Our Global LGBT History: Spotlight on Krystian Legierski (Blog Series)

Photo Credit:Wojciech Surdziel / AG (Agencja Gazeta)

  

Krystian Legierski was born April 22, 1978 in Koniaków, Poland. He is a Polish/black LGBT activist, entrepreneur and member of the Greens 2004. In local elections in late 2010 he won a seat in the Warsaw City Council. This made him the first openly gay politician elected to a political office in Poland.
He was born in Poland, to a Polish mother and a Mauritanian father. 

Legierski studied Law at the University of Warsaw. He has been active in LGBT movement in Poland for sometime. In 2003 he co-authored the first draft of a law on civil unions sponsored in the Polish Senate. This draft however, did not pass. Since 2009 he has been involved in another effort to introduce civil unions into the Polish legal system.

In 2003 he founded the club Le Madame in the Warsaw Old Town. Le Madame was a nightclub, but also a cultural center, providing space for alternative theater, music, drag queen shows, art exhibitions and political debate. It was closed by the acting mayor of Warsaw, Miroslaw Kochalski, in March 2006.The closure was met with protests, which came to be labelled as "the Polish Stonewall.” Along with Le Madame, Legierski founded a gay club Tomba Tomba (later renamed Usta Mariana) as well as M25 - a nightclub and a theater scene.

Legierski was among the founding members of the Polish Green party Green 2004. In November 2010 he won a seat in Warsaw City Council, making Poland the most recent Eastern European nation to elect a Black to public office. He ran on a Social Democratic ballot. Legierski reportedly stated, shortly after his election "I can’t compare myself to Harvey Milk, but I’m glad that I am the first openly gay candidate to be elected for a public office in Poland.” He also spoke of the intersection of race and sexuality in the election stating, "In Poland there are so few blacks that nobody has ever done research on how many there are. It would not pay to do it. But without a black-emancipation movement, and without a strong organization of sexual minorities, after just 20 years of democracy, we have achieved what elsewhere sometimes took generations. Poland showed its tolerant and nondiscriminatory face."

(NOTE: Information for this post was obtained from Wikipedia and other sources.)

Question for Sage: Being Black, Being Gay and Being a Spiritual Teacher (Remixed)

(NOTE: In the time since this piece was originally written (April 29, 2010) I have generally stopped referring to myself as a "spiritual teacher." I do however still view myself as an elder, wayshower and carrier of wisdom.)

Q). How does being black and gay influence your spiritual teaching work? Or does it?

(A) (Sage) 

Both my ethnicity and my sexual orientation most definitely influence my teaching work and I imagine they also influence every other aspect of my life as well. 

At the most fundamental level these "things about me" are things I understand to be rather unique, at least as far as the spiritual teaching community is concerned. What I mean by that is that I am not aware of a large number of either African American (outside of mainline Protestant church ministers, who are also often over-the -top homophobic and/or heterosexist) nor openly gay or same gender loving spiritual teachers out there presently. And so at the most fundamental level I am keenly aware of that. Perhaps more importantly, I am aware that the people who might be the audience for anything I produce or teach will also be aware of this, whether these awarenesses are on a conscious level or not. I am also aware that given the level of pretense that exists in most spiritual circles, these are things such people may want to pretend they don't notice. Then there is the whole issue of what such people may choose or not choose to do with that information if and when they do allow themselves to notice it. Race, ethnicity, gender identification and sexual orientation continue to all be strong and often contentious areas of social and other expressed energies in the world, perhaps more so in the USA than in comparable country's such as Canada (where gay marriage is legal) and Europe, that also boasts a number of country's that recognize gay marriage.

There is a saying in the black community particularly among blacks whom American society might consider successful or blacks who are in types of work or professions where there have not traditionally been high numbers of African Americans. That saying goes something like, "If you are black, you can never forget that fact."

I have heard many story's over the years that bear witness to the truth of that above saying. One that has always stuck in my mind for some reason is a story Whitney Houston spoke openly about once on a television talk show i just happened to catch. Houston recounted that at the absolute height of her popularity and fame, she attended a formal event of some kind. She was wearing a very expensive designer dress, was dripping with the jewels of her success and was embodying her "Diva-ness" to the fullest. Suddenly and without any warning an elderly white woman attending the function came right up to her and calmly and with complete seriousness said something to her to the tune of, "Excuse me darling, would you be a dear and get me a refill on my champagne?" For the uninitiated, the punch line is meant to indicate this elderly white woman's belief that Whitney Houston, pop diva extraordinaire, was in fact none other than one of the servers at the party and not one of the guests. Houston assumed this "mistake" was made only because she was black and that no matter how much fame and success any black person achieves, there will always be those for whom we will remain simply just another...well....you get the picture. Who knows where the truth lies there. My own life experiences however, informs me that Miss Houston was correct in her assumption.

I believe there is some fundamental truth expressed there, in that story. And I have heard numerous black superstars express essentially the same story, experienced by them in their own unique way--Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby, just to name a few. That fundamental truth is neither experienced as particularly burdensome nor negative for me however. At least not most of the time. Rather, it is one of the many things in the world that keeps me grounded in general and grounded in this human form I am in specifically; a form that includes the color of my skin and the fact that I make love to men.Some days are clearly better than others however. There is no doubt about that.

At another level these things about me bring an awareness that both my ethnicity and sexual orientation are things that have been marginalized by many cultures and many people and for a very long time. I am very aware there are people in the present day who also may attempt to marginalize me or view me as "lesser than" or even physically harm because of one or both of those "things about me." There are not many spiritual teachers out there, I believe, who have to include in their consciousness, when they give a public teaching, for example, the thought, "Oh yeah, there just might be someone in the audience who may throw a racist or gay slur at me during the talk." I don't believe Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson or Wayne Dyer have ever had to go there. Nor have many, many others. I have experienced marginalization on numerous occasions during my time on the planet. I have been called a faggot to my face in public. I have been called a nigger to my face in public. And I am certain some of the people who engaged in those acts were spiritual or religious people. As I have said in another piece I wrote, I have been called a nigger to my face, in public exactly five times in my adult life. Four of those five acts were committed by openly gay white men, in public spaces and in one of the world's most recognized progressive and spiritually diverse city's---San Francisco, California. And in every single case (being called nigger and faggot) these incidents were, from my perspective, completely unprovoked, except by the anger and self loathing that was present and lurking in the consciousness of the person behind the words. So there's all that as well.

So there are many ways my own awareness of my ethnicity and sexual orientation could potentially influence my teaching work, both negatively as well as positively. The way I believe these awarenesses most impacts my work is that I believe there is a clear socio-political and sacred activism element to my teaching work and most likely always will be.

While I can be just as positive and "woo woo" as the next person, it is not long before some reference to political or social challenge and struggle in the world and the interest in the transformation of those challenges comes into my work. I make an absolutely clear association between such challenges, transmuting them and what I consider to be authentic spiritual practice. For me there is no such thing as an authentic spiritual practice in the 21st century that does not include sacred activism work on some level.

In a nutshell, my teaching work is heavily influenced by the consciousness and underlying philosophies and teachings of both Liberation Theology and Engaged Buddhism. My life and work are steeped in them to the core. My personal spiritual practice is also heavily influenced by them both as well. So my teaching work has a very clear Sacred Activism element to it that is both fundamental and fundamentally related to both my ethnicity and sexual orientation. 

At another level still, these things about me influence my teaching work in ways that are a result of the fact that I, in no way, have consciously disowned anything about these two aspects of who I am. In other words, I accept them. I embrace them. And so I bring the history, cultural elements, personal life experience, dramas, personal and collective pain and everything else about being a black, same gender loving man into my teaching work. I however, do not believe I have created an "identity" out of either. It can be very difficult to explain in words the difference between fully accepting something about ourselves while not going so far as to then create an identity out of that same thing. For me my awareness that I am far more than the sum of any of my parts helps me to successfully navigate that sometimes slippery slope---most of the time.

CNN's Don Lemon Speaks With Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt, Parents of Cpl. Andrew Wilfahrt Regarding Minnesota's Possible March Toward Gay Marriage Ban

I for one can no longer even get angry when I hear outlandish statements and twisted logic like that presented by State Senator Warren Limmer in this video. I even seemed to perhaps detect he was hearing his own words here and was maybe realizing how weird they were himself. Probably my imagination. Anyway, when I now hear statements like the State Senator's, I simply experience sadness and yes, compassion for someone who can go so far as to disparage an American soldier who died for this country, in order to defend his own (Limmer's) discriminatory philosophies and beliefs. I just hope every voter in Minnesota sees this video and is able to see the bigotry in Limmer's statements and the reason, intelligence and wisdom in Lori Wilfahrt's. Ashe.

To read a touching and inspired piece written earlier by Jeff Wilffahrt go here.

Black Thursday: A Photo Essay By Sage

A tour around the world and around the world's religions through the lens of some of the world's black and dark blue spiritual guides.

One reason I chose to create this photo essay is for it to represent a certain type of spiritual empowerment that is available specifically to people of the African Diaspora simply through the presence of these images. Similarly, I also believe these images can provide a certain type of empowerment to LGBT people as well. Symbolically, the color black, from a spiritual understanding of the universal color spectrum, represents overcoming obstacles, transmuting negativity into something more beneficial--usually compassion and wisdom, letting go, particularly the letting go of rage, transmuting the "darkness" in us, etc. These are awarenesses that can easily be translated into everyday practices that can be beneficial to anyone especially however, those who are victims of oppression of any kind. We can develop practices around any of the "dark" spiritual guides," particularly "the dark mother" without a corresponding religious devotion or "worship" of such figures.

Yes, it is true. The Dark Mother, for example, is an absolutely universal concept that crosses many cultural and religious/spiritual lines. The Black Madonnas of Catholicism, Kali, from Hinduism, Isis from ancient Egyptian religions and Black Tara from Buddhism are all considered expressions of The universal Black or Dark Mother. Their appearance may at times seem quite frightening and/or foreboding. However, they are primarily spiritual mother figures. Remember that. Still, there is an undeniable type of "fierceness" in them. This type of fierceness however, is well known and respected in the LGBT community, particularly the African American, trans and drag queen communities. So this makes The Black Mother exceedingly accessible to many members of the LGBT community. These practices I speak of, at their most basic expression, simply involves us allowing or inviting the "dark spiritual guide" to be a channel for positive transformation within us. They do not need to involve worship or devotion of any kind. In other words, these practices are available to those who view themselves as atheist or agnostic as well. I plan to say much more about all of this in future posts here at moyo afame.

Ashé. Namaste'. Om Shanti Shalom. Amen. And So It Is.

Depiction of Jesus,The Nazarean, as a member of The African Diaspora (Jamaica)
"Rasta Jesus" Painting by Frank Hazen

(Christianity)

Bronze statue depicting The Buddha as a member of The African Diaspora
"Black Buddha"

(Buddhism)

Our Lady of Częstochowa, one of world's many "Black Madonnas" (Poland)

(Christianity/Catholicism)

Our Lady of Candelaria, one of the world's many "Black Madonnas" (Canary Islands)

(Christianity/Catholicism)

Our Lady of Einsedeln, one of the world's many "Black Madonnas (Switzerland)

(Christianity/Catholicism)

Medicine Buddha (Buddhism)

Kali (Hinduism)

Black Tara (Buddhism)

Isis (Ancient Egyptian Religious System)

(Egypt, Northern Africa)

Krishna (Hinduism and incarnations in other world religions)

Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt Work For Marriage Equality in the Name of Their Beloved Son

I acknowledge your dedication and efforts towards making this country a place where all the sacred rights of being an American are extended to all Americans to enjoy. Also, for your witness as parents who loved and supported your gay son, JEFF and LORI WILFAHRT, I thank you. You make me PROUD to be an American!

BTW, This is the 500th Post for this Blog!!!

The Sword That Cuts Through Illusion

Manjushri

A mirror. A blind eye. A sword

Who do we view as the other?

The poor
The wealthy elite
The homeless
Republicans
Democrats
Convicted sex offenders
Undocumented people
Transgender people
Atheists
Crack addicts
Serial killers

Who do we see as the enemy?

The person who gave us AIDS
The ex who dumped us and whom we still love... deeply
The person beside us on the bus who reeks of piss
The co-worker who stole our research and made a fortune
The parent we think never loved us

What would we ignore?

The child within who still cries and laughs and recovers
The goddess inside longing to be free
The state of independence resisting all efforts to be caged
The siege of mediocrity
The calls for resignation
The slavery of the heart
The dark night of the soul

The sword that cuts through illusion

Happy Birthday America

I've spent all day (Off and on. I've not obsessed over it though) pondering what would be the best, most authentic way for me to celebrate America's birthday on this blog, a way that would clearly express my current feelings about this country. Those feelings are very complicated right now. There were lots of images, famous speeches, poems, great pieces of literature and even some originally composed pieces to choose from, that could have fit the bill. In the end however, I decided to simply use this picture of Rick Genest--the model, affectionately called "Zombie Boy" by some, to do all my speaking for me. This photo works for me chiefly because Rick's famous tattooed body depicts death yet the demise representing tattoos are placed on a body that is very much alive. This metaphor, in large part, works for me. It reflects my current feelings about this great and terrible country--a country that is undeniably filled with so much life and so many positive attributes underneath the surface, all the way to its beautiful beating heart. Yet on the surface, in many respects, this country seems quite dead to me. Genest himself is, of course, Canadian. Oh well...

The Emancipation of Master Sage Part II: A Message to Regular and Drive-By Readers of This Blog Alike

My personal evolution in various areas of my life continues to move at what seems to be warp speed and it seems this blog is moving along right with me at the same speed. 

About 6 weeks ago I posted a piece here entitled The Emancipation of Master Sage (BTW, Master Sage is a nickname one of my friends refers to me by, presumably because he believes I have achieved a level of wisdom in this life that justifies such a moniker. Its not a way I view or refer to myself). At that time, six weeks ago, I spoke of changes I was making to this blog. Mostly what I talked about was the narrowing or sharpening of the focus of the blog. Elements that had been a focus of the blog since the beginning were going to be eliminated. The elements that were to remain were naturally going to be substantially increased and focused on. The evolution continues. The narrowing is continuing. More clarity is emerging.

For all intents and purposes I am rather a classic renaissance man. I am a renaissance man more in the sense of my having a very broad set of life interests more than I am a  renaissance man n the sense of being a very cultured and highly educated man with wide reaching knowledge. Although I am rather well educated also. Because I am such a renaissance man with such broad interests, I sometimes find it extremely difficult, when engaging in something like the authoring a blog, to find my authentic voice, so to speak. I don't just have one or two voices. I have many voices. Each of them nearly equally strong. All of them deeply appreciated by me. So I have never felt the need to emphasize or de-emphasize any of those voices. I don't feel that now either. What is happening with me is not a de-emphasizing of certain of my voices. Rather, I am discovering there are simply some ideas I want to put forth more in this blog than others, at this time.

The biggest tangible changes the blog has seen in four years are now taking place. The biggest of the biggest of those is the name change. The blog is now called moyo aflame. That is a "heart aflame" in Swahili. Later I will create a "page" that will explain the significance of this new title for the blog for me. Additionally, I am continuing to narrow the focus of the blog bit by illuminating bit. The core of the blog will remain at the intersection of spirituality and LGBT culture. I do not view myself as belonging to mainstream spiritual ethos. I definitely do not view myself as being a part of the mainstream LGBT community, whatever that means or is. So those realities, again, whatever they mean, will show up repeatedly here and will be strongly reflected in the overall tone of things here. I believe at some point some of the regular visitors to the blog will get some idea of what that all looks like, if you haven't already. When you do, tell me, so I too will have a clue.

 Ashé. Namaste. Om Shanti Shalom,
sage