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Out Poet: Staceyann Chin is a Soldier in the Army Fighting on Behalf of Gay Youth

From The Miami Herald

By Steve Rothaus

''If we do not speak, who will?'' reads Staceyann Chin's e-mail signature, seven words that sum up her public persona as a Jamaican-born black-Chinese lesbian poet.

''I'm an activist whose work greatly references the [gay] community and our struggles,'' said Chin, 36, who was featured for several seasons on the HBO series, Def Poetry. ``Because I have been in the mainstream media to some extent, it is helpful to the young people.''

Beginning Monday, Chin will spend five days conducting ''SpeakOut'' workshops with gay youths throughout Miami-Dade County. The sessions, including a public panel discussion of ''Race, Sex and Gender,'' are sponsored by Tigertail Productions.

Trey Tremaine ''Trey'' Jones, a 20-year-old gay man originally from the Bahamas, is eager to meet Chin.

''She's really strong minded. She's not afraid to express what she wants to say,'' said Jones, youth program associate for Pridelines Youth Services in Miami. Pridelines is part of the Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Questioning Youth, a nonprofit Miami-Dade County service partnership sponsored by the Children's Trust.

''Youths of color, women of color -- she talks about those hardcore issues that a lot of time mainstream media doesn't talk about,'' said Jones, a Miami Dade College student. ``That's really important.''

Raised by her much-older grandmother (who died in 2007 at 94), Chin realized at 20 that she is gay. Two years later, she came out to friends at University of the West Indies. Then came a life-altering experience.

''I was living on my own, actually, at the university,'' Chin said. ``I was assaulted by 12 boys in a bathroom. I was walking across the campus. I was used to being teased because I came out. One night I was not paying attention. I was wearing my headphones. They surrounded me and pushed me into the bathroom.''

Chin said she thought she was safe on campus, believing that people there were better educated about homosexuality.

''In Jamaica, it's illegal to be a lesbian. It's a culture that responds with violence to people who are gay,'' Chin said. ``I learned you can never know exactly how someone will respond to your saying you are gay.''

COMING TO AMERICA

After the assault, Chin left Jamaica and settled in New York. She's been an ''out poet'' since 1998, according to her website.

In addition to appearing on Def Poetry, Chin has performed one-woman shows throughout the world, including three Off-Broadway. ''With her appealing autobiographical show Border/Clash: A Litany of Desires, she has the stage to herself, and commands your attention,'' wrote Jason Zinoman, a New York Times theater critic, of Chin's 2005 appearance at the Bleecker Theater in Greenwich Village.

Chin also co-hosts My Two Cents on the BET J television network.

''Staceyann Chin is an accomplished poet, author, activist, media personality. She's been very outspoken in her beliefs. She represents someone who managed to be very successful in arts and entertainment without compromising her values and principals,'' said Keith Boykin, author-activist and another My Two Cents co-host. ``She's not ashamed to be who she is. That's what's so remarkable about Staceyann. Even on television.''

As much as Chin would like to see all gay people be visible, she doesn't advocate that everyone come out of the closet -- at least not right away.

''If you are 15 years old and have a father who says he'll kill you if you are gay, then it's not the most strategic thing to tell him,'' she said.

She advises gay kids to ``find an adult you can trust.''

''You have to find a guidance counselor at school, a principal, a teacher,'' Chin said. ``It's a survival tactic. Who are the people who can protect you?''

ROLE MODELS

Young gay people need different kinds of role models, Chin said.

''If the system were not so unequal, then we would be able to see teachers who are gay, because we are everywhere,'' she said. ``They would see hip-hop artists, teachers, bus drivers, pilots and politicians.''

Chin said the most difficult part of working with young people, gay or straight, is making them realize that most have many more years ahead. 'I talk to these young people. I ask, `What do you want to do?' 'Get on TV by the time I'm 25.' 'Then what next?' `I don't know.'

``It's infinitely more complicated than just fame. They want to be valued. It seems the only place they can be valued is on television.''

Chin encourages young people to prepare for their futures by reading and working hard. It isn't easy.

''It leans toward literacy in a time when reading is at its lowest point. When the written word is not exciting. When the publishing industry is at the worst point it's ever been,'' she said. ``People who do work that we value often train at it. You wouldn't hire a doctor who hadn't picked up a scalpel. Even the rappers who they admire more than anyone else, they spend hours and hours working at their craft and that's why they're good at it.''

Chin describes herself as ``only one in the army of activists who work to provide equitable conditions for these kids to grow up in.''

''This work of being an activist is not a joy ride. It's a lot of work. It's coalition building,'' she said ``It's reaching for the impossible. It's hard work and difficult. The reward is knowing you're fighting on the right side of history.''

IF YOU GO

What: Staceyann Chin, Jamaican lesbian spoken-word poet in a weeklong SpeakOut teen residency sponsored by Tigertail Productions

Public events:

• 7:30 p.m. Monday, 'Race, Sex and Gender' discussion. Panelists include Latina lesbian performance artist and comic Marga Gomez. The Light Box at Miami Light Project, 3000 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 100, Miami.

• 5:30 p.m. Thursday, slam and open mike for gay teens. Miami Beach Regional Library, 227 22nd St.

• 7:30 p.m. Friday, reading and performance. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.

All events are free. 305-324-4337 or www.tigertail.org