Sylvia Rhue (born 1947) is an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

writer, filmmaker, producer, and

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

activist.

Early life and education

Rhue was born in Pasadena, California in 1947. Her parents, a railroad worker and a secretary, were

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

immigrants. Rhue's maternal great-great-grandmother, a slave, was born in Blair House, the

President's Guest House Blair House, also known as The President's Guest House, is an official residence in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The President's Guest House has been called "the world's most exclusive hotel" because it is primarily used ...

. Rhue grew up attending a traditional

black church The black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian congregations and denominations in the United States that minister predominantly to African Americans, as well as their ...

. Rhue came out as a lesbian in the early 1970s. She had little support at that time, other than one book, '' Lesbian/Woman''. Rhue earned a degree in Psychology/Sociology from Oakwood College (now University), and a

Master of Social Work The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social wor ...

from UCLA. In 1986, Rhue graduated from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, becoming the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in

Human Sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

Career

Rhue found employment as a psychiatric

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

and as a

sex therapist Sex therapy is a strategy for the improvement of sexual function and treatment of sexual dysfunction. This includes sexual dysfunctions such as premature ejaculation or delayed ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, lack of sexual interest or arousal, ...

, working specifically with the African American community. In 1988, Rhue helped found the Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum. In 1996, Rhue co-produced and co-directed (with

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-nominated directors

Frances Reid Frances Reid (December 9, 1914 – February 3, 2010) was an American dramatic actress. Reid acted on television for nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. Her career continued into the early 2000s. Although she starred in ma ...

and

Dee Mosbacher Diane "Dee" Mosbacher, MD, Ph.D., (born January 13, 1949 in Houston, Texas) is an American filmmaker, lesbian feminist activist, and practicing psychiatrist. In 1993, she founded Woman Vision, a nonprofit organization to promote equal treatment ...

) the documentary '' All God's Children'', which dealt with African American family and religious values,

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

, and

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

. The film won several awards, including Best Documentary at the National Black Arts Film Festival, and a Lambda Liberty Award from the

Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities as well as people living with HIV/ AIDS ( PWAs) through i ...

. Other films produced by Rhue include ''Women in Love'', ''"We Have a Legacy'', and ''Women and Children: AIDS and HIV''. Rhue served with the

National Black Justice Coalition The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is an American civil rights organization serving primarily Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. Since 2003, NBJC has collaborated with national civil rights groups and LGBT orga ...

from its founding in 2003, as a board member and a director. She spoke out against condemnation of the LGBT community by the religious right, once stating, "Love is the engine of the universe and cannot be boiled down to tab A goes into Slot B." In 2006, she helped organize the Black Church Summit in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, to promote acceptance of gays and lesbians in black churches. Rhue has also worked for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights and as Director of Equal Partners in Faith. She has contributed articles to

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

and other publications.

Publications

* * Chapter: ''Reducing Homophobia in African American Communities'' *

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhue, Sylvia Living people 1947 births African-American activists African-American film directors American film directors LGBT African Americans UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs alumni Oakwood University alumni American lesbian writers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers