Source: inside-studio / Getty
n 2008,
Beyonce once said, “If you like you should have put a ring on it” but members of the LGBTQ community weren’t able to legally marry or “put a ring on it” in all 50 states until 2015 after the US Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is legal nationwide.
Before then couples had to look at the laws in individual states to find where they were “allowed” to marry. You see at the time, 14 states had bans on same-sex marriages but this ruling brought an end to more than a decade of legal battles in the name of love and equality. Then
U.S. President Barack Obama called the ruling a “victory for America” and many couples rushed to the alter.
While he’s not married,
Byron Perkins is also celebrating Black same-sex love this month. The Hampton University student, who is the first openly gay football player at an HBCU, has been reveling during Pride Month with his new boyfriend.
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In October 2022, the star defensive back made a decision to live in his truth, not realizing that he would soon make history.
“…I’m going to make a change and stop running away from myself. I’m gay…Yes, this is who I am, this is who I’ve been, and this is who I’m going to be. Simply put, I am who I am…,” he wrote to his followers at the time.
Now, in celebration of the start of this year’s Pride Month, Perkins unapologetically posted a photo of him and his new boo!
Byron’s brave step toward embracing his full identity has far-reaching implications for HBCU campus culture, especially within sports. Hopefully, this will serve as a step towards fostering more inclusive athletic environments everywhere.
“Especially at an HBCU, young Black gay men need an outlet,” Perkins said at the time he came out. “They need a support system. There hasn’t been an out gay football athlete at an HBCU. I want to end the stigma of what people think. I want people to know they can be themselves.”
Perkins added: “It’s about that kid who’s going to see this and think he can be himself too.”
Could Perkins and his boo be among the next couples NewsOne adds to the below list that is sure to grow? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, please join and help NewsOne celebrate love and equality for all as we list some of our favorite Black LGBTQ celebrities who got married and put a ring on it!
