Director Micheal Rice Joins ISGMH for Screening of New Documentary, BLACK AS U R

On Saturday, May 14, 2022, Director Micheal Rice joined ISGMH for a special virtual screening of his new documentary, BLACK AS U R.

BLACK AS U R poses to Black America a highly confrontational and much avoided question. Why do we as a people protest against racial injustice, but disregard the injustices experienced by Black queer people? In this incendiary documentary, filmmaker Micheal Rice takes the audience on a journey through the homophobia that characterizes many Black spaces, both contemporarily and via an autobiographic look into his own upbringing in the south. BLACK AS U R is the first step in confronting the African American community about queerphobia via the stories of queer Black people.

Micheal Rice joined attendees for a special Q&A following the screening, led by ISGMH affiliate faculty member Dr. Aymar Jean “AJ” Christian, Ph.D.

The Q&A focused on Micheal’s motivations for creating this film, the challenges of initiating difficult conversations–regardless of potential pushback or negative reactions–to get to the truth of an issue, the need for a Black queer person to lead the discussion on behalf of their own community, the value of community support in allowing queer individuals to overcome challenges, and the art of finding balance between sharing stories of trauma while avoiding exploitation.