LGBT@LHT with activelyOUT, BCOA, and Black Spectrum

What a fantastic evening. I didn't know what to expect, who I would see, or what I would hear. This was an amazing play in classic Tony Morrison style.

The Bluest Eye is the tragic tale of a young black girl in 1940s Ohio. Eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove wants nothing more than to be loved by her family and schoolmates. Instead, she faces constant ridicule and abuse. She blames her dark skin and prays for blue eyes, sure that love will follow.

Adapter Lydia Diamond says "It's very simple. The Bluest Eye is the story of a young African American girl and her family who are affected in every direction by the dominant American culture that says to them, 'You're not beautiful; you're not relevant; you're invisible; you don't even count.' That is what is painful in the novel -- the way in which our country has dealt with race, the way in which the power structure has hurt us, AND the way in which it has made us (African Americans) hurt ourselves."

After the play, we went to the Hotel Rex where wine, beverages, and light refreshments were served. There was a great talk lead by Stanley, the Executive Director of the Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Jewelle Gomez from Horizons Foundation, and Mercedez Munroe, Ms. Gay SF, and the actors from the play.



We touched on so many issues: racism, sexism, homophobia. The play was used as a lens to see another group's pain and relate it to our own. These are just examples that I pulled from my memory. Believe me, there was so much more from various points of view to cast members recounting meeting Alice Walker at the play.

A white, gay man in the audience said "I couldn't get past how deeply she was hurt and how I would never understand that, yet I so want to help".

A black man commented on the frustration and struggle of one of the key, male characters who did bad things because of the horrible acts of two racist individuals in his past (you just have to see the play to know more) and the internal struggle that created.

Two lesbians commented on their own personal struggles and relating to the female characters strength.

But we all walked away knowing that while I could not be you nor have I walked a mile in your shoes, we all know how it is to "not be beautiful" to be told that you are worthless or less than. We know in our own way what that feels like. And my hope is that through that compassion, we will continue to help one another.



Please come to our next NIGHT OUT event.

To learn more about the theater click here.