There’s a gentleman in Columbia, S.C., who enjoys his own company, the comfort of the familiar surroundings where he was born and raised and, quite possibly, dusting and polishing numerous awards.
Alvin A. McEwen is an award-winning blogger and community activist who graduated from Winthrop University with a degree in mass communications. How fitting, because McEwen’s messages to the masses remain sorely needed, appreciated and impactful. During this interview, we learn a little more about what that means and what makes McEwen tick.
L’Monique King: What do you appreciate about the neighborhood in Columbia where you live?
Alvin A. McEwen: Columbia is where I want to be. My neighborhood is quiet, not exciting, but no one bugs or bothers you. I moved around a lot as a child, so I guess once I find a place I feel comfortable I like to stay there for a bit. I’ve traveled a lot in the past, but this is where I am and what I’m used to. I don’t live far from the hospital I was born in. My mother literally walked to the hospital while in labor with me. Patience is not something my mother is known for. While at a friend’s house her water broke. When she told them, they went to call someone [for help] – there were no cell phones in the 70s. By the time they got back my mom had left, walking to the hospital.
LMK: Is there a partner you share your home in Columbia with? Are you partnered?
AAM: No and probably won’t be. As I became older, I started to think – I’m a little too selfish to be partnered. I enjoy having my space to myself, eating what I want and not having to compromise on where things are placed in the house or what I might do on any given day. As we get older you get accustomed to being by yourself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with anyone at all.
LMK: Is blogging how you make a living, or do you have a primary livelihood?
AAM: I do different things in the healthcare industry. I’m behind the scenes making sure everything goes smoothly for clients.
LMK: From what we’ve heard, it sounds like you’re in public health during the day and social justice and wellness after five. That’s a fully packed agenda for anyone. Is this what you’ve always dreamed of doing? What did you want to be when you grew up?
AAM: <Laughter> I couldn’t tell you. It changed so much. At one point I wanted to be a cowboy (like most of my peers) and then President of the United States. <Giggles> Only people who are not in their right mind would want that. Eventually though, I settled on writer.
LMK: And that last part you’ve certainly accomplished. Tell us about your blog.
AAM: Before Will and Grace, before RuPaul’s Drag Race, there was little representation and a lot of misinformation out there. The blog “Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters” was started in 2006 and is about combating misinformation. It was a big old furious thing in the beginning. There were what they called then “policy analysis” who would cherry pick legitimate studies to create a negative idea about gay folks. They had a religious belief that homosexuality is a sin – but you cannot pass laws on religious belief so a fictional mindset was created and fostered instead. The Southern Poverty Law Center declared many of these groups of people as hate groups. Groups like Family Research Council, American Family Association, Concerned Women for America and Alliance Defending Freedom. [In response] I’ve written on marriage equality, the weaponizing of religious freedom and now the drag queens and transgender community. [Conservative hate groups] always use what people fear to deliberately demonize and stigmatize the LGBT community. Funny thing is, I didn’t start blogging to make money, and even though I was able to monetize it slightly – it was always a labor of love. When I started, I was working on a book, it was awful <laughter>. I had no editors or other folks, and thought I would self-publish and create a blog to publicize the book. The book died and the blog blew up. At the time my blog focused on how the groups I mention (and others) were deceiving America about gays and creating hysteria. Today, the groups have changed and now include social media influencers and Tik Tokers. The tactics have changed, and the focus isn’t so much on gay men now. Now the lies told are told about trans people. Every transphobic lie you see now was previously used against gay men.
LMK: Do you think you can change any of those stigmatizing efforts with your blog?
AAM: No. I don’t. We’ll always have bigotry. All we can do is get the truth out, get the positive information out and be there so it can be seen. People need to know that they are not alone. That’s one good thing that social media has afforded us – representation and resources. You can only reduce the power of negativity with truth, positivity and giving people hope. Evil will always be there but we have power over it, how it will impact our lives and community. That’s what my blog is designed to do.
LMK: Apparently it is making an impact – or so it seems looking at all the recognition and awards you’ve received for your writing. Would you share a little on what it felt like to receive a GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) award?
AAM: I’ve been nominated seven times for GLAAD awards, and in 2017 I won their award for Outstanding Blog. It’s right next to my bed, and I look at it every day to remind myself that I’ve done something [of note and value] but still have more to do. I was voted most likely to succeed in high school, so it feels good to have the personal satisfaction of trying to fulfill my potential.
LMK: And what about the Pride award in the name of Audre Lorde & James Baldwin. Did receiving an award in honor of such huge LGBTQ icons resonate in any particular way for you?
AAM: Well, that was from South Carolina Black Pride and that was for different things, not just my blog. It was also for my volunteer efforts in organizing and promoting South Carolina Pride events and LGBT advocacy in general. It was equally significant to receive an award in the names of two LGBT people who did so much was great. In fact, any award is significant, because everything matters.
LMK: As a writer yourself, who are your top three favorite authors or books?
AAM: I haven’t read novels in a while but one of the authors I really like is Richard Wright and his book “Black Boy” and Alice Walker, author of “The Color Purple.” I’m rediscovering “The Color Purple” and all the nuances with the characters and the dynamics between men and women. So I’m looking at old classics with new eyes, like Shakespeare’s “King Lear” where most people think that the villains were his two daughters, but I think he too was villainous.
LMK: Considering the current political climate and the surrounding air of fear, uncertainty and censorship, do you see yourself staying in the southeast, or are you considering relocating?
AAM: I’ve never considered relocating in any form. I’m stubborn and I’d feel like I’m running away when I need to stay and fight. One of the luckiest things about my blog, written by a Black gay guy in the south – people often don’t take you seriously – which allows you to fly under the radar in getting information out to people who need it. South Carolina hasn’t voted for a president that’s Democratic since Carter. However, Columbia is a bit of a mecca. We have a thriving LGBT community though we still have work to do.
LMK: Yes, there’s plenty of work to be done, and we’ll need all the help we can get. If you had a superpower, what would it be?
AAM: Oh Lord! <Chuckling> It would have to be intelligence. Everyone wants to be strong or fast, but if you have intelligence, you could probably accomplish anything including some of the other superpowers.
LMK: With intelligence as your superpower and all the work to be done, what are your feelings on our need for a multi-generational approach when it comes to combating the madness we’re currently facing?
AAM: As we grow and things become more diverse and fluid we are still in our infancy as an LGBT movement, there’s a lot we still don’t know. I only recently learned that William Dorsey Swann – a Black drag queen and former slave from Maryland who fought police while in drag – petitioned then President Grover Cleveland about the arrest. When we are young, respect needs to be had for those who came before us – that’s how we start.
LMK: Before we let you get back to serving our community, would you share a few final thoughts or words of advice for our youth?
AAM: Don’t let them steal your joy or your ability to give others joy. And never let anyone tell you what you can do or what your place should be, that’s for you to decide.