So, you’re probably wondering what the B.A.G. means, or what exactly it is? Well let me answer that- the B.A.G. (Black American Gay) is a travel blog from well… a Black American Gay man’s perspective. I first started traveling internationally in 2016 and have even lived abroad in Paris for a year. As a gay man I was subscribed to blogs and youtube channels from other Gay Americans and even started using Misterbnb (gay version of Airbnb) becasue of it. I was always able to find spaces held for North American expats and even spaces for POC from the USA as well as spaces for LGBT people from the USA.
But I could never find the spaces held for the LGBT people of colour, especially gay men. I mean I can’t explain too much for the lesbian or trans perspective whilst abroad, but I can definitely tell you my black american gay perspective. I wish I could tell you where all the black american gay men are hiding? As cliche as it sounds maybe they're on the beaches of Miami, or having brunch at a new trendy soul food spot in Atlanta, possibly waiting for Blatino Oasis in Palm Springs; however, what I can say is I’d like to see more of us on a Gondola in Venice, atop of the Eiffel tower in Paris or even hiking to the Big Buddha, in Hong Kong. We shouldn’t just travel for cute engagement photos or to tropical caribbean islands where the laws of being LGBT are severely punishable.
Not to discredit these experiences, but we should definitely see how our influence has reached the world. You might ask why do I think it’s important for us to occupy a seat at the travel table and the answer is quite simple- similar to women who travel who are subjected to worries of safety and activity I need to know whether or not I have to worry about racism or homophobia or sometimes both when I travel? In some countries my being black is more of an issue than my being gay- at which point being gay helps me, but then in other countries being black is fine as long as I am not gay which could mean jail, abuse or even death. Lil Nas X might sing about the beauty of Dominica, but the dark side for its LGBT inhabitants who have not escaped to other countries for asylum are bodies forever lost in the jungles. So, grab your passport and sign up for those frequent flier points as we travel the world, try new foods and new experiences.
Let's cultivate groups and discussions that will help the LGBT POC after us!