Silence Is the Deadliest Weapon: Marlon Riggs, The Black Gay Filmmaker Who Commanded Our Tongues

Hey there, my loves! It’s Cerinass, here. We’re closing this series by honoring a revolutionary whose genius shone through the darkest of times. He was a filmmaker, a poet, and an activist who gave us the vocabulary to understand our interwoven lives. We are celebrating the phenomenal, unforgettable Marlon Riggs.

You know how when you’re silenced, the anger and the truth just build up inside? Marlon Riggs took that pain, that rage, and that love, and he exploded it onto the screen. He was a Black gay man who, through film, refused to let the world erase the experiences of his brothers. He taught me that our struggle for visibility is the most revolutionary act of all.

A Voice for the Unseen

Marlon Troy Riggs (1957–1994) was a filmmaker, poet, and professor who became a pioneering voice at the intersection of race and sexuality. He realized that the mainstream media—both white and Black—was failing to show the full, beautiful complexity of Black queer life.

His most iconic work, Tongues Untied (1989), wasn’t just a documentary; it was a manifesto. It was an intimate, lyrical, and unapologetic celebration of Black gay men, using poetry (including the work of Essex Hemphill), dance, and personal testimony. It gave voice to the pain and the joy of a community that was constantly being forced into silence.

The film contains the famous, powerful line: “Black men loving Black men is the revolutionary act.” This statement affirmed the existence and dignity of Black gay love.

The Challenge of the Culture Wars

Marlon Riggs faced intersectional challenges that were brutal and relentless.  He was rejected by both white gay enclaves (like the Castro) and by elements within the Black community who felt his focus on homosexuality was divisive or exposed “too much.” Riggs recounted being called slurs by both Black and white classmates when he was young, feeling caught between two worlds that disparaged him.

When Tongues Untied aired on PBS in 1991, it became a lightning rod for the political “culture wars.” Conservative politicians, most notably Senator Jesse Helms, attacked the film and used it to argue for defunding the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Riggs was thrust onto the public stage to defend his art against accusations of obscenity simply because it showed Black men expressing love and self-acceptance.

In 1988, while working on his films, Riggs was diagnosed with HIV. The latter part of his life and his final, unfinished film, Black Is… Black Ain’t, became a powerful, raw testament to his personal battle with the disease.

Triumph Through Truth and Tenacity

Marlon Riggs overcame these challenges not by retreating, but by doubling down on his truth. Diagnosed with a fatal illness and facing political warfare, he continued to teach at UC Berkeley and directed films, often working from his hospital bed.

His triumph lies in his radical honesty and his legacy. He transformed documentary filmmaking, using experimental and poetic forms that perfectly mirrored the complex, fragmented experience of being Black and queer.

His work provides a crucial historical record for Black queer people, affirming their existence and giving them a language to understand their history.

Cerinass’ Takeaway

For me, Cerinass, Marlon Riggs taught me that the art we create to save ourselves is the art that saves others. He showed me that when they try to silence you, you must make a film, write a poem, or throw on a wig and speak your mind until your tongue is untied.

So, the next time you see a truthful, raw story about Black queer life, remember Marlon Riggs. Remember the ancestor who used his camera to fight erasure and affirm revolutionary love.

Stay fabulous, and keep talking back!

Cerinass

XOXO

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Sources for Further Reading:

Riggs, Marlon. Tongues Untied (1989) and Black Is… Black Ain’t (1995, completed posthumously).

The Marlon Riggs Collection at Stanford University Libraries.

Criterion Collection: Essays and documentaries accompanying the release of his films (e.g., “Marlon Riggs, Ancestor” by Tavia Nyong’o).

Benshoff, Harry M. “Beyond the Color Line: Marlon Riggs’s Black, Queer Documentary.” Queer Cinema: The Film Reader