Thought and Opinion

Campaigning for any elected office carries a certain significance and promise for any person. But if you are my guest today, Dr. Kelvin Driscoll, your candidacy for the 5th City Council District in Santa Clarita has an historic ring to it. Dr. Driscoll is aiming to be the first black man elected to the Santa Clarita City Council in Santa Clarita’s nearly 40 yr history. In a city that prides itself on safety, diversity, and good schools Santa Clarita was silent on the issue of inclusion for the first 30 years of its history. Dr. Driscoll is running for the 5th Council District to include his tremendous academic credentials and optimism to a City Council that has finally begun to resemble the diversity that it has bragged about. I am pleased to have Dr. Kelvin Driscoll at this table for the first time.

Thought and Opinion is pleased to have Valerie Bradford at this table once again. She is a candidate for City Council District 4 in Santa Clarita. And the optics, journey, opportunity that comprise her candidacy are momentous. In a city, Santa Clarita, of traditionally conservative and white decisionmakers, a City Council victory for Valerie Bradford, a black woman, would make her only the 3rd newly elected woman to the Council since 2008; and the first black woman elected to Santa Clarita's City Council. It is an honor to welcome back the first President of the Santa Clarita Chapter of the NAACP, Valerie Bradford.

Being black, gay, happy, free, and safe at the same time can be a fight from start to finish. Being doubly condemned, black and gay, is compounded by an historically forced absence of out black gay men whose public lives can serve as a guide for how to maneuver through the inherent dangers of being black and gay in America. And that inherent danger is expected in a country designed for hate and discrimination, as America is. The purpose of my annual “Gay 101” episode is to spotlight black gay men who can be that guide. In season 1 of Thought and Opinion, Glenn Lawrence gave of his insight and candor in my inaugural “Gay 101” episode.

Today, I am privileged to have a man whose creativity and power will be well known to many. He has served as Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer for all seasons of hit dramedy "À La Carte" on AMC's, Script Coordinator for season 2 of "Bel-Air" on Peacock, co-writer of the penultimate episode for season 4 of "The CHI", served as the scriptwriter for the 12 annual Truth Awards here in LA, etc. Thought and Opinion is pleased to welcome the Deonte Staats.

We are often told to not discuss sex, religion, nor politics, but to keep one’s opinion and proclivities to one’s self. But people fail to understand that sex, religion, and politics cannot be silenced nor closeted as natural parts of human life because they never fail to confront us. And for today’s episode of Thought and Opinion, it is politics, or MAGA movement, that we will look eye to eye and push back against.

You may not care about politics, or the MAGA movement, but it sure cares about you. If anything, President Trump’s MAGA movement cares so much that it wants to shove its way into corner of our lives. But what happens when that corner is a relationship that is vital to personal or professional life? A loved one? Someone who professes to love you. Your father. An Aunt. A friend that is all but blood. What happens at the office when it is a colleague that you regularly collaborate with and have a good working relationship with? Or your boss; whose, good graces you want to remain in? Bottom line, what happens when some who professes to love you – and has proven it – or an important colleague turns and supports someone that works for your demise? Someone who works towards your oppression? Namely President Donald Trump.

What do we do with loved ones or colleagues that we often interact with invade the relationship with pro-Trump intentions? Be it a parent, grandparent, uncle, work colleague that you regularly collaborate with, etc. how do we respond when they begin to invade what has been a loving or pleasant relationship with intentions that advance President Trump.

Today on Thought and Opinion, I am joined by 2 black gay men whose level of community activism in Los Angeles, contributions, and intellect are the stuff of high regard. Dr. Leon Maultsby is a leader in the field of behavioral health and he is currently expanding his clinical expertise by pursuing his Master of Social Work thought trauma-informed practice, motivational interviewing, and direct service with individuals impacted by incarceration and behavioral health challenges. His fellow guest is professor Christian D. Green. Professor Green is professor of African American Studies at West Los Angeles College, a past long-time adjunct professor at Pasadena City College where he taught Introduction to Sociology. He is also a published author and foster youth advocate. Gentlemen, welcome to Thought and Opinion.

Two-hundred fifty years into the American experiment and there remains no better way to measure America’s commitment to equality and the divinely given right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” than the degree to which America brings justice to those whose American experience has been failed by anti-blackness. As America celebrates its 250th birthday, and as President Donald Trump’s 2nd term pours renewed trauma onto the black experience in this country, the topic of “Black Mental Health in Trump’s America” is mandator. This episode of Thought and Opinion will equip us, black Americans, with perspectives and guideposts for maneuvering through a time in American history for which some were unprepared.

But before addressing black mental health in Trump’s America with two guests whose expertise is what is needed within this renewed trauma, exactly what is the renewed trauma that black Americans are living through? Namely in late 2025 black unemployment spiked to its highest level in 4 years; the increased acceleration of wealth held by white households surging past that of black households such that our wealth is comparatively nonexistent; the President’s war on diversity and inclusion which delegitimizes black perspectives in business, academia, government, etc; the offensive against voting rights slowly stripping us of our birthright; black bodies and minds continuing to endure pain at the hands of law enforcement and a government predisposed to inflicting distress on us; the LGBTQ+ community – especially our transgender loved ones – being isolated as targets of classic American discrimination, etc. This is the renewed trauma that we are living through as America turns 250 years old. Therefore, it is right to address our mental health in Trump’s America because very topic begs the question of American devotion to the founding principles put down on paper 250 years ago. We are the litmus test.

Necessarily then, today we have clinical psychologist Dr. Erica Holmes. Dr. Holmes’ major areas of concentration are: psychological trauma studies, cultural diversity, humility and belonging; and attachment, coupling and relationships. Dr. Erica Holmes is also the author of Dating With Purpose: A Women’s Guide to Escaping No Man’s Land. Along with Dr. Holmes, I am honored to have Licensed Clinical Social Worker Akilah Peters. Ms Peters’ specialities are aniexty, career counselling, depression, parenting, and stress. She is the author of The Heart Speaks: Affirmations to Open the Heart to Promote Self-love, Confidence, and Emotional Wellness. And, Ms. Peters is also the host of her own podcast called Light Work Era.

Takeaways:

• I define mental wellness as the ability to manage emotions, function, and seek help.
• We note that renewed trauma includes rising unemployment, shrinking black wealth, and attacks on rights.
• I emphasize hope as a belief that different and better outcomes are possible despite present pain.
• We warn that stigma, lack of culturally competent care, exhaustion, and identity pressures block help seeking.
• I advise practical steps: limit news, practice self care, schedule rest, and seek community support.
• We explain that chronic stress harms the body and that intentional regulation and rest protect physical health.
• I urge starting inward by asking who am I, practicing self compassion, naming needs, and building agency.

Takeaways:

• I define mental wellness as the ability to manage emotions, function, and seek help.
• We note that renewed trauma includes rising unemployment, shrinking black wealth, and attacks on rights.
• I emphasize hope as a belief that different and better outcomes are possible despite present pain.
• We warn that stigma, lack of culturally competent care, exhaustion, and identity pressures block help seeking.
• I advise practical steps: limit news, practice self care, schedule rest, and seek community support.
• We explain that chronic stress harms the body and that intentional regulation and rest protect physical health.
• I urge starting inward by asking who am I, practicing self compassion, naming needs, and building agency.

Takeaways:

• I define mental wellness as the ability to manage emotions, function, and seek help.
• We note that renewed trauma includes rising unemployment, shrinking black wealth, and attacks on rights.
• I emphasize hope as a belief that different and better outcomes are possible despite present pain.
• We warn that stigma, lack of culturally competent care, exhaustion, and identity pressures block help seeking.
• I advise practical steps: limit news, practice self care, schedule rest, and seek community support.
• We explain that chronic stress harms the body and that intentional regulation and rest protect physical health.
• I urge starting inward by asking who am I, practicing self compassion, naming needs, and building agency.

Takeaways:

• I define mental wellness as the ability to manage emotions, function, and seek help.
• We note that renewed trauma includes rising unemployment, shrinking black wealth, and attacks on rights.
• I emphasize hope as a belief that different and better outcomes are possible despite present pain.
• We warn that stigma, lack of culturally competent care, exhaustion, and identity pressures block help seeking.
• I advise practical steps: limit news, practice self care, schedule rest, and seek community support.
• We explain that chronic stress harms the body and that intentional regulation and rest protect physical health.
• I urge starting inward by asking who am I, practicing self compassion, naming needs, and building agency.

Today, I welcome BOYSLOVEFLOWERS to Thought and Opinion. He is the founder and CEO of BOYSLOVERECORDS, a new LA-based record label that centers black gay and queer artists. Prior to founding BOYSLOVERECORDS, BOYSLOVEFLOWRS had established himself within LA’s gay and queer community as one of tomorrow’s leaders. It is the reputation as a proven quantity that he brings to his role of chief executive of BOYSLOVERECORDS. BOYSLOVEFLOWERS, welcome to Thought and Opinion.

Takeaways:

• I founded Boys Love Records so artists can own their masters and publishing rights.
• We provide contracts, legal review, and business guidance to prevent artists from losing their songs.
• I shifted from performing to being CEO because I wanted to build a lasting platform for other artists.
• We center black gay and queer artists by contracting black LGBT creatives across production, video direction, events, management, and legal teams to create a fully owned creative ecosystem.
• I expect artists to arrive with a clear sense of self, some work, and a plan to grow.
• We will refuse bad deals, insist on fair royalties, and support strategic collaborations that build lasting careers.
• I worry about safety for our artists at live events and so we employ personal security and protocols.
• We seek authenticity, hard work, and artists who can advocate for their career beyond just looking attractive.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Boys Love Records
• Boys Love the Radio
• Kiso DTLA
• Universal Records
• Republic Records
• Parkwood Entertainment
• Roc Nation
• Zeus Network
• Rolling Loud
• SiriusXM Urban View
• Harderwear
• Thought and Opinion
• Thought Dominion

I present this topic because Hollywood has long been the epicenter of global popular entertainment. But that status partly hinges not only on the talent and grit of the actors who give a script life but also on their opportunity to work and be compensated justly for their talent. And it is that opportunity and just compensation that have been severely risked by in the last 5 yrs. COVID and the consequent closures and shutdown of productions and the writers and actors guilds being forced to strike for equitable pay eliminated the opportunity to work for thousands who represent the talent and grit of Hollywood and reduced their ability earn a living to an agonizing standstill. The repercussions of which are still felt today. It is important to understand the cost exacted on those whom have suffered the brunt of these last 5 yrs in Hollywood. They are our neighbors, friends; and for many, family. To that end, Thought and Opinion is honored to have 3 tremendous actors who walk us through COVID and the strikes, Hollywood after it all. I convene a rigorous conversation with Cleo King, Wolé Parks, and Stu James to examine the profound disruptions that COVID-19 and the subsequent guild strikes have imposed upon the Hollywood economy and its practitioners. We delineate how production shutdowns erased routine employment, how the advent of streaming and new media altered compensation models, and how unresolved questions about residuals and artificial intelligence compelled performers to assert their labor rights. I frame the strikes as necessary and consequential: a collective effort to protect likeness, remuneration, and enduring creative agency in the face of industry consolidation and technological appropriation. We also interrogate the human cost. The discussion catalogs tangible hardships—loss of work, threats to health insurance, and the emotional toll of protracted uncertainty—while situating those harms within a larger discourse about structural change in the entertainment ecosystem. I guide listeners through how the strike negotiations unfolded, the reasoning behind sustained picketing, and the ways in which the studios’ initial posture intensified the duration and stakes of labor action. The segment concludes with a sober appraisal of industry fragmentation and the imperative for collective care and strategic adaptation moving forward.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Apple TV+
• Prime Video
• Netflix
• Paramount+
• Lifetime
• Hulu
• NBC
• CBS
• Chase
• Walmart
• Uber Eats
• Instacart
• Target
• SAG-AFTRA
• Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
• Catalina Jazz Club
• Disney

I convene a rigorous conversation with Cleo King, Wolé Parks, and Stu James to examine the profound disruptions that COVID-19 and the subsequent guild strikes have imposed upon the Hollywood economy and its practitioners. We delineate how production shutdowns erased routine employment, how the advent of streaming and new media altered compensation models, and how unresolved questions about residuals and artificial intelligence compelled performers to assert their labor rights. I frame the strikes as necessary and consequential: a collective effort to protect likeness, remuneration, and enduring creative agency in the face of industry consolidation and technological appropriation. We also interrogate the human cost. The discussion catalogs tangible hardships—loss of work, threats to health insurance, and the emotional toll of protracted uncertainty—while situating those harms within a larger discourse about structural change in the entertainment ecosystem. I guide listeners through how the strike negotiations unfolded, the reasoning behind sustained picketing, and the ways in which the studios’ initial posture intensified the duration and stakes of labor action. The segment concludes with a sober appraisal of industry fragmentation and the imperative for collective care and strategic adaptation moving forward.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Apple TV+
• Prime Video
• Netflix
• Paramount+
• Lifetime
• Hulu
• NBC
• CBS
• Chase
• Walmart
• Uber Eats
• Instacart
• Target
• SAG-AFTRA
• Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
• Catalina Jazz Club
• Disney

I present this topic because the idea of fatherhood, wanting to become a father that is, has not always seemed desirable or achievable for out gay black men. Race and sexual identity, and class, were exploited to make fatherhood and out and proud conflicting choices. Intersectional trauma notwithstanding, many out black gay men made the decision to become fathers, and along with their children, are flourishing. So, let’s have a conversation that we should have more often. I open with a sustained critique of the prevailing narrative that seeks to render fatherhood and outness mutually exclusive for Black gay men, and I invite Lawrence Carroll and Martel Okonji to articulate lived counternarratives that complicate that falsehood. We recount how historical constructs of race, class and sexual identity have been weaponized to delegitimize Black fathers, and we dismantle those constructs by foregrounding examples of intentional family formation, sustained co‑parenting, and visible love. Lawrence describes an intentional co‑parenting arrangement with a lesbian partner, the pragmatic use of at‑home insemination kits, and the quotidian practices—shared calendars, divided weeks, presence at first moments—that render parenthood concrete. Martel centers love as an identity and a practice, reflecting on the labor of learning to be rather than merely to perform parental tasks. We identify systemic impediments—clinic guidelines that stigmatize gay Black donors—and emphasize the necessity of community visibility, research, and conversations that normalize varied family configurations and uplift healing practices for us as fathers.

Takeaways:

• I spoke about countering false stereotypes and showed evidence that black fathers do show up.
• We described how pursuing fatherhood as out gay men required deliberate planning and shared intention.
• I said love became the core of my identity as a father and guided my choices.
• I explained that therapy, reflection, and healing were necessary steps to become the parent I want, and that unpacking family history is essential work.
• We made concrete life changes like leaving nightlife, shifting careers, and enforcing clear boundaries for family stability.
• I acknowledged intersectional trauma, classism, and homophobia shape parenting concerns but we commit to conscious parenting practices.
• We shared simple joys such as watching our children play, smile, learn, and become confident little people.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Developing Communities Together Consulting, LLC
• California State University, Northridge (CSUN)
• Majestic Art Gallery
• LA Pride
• Boys Love the Radio
• The Abbey Food & Bar
• E! (E! Entertainment Television)
• Vanderpump Rules
• CVS Pharmacy
• Walmart
• Mosey Baby

I say that community and connection among Black LGBTQ men can save lives, especially now as anti-Black racism, homophobia, and transphobia rise. I speak with Lawrence Carroll, an LA Pride board member and founder of Majestic Gallery, and Marcus Sanders, the host of Masc. Marcus describes coming out first as a lesbian and later as a transgender man, and he explains the fear, the inward work, and the alignment he now feels. Lawrence shares how childhood sexual abuse, secrecy, and a long journey toward openness shaped his life and his public leadership. We discuss how labels can separate us and how shared stories, ballroom culture, and honest conversation build common unity. I invite listeners to hear these testimonies and to consider how fellowship and care can protect and strengthen our community. I pose this topic because as black LGBTQ+ men we have more shared experiences, strengths, hopes, and joys than we sometimes take the opportunity to discover. There is more community to be experienced than we allow ourselves to feel. And at this moment; when the anti-black racism, homophobia, and transphobia that reelected Donald Trump have its jackboot on our throats, fellowship and connection are all the more lifesaving. So let’s engage two black LGBTQ+ men and hear how their journeys may reflect something of ours.Takeaways:

• I describe coming out as a process of fear, courage, and gradual self-acceptance.
• I explain that Marcus experienced two distinct coming out moments: first as a lesbian, then as a trans man, which required new exploration.
• I reveal that Lawrence linked childhood sexual abuse to early hypersexualization and complex relationships, and he separated cause from identity.
• I emphasize that community and fellowship, particularly black queer and ballroom spaces, provide belonging, healing, and practical support.
• We critique a sex-first gay culture and labels that isolate, urging conversations and gentle care to restore human connection.
• I share that my ongoing work centers on self-acceptance, leadership in LA Pride, and tending to family and community responsibilities.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Thought and Opinion
• LA Pride
• Majestic Art Gallery
• Mask
• The Abbey
• Chuck E. Cheese
• Denny's
• Waffle House
• White Castle

No one ever said that being out is gay. If you listen to all the noise that bombards you, being gay and out can be … overwhelming. How do you come out? What about finding community? And then there’s dating. And discovering who you authentically are, now. So let’s cover the bases and get some clarity. We’re talking Gay 101 on Thought and Opinion with special guest Glen Lawrence. I invited Glenn to discuss how identity, style, and belonging interact in the life of a black gay man. He described his look in college—mohawk, kilt, combat boots—and how that clashed with the prevailing image in some black gay spaces. He told me that the reaction he received was not always about him. He said others judged a uniform and a perceived lack of conventional masculinity. He contrasted that with white gay spaces where his style was met with acceptance. He framed the contrast as a matter of time, culture, and the limited playbook he knew growing up. We also spoke about partnership and longevity. Glenn and his husband have been together for forty-three years. He told us that authenticity at the start of the relationship mattered. He said, "Present yourself as you are and give the other person the choice." That honest baseline, he explained, created comfort and steadiness rather than constant change. The narrative is resolute and measured. It highlights how inward clarity and outward courage allow a sustained life and a marriage that endures.

Takeaways:

• I learned to remove background noise and negative advice to find my true self.
• I came out in college after falling in love and deciding I could not hide anymore.
• I say religion and shame held me back and I had to let it go to live fully.
• I used travel and diverse communities to learn who I am and to gain lasting confidence.
• I define masculinity by how I feel in the moment and not by what others demand of me.
• I tell young black gay men to look in the mirror, open their minds, and choose uplifting friends.
• I found lasting partnership by being my true self early and not changing to please others.

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
• New York University (NYU)
• Morehouse College
• Healthy Him
• Boys Love the Radio
• Thought and Opinion
• The Catch
• 96 West
• The Garage (New York)