The Art of Sexuality

Lesbian representation in the visual arts created by people of the African Diaspora emerged most clearly in the late twentieth century as artists began to explore issues specific to gender and sexuality. Artists attracted to members of their own sex certainly existed all along, but prior to the late twentieth century their visibility was not nearly as apparent and their work did not deal explicitly with themes relating to their sexuality.

Drawing on a long tradition of autobiography in African-American history, however, contemporary artists rely heavily on self-portraiture, which almost necessarily involves the exploration of sexual and affection issues. Perhaps because African-American culture has traditionally been unaccepting of homosexuality, many artists of color remain "in the closet" longer than their counterparts in the majority white culture. Thus, many of these artists find themselves dealing with issues of external and internal homophobia.