Richard Bruce Nugent

#RichardBruceNugent (July 2, 1906 – May 27, 1987): Nugent was a gay writer and painter during the #HarlemRenaissance and though certainly not the only LGBTQ artist of the time period, he was one of the few who openly stated and celebrated his homosexuality. Born and raised in Washington D.C., Nugent moved to New York City after graduating high school when his father passed away. He ended up moving back to Washington D.C. with his grandmother when he revealed to his mother that he wanted to make art for a living (and she didn’t think he would be successful at this). He worked in a variety of jobs where he would “pass” as white in order to earn more money to help support his family. It was during this time he met fellow poets #LangstonHughes and #GeorgiaDouglasJohnson, and the three influenced each other’s poetry. Nugent eventually did return to New York, specifically #Harlem, where he worked with other collaborators for the magazine #Fire!. It was in this magazine that he would write “Smoke, Lilies, and Jade,” a stream-of-consciousness work that explored bisexuality and interracial male desire. Throughout the 1930s, Nugent worked for the #FederalWritersProject as well as a dancer (in the 1940s he became a member of the Williams’ Negro Ballet Company). He continued working with poetry and promoting the arts in Harlem., working in the 1960s as co-chair for the #HarlemCulturalCouncil (which sought funding for the arts and worked on the #SchomburgCenterForResearchInBlackCulture). He died in 1987 at the age of 80 from congestive heart failure. #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA #LGBTQIAPride #Pride #LegendsOfPride #YouCannotEraseUs