can honestly say that INSANITY works and I’m living proof! He pushes you to your limits and is an inspiration to others by doing what he does best… MAKING YOU SWEAT!
8) Don Lemon – I admire his courage. Nick…. please tell me what made your gaydar go off?? LOL. Like was it how he spoke? his mannerisms? what?!
9) RuPaul – the first time I saw RuPaul was when I watched Sister Sister back in the 90s. I didn’t understand what was going on or who he was when I was little BUT later on I finally understood.
10) “Those we won’t speak of” (LOL) – I can’t wait for his 2nd album!!!! This dude went from having 1600 followers to over 2 million in just under 2 years! #blessed
11) Ricky Martin – I remember middle school when so many guys kept calling him gay. I was like why are people saying that??? I guess I didn’t understand what people looked at and what made them come to their conclusion. Anyway, I’m happy for this guy and he’s living life to the fullest!
I can’t think of anyone else that didn’t make the list. I just learned about pretty much everyone else here today. As times get easier, I think you’ll be able to do a Top 50 most famous!
This list makes my heart smile.
LOL!!! @ #2.
I knew he would be on the list.
I’m glad you mentioned Huck. I found out he was gay years ago and loved him even more for being out and proud as a working actor. Loved the shit outta this list. The only two names missing are yours, but that’ll come soon enough.
LMAO @ “Those we don’t speak of…”. You’re a funny-Azz Dude, Nick!
You know, after reading and realizing the truth you guys wrote about F***k O***n, I now think of his as scum…I can’t even take it. The rest of the list is pretty cool. Some I’ve heard of others I haven’t. Thanks for this
Dying of laughter at number 2! “those we don’t speak of” tooooooooo funny great post Nick
Side bar have y’all heard about the show John Legend is in the works of producing for HBO called Down Lo?
Oh hell to da f*ck naw!!!
“Harpo! who these peoples?”
Out of all those (ahem) “men”. I only have respect for two. Their names are Keith Boykin and Jason Collins. (and I kinda like BRY’nt.. but that’s only because I want to blow his back out).
1. Shaun T = Snow Hoe
2. LZ Granderson = Snow Hoe
3. Don Lemon = Snow Hoe
4. Johnathan Capeheart = Snow Hoe
5. RuPaul = Snow Hoe
________________________
We clearly need to do better… *sighs*
Wow! The “hate” on this thread, sad!
wow i did not know guillermo was gay. He is such a good actor. I loved him in weeds and love him more in scandal. Nice list guys
@Nick: Fun list. Thanks for taking the time to compile it. Once again, I know that this was just done for fun, but what about these out men of color, with lots of followers: Greg Louganis and Alec Mapa? Sue me, sometimes he’s funny.
@BlackPegasus: My sentiments exactly.
Not to begrudge success or romantic bliss for any of these people, but I’ve got no coins of support for gay or str8 men of color who -exclusively- partner with whites.
That said, do brothers ever turn Jason Collins’ head?
You’re right, I totally neglected to add these guys, thanks for reminding us all! i guess its a good thing that there are so many famous gay men of color that some are mistakenly left off of a list like this, lol.
No one has yet to see what types of guys Jason Collins will invite into his world. However, I’m preparing myself to expect nothing different from what I’ve seen thus far with other Black Gay notables.
I sincerely hope I’m proven wrong with Jason.. I just want to see two visible masculine Gay BLACK MEN together for a change. Is that too much to ask? *sighs*
Now I can allow myself to have a crush on Guillermo he cute as shit with a five o’clock shadow lol a lotta cute dudes on this list I appreciate the compilation
I didn’t know about “Huck “….
Hey guys, what about Michael Sams and Lee Daniels???