What they lacked in number, they compensated for in energy and conviction.

Marching through Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood on Monday, the nearly 200 participants in the 3rd annual Stand Up & Represent March chanted, sang and let others in the area know that they are black, gay and proud.

The Labor Day march and rally capped off the four-day Black Gay Pride festival, which drew an estimated 30,000 people to Atlanta, according to event organizers. The weekend officially started with an opening reception Aug. 29 at the Sheraton Colony Square in Midtown, a program that was a combination pep rally and revival.

“For some people, coming to a Black Gay Pride celebration has been the first chance for them to really connect with other black gays and lesbians in this kind of environment,” said Malik Williams, a member of The Adodi Muse: A Gay Negro Ensemble. “They see people sharing themselves in a positive manner, and talking openly about how proud they are — it’s fantastic, it’s absolutely fantastic.”

Presented by In The Life Atlanta, Black Gay Pride attracted local politicians, television personalities and business leaders, with events ranging from poetry slams, a Saturday luncheon focusing on gays in the corporate world and a vendors market.

“There’s a [bible] passage that says that He is able to do even more than you can think,” said Darlene Hudson, executive director for In The Life. “It’s been three times larger and better than last year.”

But the weekend wasn’t without disappointments.

At least two nightclubs — Club 708 on Spring Street and Tower II on Ralph McGill Boulevard — were closed early by city fire officials. A spokesperson for the Atlanta Fire Department could not be reached by press time.

Overall, organizers and participants hailed the weekend as a step forward for black gay men and lesbians.

Taunts to liberation
Among the highlights from Friday’s opening ceremony was a performance by Adodi Muse. The cast — Anthony Antoine, Duncan Teague and Malik Williams — sent goosebumps and cheers through the crowd of about 150 attendees with their testimonies about the struggles of black gay men.

From unending schoolyard taunts during their youth, to constant rebuking from peers, churches and parents for not conforming to masculine norms, cast members tracked their progression from suffering to liberated souls.

“I think it takes so long to get to a place where you can actually say some of the words we can say,” Antoine said. “There are so many barriers to prevent you from getting there. It took me 25 years to even think about saying those words.”

In their performance, Antoine, Teague and Williams talked about their internalized feelings of shame and how they dreamed of finding happiness with other black gay men.

“This is the opportunity where we get to celebrate our lives, and celebrate who we are,” Antoine said. “There are not too many safe spaces in which we can do that.”

Popular depictions of black gay men are often limited to stereotypes of effeminate men or members of a “down low” culture, which leaves most gay men unrepresented, Williams said.

“Looking around here, you get to see a whole spectrum of folks, and that’s the reality of what’s always been in our community,” he said. “It’s just that we often don’t come together like this so people can see a whole range of different self expressions in one place.”

Business diversity
In The Life joined with the Atlanta Executive Network, a gay business group, to host a community luncheon and panel discussion on business Aug. 30.

Trevor Pettiford, a reporter with WAGA Fox 5, delivered the keynote speech, and gave participants advice on how to use the media to advance their businesses.

“In just about every story we cover, there is an opportunity for the community to help someone,” Pettiford said. “In whatever field you are in, volunteer yourself as an expert source — it’s taking advantage of the incredible opportunity television news provides for free advertising.”

Pettiford, who is gay, also spoke about WAGA’s coverage of black gay events.

“There has always been concern about how the media covers blacks and GLBT because it usually revolved around showing the unusual,” he said. “It has become more issue-oriented and the media has done a much better job of covering the issues of concern to the community.”

But Pettiford said beyond news coverage, media outlets need to be more diverse. He also called for gay nightlife publications to feature more black models on their covers.

In The Life needed to present a forum showing black gays in a setting different than clubs, said Zandra Conway, who helped organize the luncheon.

“I wanted to come in and say this is about business — we’re business owners, we’re professionals and we’re taking care of our community,” Conway said.

“By having this type of function, others will look at us in a different way and see that we have the talented people up here and people who represent the GLBT community.”

Modest march
The march on Monday allowed its estimated 200 participants to put to practice some of the self-affirming messages they heard throughout the weekend.

The marchers caused residents to come onto their porches, shoppers to gather at the front windows of the stores they were in and drivers to honk in support.

“When I came through the West End, it really took on a different look as I looked at the neighborhood and the people standing out waving us on,” said Hudson, In The Life’s executive director. “I got a boost just to know that despite all of the negative aspects that are associated with gay people, these people appreciated us and cheered us on — that made me feel real good.”

Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard, Fulton County Commissioner Nancy Boxill and state Sen. Vincent Fort attended the march.

“One of the more important things to me about the Black Gay Pride event is that they have events that are in the black community and events that are grounded in African-American culture,” Fort said.

Woolard, who is gay, said she’s pleased to see the event draw people from around the country.

“People always say to me, “Oh, all the gay people live in Midtown.’ Well, we all know the gay people live everywhere and so it’s nice being in a different community, it brings it closer to home,” Woolard said.