The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, in collaboration with Dubbs Weinblatt (they/them) and their podcast, Thank You For Coming Out, is presenting a conversation series that amplifies underrepresented voices from a wide spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. The universal themes will surprise, enlighten, and inspire you. Our first guest for this special series is Dr. François S. Clemmons (he/him).
Dr. Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College, and a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. He also received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Middlebury College. In 1973, he won a Grammy Award for a recording of Porgy and Bess; in 1986, he founded and directed the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble; and from 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in Vermont, where he currently resides.
As queer people, we are constantly coming out, and each coming out story is unique in its blend of humor, heartache, worry, and wonder. “Thank You For Coming Out,” inspired by Dubbs’ beloved live comedy show of the same name, pairs them as host with lesbian, gay, trans, bi, non-binary, and more members of the queer community to discuss their coming out stories.
Listen in to our latest incredible journey into the LGBTQ communities’ vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.