Tracy Welch embraces her son, Antonio Brown II, 18, of Suitland, Md., as Brown's friend D'Angelo Morrison, 18, sits nearby on April 30. Black gay men in Washington, like Brown, are at high risk of being infected with HIV. He lives in fear of AIDS and gets tested every three months.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Antonio Brown II, left, hangs out with Morrison and Kellie Gibson, 19, not shown, on April 30. Washington is home to Black Pride, a yearly gay festival that rivals the popular Howard University homecoming weekend, but black gay role models are rare in the city.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Welch worries that her son's safety may be compromised because he's gay. Fear of AIDS led her to try bullying her son into being straight, but she now accepts his sexuality.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Welch watches from the car as Brown and Morrison walk together. Since accepting her son's sexuality, Welch says she's become a source of affection for a number of gay youths who have been kicked out of their homes by their parents.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Trovon Ford, 19, of Washington seated at left, and Brown cheer their friends on during a dance held at at the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League in Washington on May 1.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Brown dances at the SMYAL First Friday Dance Party on May 1. In the heyday of the black gay community in Washington, the more popular clubs and coffeehouses were regular stops for Marion Barry, Eleanor Holmes-Norton and other campaigning politicians.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Brown poses for a portrait at his home "I don't know anybody who's gay and over the age of 30 who doesn't have HIV," he says. Some black gays in the city believe dating an HIV-positive man is almost unavoidable.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Bishop Rainey Cheeks, in blue, prays with Keon Kennedy, 17, during service at the Inner Light Ministries in northeast Washington on April 26. In the '80s, Cheeks managed one of the most popular black discos in the country. Hundreds of his patrons died of AIDS, and he became infected himself.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Michael Nesbitt, Megan Williams and Anthony Freeman pray during a recent service at the Inner Light Ministries in northeast Washington. Cheeks started the church after he became HIV-positive, presiding over the funerals of hundreds killed by the disease when pastors at traditional black churches refused.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
At Inner Light Ministries, Cheeks encourages those infected with HIV to be open about their status, and hears the stories of troubled gay youths.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Ronnie Walker, 54 poses for a portrait at his apartment home in Washington on May 13. Walker was diagnosed with HIV in 1980s, and watched his partner slowly die from complications of AIDS.
Nikki Kahn-The Washington Post
Gallery Credits:
Producer, Photo Editor Stephen Cook
Text Editor Christopher Dean Hopkins
