On this day in 2018 the Supreme Court in India decriminalised homosexuality ruling that section 377 of the country’s penal code was unconstitutional.
The law was a remnant from when the British ruled India, and like so many colonised nations that statute held the number 377. The laws had been in place since 1861 when Queen Victoria was the monarch.
In October 2023 the same court unaimously voted against allowing marriage equality, but reiterated the rights of LGBT citizens under the constitution and empowered parliament or state legislatures to enact their own laws to “meet challenges” faced by the LGBT community and regulate rights.
Sylvester was born on this day in 1947
Sylvester James was born in Los Angeles in 1947 and he grew up loving the gospel choir of his Pentecostal church. At 22 years of age, he moved to San Francisco and joined a cross-dressing cabaret show.
After several failed attempts at a music career, he signed to Fantasy Records and released his first disco album in 1977. The record featured backing singers Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes – who went on to perform as Two Tons of Fun and The Weather Girls – and Jeanie Tracey.
His second album brought his first big hit, the anthemic You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) the video clip featured Sylvester appearing in clothes that highlighted his gender ambiguity.
He later worked with acclaimed disco producer Patrick Cowley and scored another hit in 1982 with Do You Wanna Funk?
While he didn’t score any other hits many of his songs have become popular with DJs as the disco sound has returned to popularity. Songs like Stars, and his rendition of I, Who Have Nothing have found new audiences in recent years.
New versions of his songs have also been created by some of the world’s DJs. I Need Somebody Tonight was given a stellar remix treatment by disco merchants Psychemagik, and more recently an epic 10 minutes version of You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) was released by Soulwax.
Sylvester performed at Connections Nightclub for two nights in the mid-eighties. One night his show was seriously delayed, and he took to the stage launching a verbal spray at the club’s management. The show however has been remembered as a sensational performance.
During his career Sylvester said he was proud to be a representative of the LGBT community, but also didn’t hold back from criticising the queer community for being conformist and turning into an army of clones.
During the AIDS epidemic Sylvester was at the forefront of creating awareness, when he passed away of an AIDS related illness in 1988, he left all his future royalties to AIDS charities.
Actor Michael K Williams died in 2021
Actor Michael K Williams, best known for playing the character Omar Little in the TV show The Wire, died on this day in 2021. He was 54 years old.
William’s character on The Wire was a fan favourite. Omar Little was a ‘Robin Hood’ type of character who inhabited the rough streets of Baltimore. A violent stick-up merchant who robs street level drug dealers with a shotgun. The character was also homosexual and displayed a tender nature with his partners in stark contrast to his life of crime. Critics hailed Williams’ performance, declaring Omar one of television’s greatest characters.
Raised in Brooklyn, Williams got his start at New York’s National Black Theatre. He cited the release of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation album as an inspiration that sparked his desire to become a dancer. He went on to work with dance artist Kim Simms and toured and appeared in music videos alongside many artists including Madonna, George Michael and Crystal Waters.
Williams had a distinctive scar on his face that was attributed to being cut with a razor blade during a bar fight when he was 25 years old.
After appearing alongside Tupac Shakur in the movie Bullet, he landed his role on The Wire. Initially he was told he would be appearing on just seven episodes of the show, but Omar Little went on to be one of the show’s central characters appearing in all five seasons of the series.
He also appeared in many other TV series including Law and Order, The Sopranos, Boston Legal, Alias, Community and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He also appeared in several feature film roles.
Williams had openly spoken about his challenges with substance abuse. He was found in his Brookyln apartment his death attributed to a combination of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and paraflurofentanyl.
