The 19th: Prof. Jacobson López Discusses O’Shae Sibley Tragedy & Historical Discrimination Against Black LGBTQ Adults
While popular culture has begun to celebrate Black gay, bisexual, or queer identified men, the recent murder of dancer O’Shae Sibley shows the dangers Black LGBTQ individuals face outside of curated spaces. Prof. Daniel Jacobson López from BU School of Social Work spoke to The 19th about the long history of violence against Black queer men, particularly those seen by the public as feminine.
Excerpt from “Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Celebrates Black Queer Joy. O’Shae Sibley’s Killer Tried to Strip That Away.” by Candice Norwood:
Performers like Sibley play an influential role in mainstream pop culture and art, but his death serves as a reminder that Black queer lives remain in jeopardy.
This year more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced by lawmakers around the country, according to Erin Reed, a transgender journalist and activist. The majority of these proposed policies specifically target transgender people.
That political climate fosters hostility and violence against queer and transgender people, advocates say. So far this year at least 15 transgender and gender nonconforming people have been murdered. Black people face the brunt of the attacks. Seventy-nine percent of Black LGBT adults reported verbal insults or abuse, 60 percent reported being threatened with violence, 44 percent were physically or sexually assaulted, and 43 percent experienced robbery or property destruction, according to a 2021 report by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.
Black queer men who are viewed as feminine tend to endure more violence, including childhood abuse and sexual abuse, said Daniel Jacobson López, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work and visiting faculty at Yale University who researches sexual violence against gay Black and Latino men.”