Wayne Brady, Colman Domingo & J. Harrison Ghee Among Native Son's 2023 List Celebrating Black Queer Men

With 2023 soon coming to a close, Native Son – the leading organization championing Black gay and queer men – today unveiled its annual year-end Native Son 101 List highlighting a powerful collective of Black gay and queer men who made incredible impact throughout the year. Now in its fourth year, the 101 List honors leaders, mavericks and innovators in the Black gay and queer community who achieved unprecedented cultural heights and become historic firsts, and those who are using their platforms to break through barriers and glass ceilings in their respective roles, professions, and areas of expertise. The 2023 edition will also see Native Son once again partnering with The Cut for a second year. 

Conceived by Native Son Founder Emil Wilbekin, this year’s list features a range of  social justice and social impact activists, media mavericks, politicians, visual and performing artists, entrepreneurs, fashion designers and stylists, actors, directors, authors, musicians, and  academics. The 2023 class includes: Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY nominated entertainer Wayne Brady who came out as pansexual earlier this year and opened up about his journey toward self-discovery; Tony Award-winning actor J. Harrison Ghee who is the first non-binary performer to win a Tony Award along with Alex Newell; and Maryland State Delegate Ashanti Martinez who became the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the General Assembly from Prince George's County District 22 in the Maryland House of Delegates. Additional honorees include: Emmy Award-winning actor Coleman Domingo; legendary stylist Law Roach; renowned journalist and anchor Don Lemon, NAACP Image Award-winning actor Nicco Annan, choreographer Sean Bankhead; former NFL player, author and advocate R.K. Russell; Sandro, breakout star of The Great British Bake Off; and Fabian Nelson, the first openly gay state legislator in Mississippi.

“2023 has been a year of great contrasts. There have been unprecedented attacks against the LGBTQ+ community with over 500 anti-queer legislations and simultaneous assaults against Black history and culture,” said Wilbekin. “And still, Black gay and queer men have ascended making history in politics, shifting narratives in media, TV, and film, and holding critical positions of power in business and technology. Living at the intersection of our Blackness and our queerness can be both challenging and triumphant. Meet the rebels and the warriors in our community who are doing the good work to push past any roadblocks – those who are creating opportunities, acting as agents of change and who are advocates for everyone to be able to stand loud and proud in their truth. This year’s 101 List is evidence of our resilience, innovation, and bravery.”

"I am beyond thrilled to have The Cut collaborate with Native Son for the second  consecutive year,” says editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples. “Together, we embark on a journey to amplify Black queer voices, a mission close to my heart. Elevating these voices is not just a commitment; it's a celebration of resilience and strength.”

Created in 2020 in the middle of the global health crisis and racial equity protests, the Native Son 101 List originated as a way to celebrate Black gay and queer men of every age and honor individuals in the community who had done impactful work throughout the year. The list appeared on www.nativeson.us and Instagram. It includes an extensive and comprehensive list of 101 Black gay and queer men in a wide range of fields and areas of expertise.

The 2023 Native Son 101 List is illustrated by C.J. Robinson.

Full List

FASHION & BEAUTY

B Michael – Fashion Designer and Author of MUSE: Cicely Tyson and Me

Bishme Cromartie - Designer; Project Runway All Stars Winner 2023

Eric Archibald – Celebrity Stylist, Creative Director, and Costume Designer

Jahleel Weaver – Celebrity Stylist; LVMH Creative Director, Fenty House

Kingsley Gbadegesin – Designer; Founder & CEO, K.NGSLEY

Law Roach – “Retired” Celebrity Fashion Stylist

Matthew Henson -  Celebrity Stylist & Brand Consultant 

Philip-Daniel Ducasse – Fashion Documentary Photographer and Filmmaker 

Rafael Pavarotti - Fashion Photographer, Vogue/British Vogue

Ty Hunter – Celebrity Stylist; Designer; Author (Makeover From Within: Lessons in Hardship, 

Acceptance, and Self-Discovery)

Ugo Mozie - Celebrity Stylist

 

MEDIA

Alvin Hall – Podcast Host and Author (Driving The Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black)

Chris Witherspoon – CEO of Pop Views and Contributor of MSNBC, NBC News, and the "Today Show"

Dominic Gaye and Korey “K. Keith” McRae – Leadership, Gaye Magazine

Don Lemon - Renowned journalist and anchor 

Eric Jones Jr. - Producer "Good Morning America" and Talent Lead Culture Con

Ernest Owens – Journalist; Author (The Case for Cancel Culture: How This Democratic Tool Works to Liberate Us All); Philadelphia Editor, Eater; President, Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists

Eugene Daniels - Washington Correspondent, Politico; Co-Author (Playbook)

Hakeem Lathon - VP, Essence Festival of Culture

Kai Wright and André Robert Lee – Host and Executive Producer, Notes From America With Kai Wright - NPR’s WNYC Studios

Kareem "Mr. Bake" Queeman – James Beard Nominated Chef (Food Network, Netflix’s Sugar Rush Christmas, Top Chef Judge)

LZ Granderson – OpEd Columnist, LA Times, Contributor, ABC News; Host, Life Out Loud Podcast

Marcus Smith – Executive Producer, KTLA 5 News

Obio Jones – Content Creator/ Wellness Influencer, LGBTQ+ Advocate, Coach, Speaker, and Podcast Host

Raymond Warren - Director, Multicultural & Inclusive Solutions, The Walt Disney Company; Founder, Warren Marketing & Media Solutions

Ricky D. Irving Jr. - Emmy Award-Winning Producer, CBS This Morning

Ryan Mitchell - Media Personality, Entertainment Host & Culture Commentator

Scott Evans  - TV Host, Access Hollywood; Member, Television Academy Foundation Board of Directors

The G.R.I.T.S. Co. Podcast (Earl Martin, Taden Page and Julian Floyd)

FILM & TELEVISION

Ashton Pina — Director, Producer & Writer (Nana’s Boys on Showtime) 

Colman Domingo – Actor/Writer/Producer (Rustin, The Color Purple, You Are Here, Fat Ham)

Dennis Williams – SVP, Corporate Affairs & Corporate Social 

Dewayne Perkins - Screenwriter & Star of The Blackening 

Doctor Darien Sutton, MD - Medical Contributor. ABC News

Julian Breece   Director; Screenwriter (Rustin)

Kevin J. Stuckey – Head of Community, Multicultural Publicity, Netflix

Mark R. Wright – Vice President, Film, HigherGround; Producer (Who Cloned Tyrone, 

 Rustin) 

Marquis Phifér  -  Head Of Cultural Marketing, Hillman Grad Productions

Ncuti Gatwa – Actor (Barbie, Dr. Who, Sex Education)

Nicco Annan  - Actor (P-Valley)

Preston D. Mitchum  - Attorney; Advocate; Activist; TV personality (Bravo's Summer

House: Martha's Vineyard) 

Sandro – Chef, Baker, Content Creator, and TV Personality (The Great British Bake Off)

Wayne Brady – Actor; Entertainer; TV Host (Let’s Make a Deal) 

 

THEATER & DANCE

Anthony Wayne – Pippin, Ain't Misbehavin’ and Black Broadway Men

George C. Wolfe – Director (RUSTIN); two-time Tony Award-winner 

J. Harrison Ghee –Tony Award-Winning Actor (Some Like It Hot) 

Jamal Sims – Emmy Nominated Choreographer, Producer and Director

Jonathan McCrory - Executive Artistic Director, National Black Theatre; Producing Artistic Leader, The Movement Theatre Company

Nick Coutsier - Choreographer; Movement Director (Pharrell X Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Lady Gaga, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen)

Sean Bankhead – Dancer and Choreographer; Judge (MTV's Becoming a Popstar)

Stephen Galloway - Choreographer and Creative Movement Director (YSL, Miley Cyrus)

Tarell Alvin McCraney- Artistic Director, Geffen Playhouse 

MUSIC 

Bongeziwe Mabandla - South African Soul Singer 

Brian Henry aka DJ B-Hen - DJ (Coachella, Renaissance Afterparty in Paris, BET Awards, LA Pride, SXSW) 

Durand Bernarr – Singer-Songwriter; Producer; Host and Actor (B-Boy Blues; A Black Lady Sketch Show)

Jason King – Dean, USC Thornton School of Music, Host, Spotify’s Sound Barrier: Sylvester Podcast Sylvester Podcast. 

Malcolm J. Merriweather -  Conductor; Grammy Nominated  Director, New York Philharmonic Chorus

serpentwithfeet – Singer/Musician 

POLITICS 

Ashanti Martinez – Maryland State Delegate 

Davante Lewis - Louisiana Public Service Commissioner 

Fabian Nelson - Mississippi State Representative

Judge Jamar K. Walker - U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of VA. 

Justice Horn – Chair, Kansas City LGBTQ Commission 

Troy Blackwell Jr. - Senior Advisor and Spokesperson for Biden-Harris Administration; Chairman of the NYC Gay Men's Chorus 

ACTIVISM & COMMUNITY

Bishop OC Allen and Rashad Burgess – Bishop, Vision Church & Cathedral of Atlanta; VP of Advancing Health and Black Equity at Gilead

Avery R. Young – Poet and Activist (Chicago's First Poet Laureate)

Darren Walker – President of the Ford Foundation

Deon T. Jones – Artist, Performer and Activist

Dexter Mayfield - Dancer, Actor, Model, Choreographer, Body Model  Public Figure // Black Queer Body Positive Activist and Influencer; 

Don Abram - Founder and Executive Director, Pride In The Pews 

Dr. Brinkley PsyD, LMFT and David Brandyn - Hosts, #SissyThePsyche

Eddie Ndopu — South African Disability Rights Advocate; Global Advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 

Erin Whalen - Founder and Executive Director, Da Vinci RISE High School 

Gabriel Maldonado - CEO and Founder, TruEvolution/Project Legacy LGBTQ Community Campus

Jean Dolin – Founder, Boston LGBTQ+ Museum of Art, History & Culture; Social Impact Entrepreneur and Cultural Producer;  Forbes 30 Under 30

Jor-El Caraballo, LMHC - Mental Health Therapist; Co-founder, Viva Mental Health; Author (Self Care for Black Men)

Joshua Allen – Artist Activist; Creator, Returning Home Fine Arts Series; Founding Organizer & Director, Black Excellence Collective

Tim’m T. West - Executive Director, LGBTQ Institute

LITERATURE & BOOKS

Donovan X. Ramsey – Author (Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era)

Hilton Als - Curator, Educator author (God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin)

Justin Michael Williams - Grammy Nominated Recording Artist; Author (How We Ended Racism: Realizing a New Possibility in One Generation)

Steven W. Thrasher – Journalist, Educator and Academic; Author (The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide)

R.K. Russell – Former NFL player and the Author (The Yards Between Us)

VISUAL ARTS

Damien Davis- Visual Artist 

Eric Hart Jr. - Photographer, Author (When I Think About Power), Google Image

Equity Fellow

Jacolby Satterwhite – Visual, Performance and Multimedia Artist (A Metta Prayer, The Met 

Museum)

Jonathan Lyndon Chase – Visual Artist 

Justen LeRoy – Multidisciplinary Artist & Curator(X'ene's Witness); Director of Public  

Programs,  MOCA

Phillip Michael Collins - Founder and CEO, Good Black Art

Quil Lemons – Visual Artist and Photographer (Quiladelphia )

BUSINESS

Alvin Wayne – Interior Designer/Product Designer

Corey Damen Jenkins - Interior Designer, Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates 

Darren Walker - President of The Ford Foundation

James Cole Jr. - Chairman and CEO, Jasco Group and AIG Board member

Marques Zak - Director of Cultural Platforms, American Express

Omari Jahi Aarons-Martin -  Executive Director and COO, National African-American Insurance Association

Jonathan Kirland - Head of Marketing & Brand, BLK

Torrence Boone - VP Global Client Partnerships, Google; Member, Macy’s Board of Directors

EDUCATION

Dr. Sean Larry Stevens- Executive Director, Adams Street Foundation, Author and Podcast Host, Walk In Your Excellence; Leadership and Education Thought Leader and Social Justice Advocate 

Nathaniel Langford Currie – Professor, Clark Atlanta University/Whitney Young Jr. School of Social Work; Licensed Psychotherapist; Expert in Queer Studies

Shaun R. Harper - University and Provost Professor in the Rossier School of Education and the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California; Founder and Executive Director, USC Race and Equity Center; Member, National Board for Education Sciences 

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