Emil Wilbekin has lived many lives. From being editor-at-large at Essence and chief content officer at Afropunk to being a professor at the acclaimed Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), the “world of Wilbekin” continues to expand. Not to mention, he’s also the founder of the Black queer-focused nonprofit Native Son, named after gay Black author James Baldwin’s famous novel Notes of a Native Son.
As a “son of Baldwin,” Wilbekin has created a platform, both in-person and in real life, that fiercely advocates for change in society, especially when it comes to the betterment of the Black LGBTQ+ community. Raised within a civically engaged family, both of Wilbekin’s parents were attorneys, and his mother and brother are lifetime members of the NAACP. So naturally Wilbekin is locked in to raising awareness of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential platform.
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While the day-to-day of being a media mastermind continues, Wilbekin is rallying Black queer men to understand the power of their vote. But it takes a village to make this happen, and with the company that Wilbekin keeps — including Color of Change CEO Rashad Robinson, civil rights lawyer Alphonso David, fellow journalist Don Lemon, and more — the effort to mobilize Black queer men around the 2024 election is getting much-needed support.
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Between canvassing for Harris and teaching courses at FIT, LGBTQ Nation caught up with Wilbekin to dish about this year’s election, how Harris is rallying Black queer men, and how other sons of Baldwin can build on the legacy left behind by Black queer trailblazers.
LGBTQ Nation: Emil, you’ve had major positions in a variety of spaces, including Essence Magazine, Afropunk, to now being the creator of Native Son. Your career has spanned numerous years, iterations, and, of course, elections. With this new election cycle, what is giving you hope? What is giving you concern?
Emil Wilbekin: What’s giving me hope about this election for the U.S. President is Kamala Harris leaning into joy, leaning into protecting democracy, and really talking about the issues that impact and affect everybody. She’s been leaning into a woman’s right to choose, into student loan debt, into housing prices and rent, and she’s talking about health care. She’s talking about all the things that are really pain points in this country right now. I think she’s leaning into how to really rebuild America and make it a place for people to thrive and pursue their dreams.
One of the things that gives me concern is the ideology of taking America back to this white supremacist place of second-class citizens, of not valuing people of color, being anti-immigration in a country that was built on immigrants. Also, this whole notion of Project 2025 entering the chat and how demoralizing, racist, homophobic, and transphobic it is, and wanting to just go back to these “simpler times,” that’s not where this country is right now. The apathy in the country around the election gives me pause. I’m fine if you’re independent, but to not vote either way and not participate in the process of voting gives me great concern.
There are conversations around Gen Z having much more political power, now that they’re able to vote. Yet, at the same time, they’re withholding that power based on their own judgments and preconceived notions about U.S. political parties. What insight or advice would you give to the next generation who is now able to shift political power?
Well, I think the thing that I try to do is really let the younger generation in Gen Z understand what Black people, specifically, what queer people and LGBTQ+ people have gone through to get to where we are today. You can live in almost like a dreamscape [as if] it’s always been like this, and it hasn’t. I think just getting them to understand that just because you have freedom, you can’t rest on freedom. If you have freedom, you have to protect the freedom, you have to exercise the freedom, and you also have to participate in the freedom.
I think a lot of people now have gotten very apathetic because they live in privilege and not realizing that privilege can be taken away very easily. I try to encourage young people to exercise their right to vote because it is an inalienable right to do so. It is part of being a citizen in this country and this world. We have to fight, we have to appreciate what we have, and keep that conversation and that action moving forward.
Speaking of Pennsylvania, Vice President Harris revealed her plan to empower Black men during a recent visit. However, our community is intersectional. So, what do you think is needed to rally Black queer and trans people?
Well, I think there was this really great article in The Atlantic that was talking about the centering Black men in the 2024 election. They talked about Trump’s hold on certain types of Black men, Kamala’s challenges and foothold with other types of Black men. Then at the end, it said she’s great with Black queer men. They’re all in. It literally said, “They’re all in.”
I think one thing that has been great is that Kamala Harris has a history of supporting LGBTQ issues. I found out, because of this election process and talking to people that worked with her, when she was an attorney general, she was marrying gay couples when marriage equality passed at City Hall in San Francisco because it meant that much to her. We’ve seen the images, her hosting pride events at the vice president’s residence in D.C. We’ve seen her in gay pride marches throughout the years. She’s not new to this.
But I do think about the history of Black queer folks when it comes to politics and when it comes to being activists. We have always been at the forefront of social change, and I think that she’s not taking that for granted. She has so many Black queer folks in her campaign who work in her office as vice president. She’s not just like,” Oh, I’m going to help you all.” She’s like, “No, I need you all’s help to help me help you all.”
Traditionally, Black Americans have voted Democratic; however, there are Black cishet men, as of late, coming out as supporters for Donald Trump. With that in mind, how do we, as Black queer and trans folks, navigate this change in voting from our Black cishet male counterparts?
I think, unfortunately, historically, we’ve seen a lack of support from Black cishet men toward Black queer and trans folks, period. It’s more of a shocking reality, but I don’t know if it’s new, and I think we have to keep doing what we’re doing. I will say that we’ve seen a lot of growth and support around Black cishet men supporting LGBTQ issues, particularly Dwyane Wade, Tommy Davidson, and Marlon Wayans. That gives me hope.
The thing about it is, and people talk about this all the time, if the Black community is divided in any way, we’re not going to win. It’s sad to see so many Black folks going to support the right, but I don’t know if that changes our trajectory, our mission, or even our worthiness of who we are. There’s more of us in places of power. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing to take care of ourselves because we know what’s going to happen.
It’s sad to see so many Black folks going to support the right, but I don’t know if that changes our trajectory, our mission, or even our worthiness of who we are.
Emil Wilbekin
Many of the rights we have now that James Baldwin and other Black queer men advocated for, he didn’t get to experience to the fullest. How do we build upon and capitalize on the foundation laid out for us with our own political engagement to affect change?
Well, I think we’re doing it. I think you’re seeing that realized in real time right now. Again, the fact that the Harris campaign hired so many Black LGBTQ folks, but specifically Black gay and queer men who are out there in the swing states, hosting events, signing people up, managing campus engagement. You’re seeing it, right?
You’re seeing more talking heads on cable news networks who are Black gay and queer men. You are seeing more journalists. Don Lemon is out there pounding the pavement. You see Jonathan Capehart, Richard Fowler, Clay Cane, Gerren Keith Gayner from the Grio. Then you have civil rights lawyers and advocates like Alphonso David, Rashad Robinson, and Keith Boykin. We are really out there, and we are really, we’re doing the things.
It’s amazing because you think about not only James Baldwin, but to your point, I think about Alain Locke, Langston Hughes, Bayard Rustin. So many Black gay men have been on the forefront, and now we’re seeing it in real-time. There’s more of us present on the scene than ever before, and it is amazing. We have a place now, and we are not hidden figures anymore. We’re actually on center stage.
Thinking of the first Native Son, James Baldwin: His words inspire and affect change, especially when it comes to systemic oppression within the United States. Why, now more than ever, do you think that Black queer writers should turn their pens towards doing the same?
We have the blueprint in James Balwin. It is not lost on me that the same year of this consequential, historic election is the 100th anniversary of James Balwin’s birth. He’s given us the keys, the words, the quotes, and the speeches to move forward. I think it’s super important right now that we lean into our power, whatever that is. I think that we have so many prolific writers and journalists and storytellers in our community, historically and now.
The partnership with Native Son & Queerty gives us a platform to now add fuel to those fires, to really bring those voices to the forefront, but give us a platform to talk, read, engage, and to have conversations and speak truth to power. We’re seeing more and more of it. I think this gives us an opportunity to really grow, not just the platform, but amplify the voices of all the different intersections of Black queer men, and tell the stories that need to be told, but also to advocate for ourselves, our community, and our rights.
in society, there’s a need to be more civically responsible than ever before, and thankfully, we’re leaning towards that. Why more than ever are you also mobilizing folks around Vice President Kamala Harris?
Well, I think it’s important that we think about freedom, we think about democracy. I was raised that you do what’s right. You take care of your own. You lean into community. This isn’t even about a political party situation. This is about what is right for the future of the free world.
It is incredible to me that a Black woman is leading the charge right now. Black women have been beat down, marginalized, always treated as less than, but always saving the day and taking care of everybody. A Black woman is stepping up. I think it is incredible that we get behind her and support her.
I think the other conversation that’s happening with the Black men is there’s a lot of misogynoir going on. I think misogynoir is aligned with homophobia and transphobia. If that’s the reason you all are not supporting Kamala Harris, that’s the sad state of affairs, because we all know at the end of the day, Black women have been the backbone of this nation, and so we need to lift her up, period.
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