If you live in New York, you may have noticed a new ad campaign. Launched by The Black Gay Network, a coalition of 16 grass-roots organizations, it hopes to quelch homophobia in black communities. Set on basketball courts, in churches, and on the street, this clever and necessary movement seeks to not only depict gays as both "black" and "gay," but begin a healthy dialogue in various communities. Executive director Mark McLaurin says:

The thing that came up over and over again was the homophobia in the African-American community...The sense that [black men] were forever having to demonstrate their blackness because they were gay, or demonstrate their authenticity to the larger community.

Funded by a grant by the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, the $150,000 adverts are already turning heads. Hopefully, it will turn even more and make a difference.

Ads Target Homophobia [The New York Blade]

New York State Black Gay Network