Riggs first rose to prominence as the director, producer and writer of Ethnic Notions (1987), an Emmy Award-winning documentary that explored the effects of African-American stereotypes. Reviewing the accomplishments of his life, the then 31-year old filmmaker decided it was time to stop, as he described it, “extracting out sexuality” from his work. The result was the ground-breaking documentary Tongues Untied (1989) which, along with Isaac Julien’s Looking for Langston (1988), was one of the first widely viewed films to examine black gay sexuality from a black point of view. Although Tongues Untied met with wide-spread critical acclaim, it drew fire from conservative politicians when it was broadcast on American public television. In the ensuing controversy, Riggs became one of the best-known and most outspoken black gay male activists. His death from an AIDS-related illness in 1994 came prior to completion of his final work, Black Is… Black Ain’t, a film which explored self-hatred, racism, sexism and homophobia within the African-American community.
The Legacy Project recognizes the many roles Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people have played in the advancement of world history and culture. “THE LEGACY WALK” – the only outdoor International GLBT History Museum in the World – is coming to North Halsted Street in Chicago to be dedicated on October 11, 2011.
For information, to donate or to volunteer, go to www.legacyprojectchicago.org
