The fact that he is high profile African-American is icing on the cake.
His visibility underlines a problem that I don't think many ever mention when it comes to talking about lgbts in the African-American community. You see, I don't hold to the idea that black people are more homophobic than whites or Latinos or Asians.
The problem with being an lgbt in the black community is that you never get heard. By anyone.
Heterosexual African-Americans (especially preachers) either ignore you, talk over you, or gingerly talk about you.
Some leaders in the black community will intentionally boggart the conversation.
Trust me on this one. I have been on many situations, be they panel discussions, online discussions, or radio programs, where the focus isn't on trying to exchange points of view on the issue, but rather to shut me up and not let me - or any other lgbt of color who happen to be with me at the time - talk.
It's as if these folks are scared of us. It's as if they think acknowledging who we are would lead God to come down from heaven and strike everyone down.
And even on television news programs, you hardly ever hear the perspective of lgbts of color because there is this need to pit the lgbt and African-American communities against one another as if we are two separate entities never to unite.
That's why I am happy that Lemon publicly came out. Finally, there is a voice to bring perspective to the issue of lgbts in the black community.
This interview with Lemon, conducted by Joey Behar, speaks to my point:
