Award-winning Poet Xavier Speaks in Honor of National Coming Out Day

Award-winning poet, spoken word artist and gay rights activist Emanuel Xavier observed National Coming Out Day last Thursday, Oct. 8, with a lecture in Chase Lounge commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots following a poetry reading from his own collection.

Xavier began his lecture, entitled “The Gay Revolution will be Televised,” with a brief summary of the 1969 demonstrations in Greenwich Village that spurred the gay rights movement. He explained how the “high-heeled heroes” struggled to fight against the persecution of sexual minorities. Government regulations, he said, required individuals to wear at least three articles of gender-specific clothing, forbade restaurants from serving alcohol to homosexuals and prohibited people from dancing with members of the same sex.

Xavier said that the Stonewall riots were a symbol of the underground gay rights movement that began in Harlem, San Francisco, Greenwich Village and Berlin. He accredited the riots to the beginning of the modern fight for sexual and gender equality.

Xavier told the audience of the challenges that he faced after revealing his homosexuality to his mother. He said that he ended up homeless on the streets of Brooklyn as a hustler and drug dealer who had “no knowledge of Stonewall.” He emphasized the struggles that some teens continue to have when they also come out to friends and relatives.

Xavier reaches out to that community by holding writing workshops for homeless gay youth in New York City. He said he thinks the workshops inspire hope and encourage therapeutic participation in the arts. His work aims to make those teens feel more comfortable with their sexual orientation. “Kids,” he said, “were crucial to the Stonewall riots, and the true heroes are the ones who are left behind.”

Xavier explained that police raids against homosexuals still occur, detailing two events that took place as recently as June and September of this year. He said the anniversary of Stonewall should encourage the gay community to come together and force the government to “recognize us as more than second class citizens.” He emphasized the need to pass anti-discrimination laws and remarked on the absence of “authentic” gay representation in mainstream art.

Xavier ended his lecture by urging audience members to vote against Question 1 in the upcoming Maine elections, a measure that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Following the conclusion of his lecture, Xavier read poems from his two books, “Pier Queen” and “Americano.” He included a selection of poems that explore themes of love, sensuality, politics and equality. One poem, “Urban Affection,” was commissioned by the prestigious Walt Whitman Archive and speaks to the generational differences between the Xavier and Whitman.

When one audience member asked why he writes, Xavier explained that he views poetry as an “outlet to unleash pain and anger.”

“It’s important to be open with my sexuality because I want other people to be the same,” Xavier said. “We have to document our history as a community.”

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out