Cleo Manago
Cleo Manago (born September 21, 1960)
Early life and other activities
Manago is a native of south-central Los Angeles and began a vocation in social services when he was 16 years of age.[3] He was once a professional musician (a bassist). He is a blogger and has written several articles some of which have been published by Dogon Village. In 2011, he co-authored, produced, directed and starred in the educational documentary I AM A MAN: Black Manhood & Sexual Diversity.[7]
Although usually referred to as a "social activist", Manago dislikes the term "activist" when applied to him. He believes black LGBT activism to be "tethered to mainstream white privilege, ideology, and single-focused gay organizations," which he views as culturally dissonant and too limited in scope to be meaningful and beneficial to African-American LGBTQ communities and the larger black community.[3] It has been suggested that he originated the term men who have sex with men (MSM).[3]
AmASSI Health and Cultural Centers
A.m.A.S.S.I. or AmASSI (The African, American Advocacy, Support-Services & Survival Institute) was founded in 1989 by Manago.
Black Men's Xchange (BMX)
Founded in 1989, the Black Men's Xchange (BMX) is the oldest and largest community-based movement in the U.S devoted to promoting healthy self-concept and behavior, cultural affirmation, and critical consciousness among SGL, gay-identified and bisexual African-descended males and their allies.[3]
This organization has chapters in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Orange County, Detroit, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.[3] It has been funded by "the Center for Disease Control's Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative program. And the CDC positions BMX alongside other legacy community black organization[s] such as the NAACP, the Urban League, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and American Urban Radio Networks."[3]
Criticism and response
Among certain members[
Manago view terms such as "gay" and "lesbian" as vestiges of white Eurocentric dominance, and defined "gay" as "the mainstream white (patriarchal) homosexual community."[5]
According to Manago, "In the midst of a need for affirmation and acknowledgment from the 'gay' community, same-gender-loving Black people are subject to
Notes and references
- ^ "Cleo Manago". National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC). September 21, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9781135272883
- ^ The Huffington Post, "Cleo Manago: The Most Dangerous Black Gay Man?"by Irene Monroe, February 17, 2012
- ISBN 9780800698768 p. 193
- ^ ISBN 9780226719986, pp. 91-92, retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-252-09881-9.
- ^ "Explosive New Film featuring Al Sharpton and Cleo Manago Addresses Black Men’s Challenges with Manhood, Sexuality and Masculinity", September 13, 2011 [in] Kick Mag, retrieved July 10, 2015
External links
- The Black Men's Xchange Washington, D.C. Chapter official website
- The A.m.A.S.S.I. official website
- Manago's official channel's channel on YouTube
- Manago's official blog
- Video of "I AM A MAN: BLACK MANHOOD & SEXUAL DIVERSITY" on Vimeo
- Manago's articles in Dogon Village, retrieved July 10, 2015