Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) was founded in 2020 to organize a march in Los Angeles following the death of George Floyd. This march was originally organized by Christopher Street West, the parent organization of LA Pride, until infighting among left-of-center activists in the Los Angeles area derailed those plans. As a result, several people involved in LA Pride, notably Gerald Garth, formed BLAC and organized the march under its auspices. The organization does not appear to have been publicly active since 2020. ^{1 2}

Founding and History

Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change was founded in 2020 by Gerald Garth in response to the death of George Floyd. BLAC organized the All Black Lives Matter March in June of 2020. BLAC were also involved in the installation of a commemorative art installation about the march. ³

As of March 2024, it was not clear if the organization is still functioning. A page on Garth’s website shows the latest activity dates from August 2020. ⁴

Financials

Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change does not have tax-exempt status on file with the IRS, and the organization’s webpage does not solicit donations. ⁵

Programs

Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change’s sole public activities as of March 2024 were to organize the All Black Lives Matter March in June 2020 and then to secure the placement of commemorative street art about the event. ⁶

The lack of activity in the wake of the march can possibly be attributed to the controversy surrounding the march that led to the creation of BLAC. Originally the march was organized by Christopher Street West, the organization that organizes the Los Angeles Pride Parade. However, there was a great deal of backlash in Los Angeles from different left-of-center groups that took issue with the organization’s cooperation with police and accused LA Pride leadership of having been racist in the past. There were also accusations that the march was an attempt by Christopher Street West to organize a “mini Pride” parade due to the fact that the pride parade had been canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⁷

Instead of Christopher Street West organizing the march, organization was shifted to the newly formed BLAC. However, it was noted that BLAC founder Gerald Garth was a board member of Christopher Street West and the other identified board member, Brandon Anthony, was an event producer for LA Pride. ⁸

Leadership

The organization’s website states that BLAC is comprised of “a core group of Black LGBTQ+ community leaders” but the webpage does not provide a list of who these leaders are. ⁹ A report from the Los Angeles Times states that the organization’s board was made up of exclusively Black LGBT people, one of whom, in addition to Gerald Garth, was identified as Brandon Anthony. ¹⁰

Gerald Garth is the founder of Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change and the group’s webpage is hosted on the website for his consulting firm, Garth Management Group. His firm states that it specializes in various diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, especially focused on race and LGBT issues. It offers assistance on “addressing organizational trauma” and various other issues related to racial and LGBT representation and “allyship.” ¹¹

Garth is president of LA Pride, a position he has held since October of 2021. He serves on the board of LA Pride’s parent organization, Christopher Street West, as the treasurer and director of finance, since 2017. He has worked for and with a variety of left-of-center organizations, and was the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the Los Angeles LGBT Center from January 2022 to February 2023. ¹²

1. ^[1] “Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Gro. Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/black-lgbtq-activists-for-change-blac.
2. Branson-Potts, Hailey, and Matt Stiles. “All Black Lives Matter March Calls for LGBTQ Rights and Racial Justice.” Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-15/lgbtq-pride-black-lives-controversy.
3.  “Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Gro. Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/black-lgbtq-activists-for-change-blac.
4. “Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Gro. Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/black-lgbtq-activists-for-change-blac.
5. “Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Gro. Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/black-lgbtq-activists-for-change-blac.
6. “Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Gro. Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/black-lgbtq-activists-for-change-blac.
7. Branson-Potts, Hailey, and Matt Stiles. “All Black Lives Matter March Calls for LGBTQ Rights and Racial Justice.” Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-15/lgbtq-pride-black-lives-controversy.
8. Branson-Potts, Hailey, and Matt Stiles. “All Black Lives Matter March Calls for LGBTQ Rights and Racial Justice.” Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-15/lgbtq-pride-black-lives-controversy.
9. “Black LGBTQ+ Activists for Change (BLAC) | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Gro. Accessed March 10, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/black-lgbtq-activists-for-change-blac.
10. Branson-Potts, Hailey, and Matt Stiles. “All Black Lives Matter March Calls for LGBTQ Rights and Racial Justice.” Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-15/lgbtq-pride-black-lives-controversy.
11. “Services | Garth Management Group, LLC.” Garth Management Group. Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.thegarthgroup.com/services.
12. Linkedin.com. “Gerald Garth, MBA.” Accessed March 11, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerald-garth-mba-94a7413b/.