Founder of Depressed Black Gay Men(DBGM) Guyanese Antoine Craigwell will this Saturday premiere his awareness-raising documentary You Are Not Alone as part of the DBGM Benefit Gala at the Malcolm X & Dr Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center in Washington Heights, New York.
In a press release, Craigwell said that the documentary breaks a taboo in black and black gay communities where gay black men openly speak out about their struggles and suffering from depression because of their choice of sexual preference.
“It shines a light on an issue that has remained hidden and unaddressed, and which has led to many suffering with depression to be infected with HIV, become alcoholics or drug users, or attempt suicide,” said Craigwell.
DBGM is a combination of three projects in one: the documentary, You Are Not Alone, created and produced by Craigwell, and directed by triple NAACP Image Award winner, Stanley Bennett Clay, a book and community discussion forums.
Craigwell stated that the book, which was superseded by the documentary, delves deeper into and explores in greater depth the underlying psycho-social and socio-cultural factors contributing to depression in Black men who are perceived as different because of their sexual orientation and identity.
The community discussions forums serve to educate informs and provide an opportunity for many dealing with depression to have an opportunity to express them and realize they are not alone in their suffering, said Craigwell. The film merges interviews with those who have suffered from depression, mental professionals who placed the stories in context and relevance, and re-enactments of the stories.
According to the release the documentary reveals society’s dark underbelly, exposing some of the most pernicious and destructive issues in many families and communities, such as sexual identity and orientation, sexual abuse and trauma, religious influenced homophobia, discrimination, stigma and ostracism; an HTV diagnosis, and the isolation and loneliness experienced by older black gay men.
