Karamo Brown made history as the second out gay black man on reality TV when he appeared on 2004ās The Real World: Philadelphia (the first was Marcellas Reynolds on 2002's Big Brother). Brown instantly became a role model, simply for providing visibility to gay and bi black men.
Brown, who was a licensed social worker for nearly a decade after The Real World, has always wanted to help others, āespecially men of color who didnāt have anyone.ā Now that heās back on TV (hosting shows like Are You the One: Second Chances), he considers his work as part and parcel of that because of the visibility it brings.
āI hate the term role model,ā Brown says, choosing not to use the phrase about himself. But he hopes to be someone that other guys can look to and think, āOh, if he did it, I can do it too.ā
Brown took a more proactive step in 2015 by cofounding the organization 6in10, with HIV-positive minister Donta Morrison, to address the high rates of HIV in the black community. The name reflects the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionās prediction that six in 10 gay and bisexual black men will contract HIV before they turn 40.
The non-profit organization partners with the CDC and creates viral campaigns, like its #UNSHADE effort calling on the African-American LGBT community to stop stigmatizing HIV. The clarion call from 6in10: āBy eradicating the HIV shaming and shade that occurs within the black LGBT community, we can begin to change the six in 10 statistic.ā
Although Brown isnāt poz himself, he says, āThe HIV epidemic has always been on my mind, itās always been something Iāve spoken ā and speak ā about, because it affects us [so much].ā
The group 6in10 was launched in part when Brownās appearance on a radio show was abruptly canceled.āI was supposed to be talking about HIV/AIDS awareness in the black community,ā Brown says, āAnd I got canceled.ā The producer reportedly explained it was ābecause the host ādid not care about the topic,āā Brown recalls. āI thought, You donāt care about black people? LGBT people? HIV? Because either way Iām going to be pissed off!ā
Brown says it was this anger that āpropelled me into making sureā¦ we were telling our own story, sharing our narratives.ā In particular, 6in10 focuses on improving the mental health and self-esteem of gay black and bisexual men. āAt the core,ā the former social worker says, āIf you canāt change your mind, you canāt change your heart, you canāt change yourself, you canāt change the way youāre living your life.ā
āAs African-Americans,ā he continues, āwe donāt focus enough on mental health. Your self-esteem and the way you see yourself in this world is the reason you react the way you do. If you donāt value your life, then, āWhy would I put on a condom? Whyā¦ [avoid] risk?ā We focus right there, so that way we can start at your heart and your core, and then everything else can move forward.ā
In addressing self-esteem, Brown isnāt just focused on encouraging individuals to fight stigma or proudly share their poz stories ā he also wants to transform the black community so itās less hostile to its LGBT members. āWe have to start making sure that churches start to talk aboutā¦ black queerness in a way thatās affirming,ā Brown says, ābecause a lot of young black men are in the church. And thatās where they start to learn this self-hate behavior.ā
6in10 also targets parents by speaking to parent/teacher associations and other groups to help them āunderstand how they can support their childrenā¦ [especially if they] identify as gay or bisexual, or trans, or queer, or gender non-conforming. How do you have those conversations [on HIV] in a positive and healthy way, so that way they donāt put themselves at risk.ā
To better assess how to position their appeals to parents and black churches, 6in10 is currently doing market research in 12 schools and four churches.
Aware that PrEP uptake hasnāt been as widespread among black gay men as among their white counterparts, Brown blames marketing (including public education campaigns) and access (including āperceived access,ā since he says many people mistakenly believe the HIV prevention strategy is only available to white guys or those with money).
āI get so tired of people trying to market to African-American gay men ā or African-Americans period ā in the club,ā he adds. āNobody in that club is going over to your table to get a condom or get a pamphlet. Itās just not happening. So, take your condom tableā¦ out of the club,ā he argues.
Instead, Brown recommends that organizations recruit DJs as partners in sharing the message. āMake sure your DJ says every five songs, āHey make sure if you go home with somebody, love yourself, protect yourself,āā he suggests. āDo things that are more creative, get out of the box. Encourage them to say, āHey, see your doctor, get PrEP.ā Let [people] know that itās available to them, you know, with or without insurance.ā
There also needs to be more messaging in the black community about embracing medical care. āI never saw my father go to the doctor,ā Brown says. āIt took me until I was probably like 26, or 27, to get a primary care physician. In my mind, unless Iām like coughing up a lung, why do I need to go to the doctor? And I think those types of stereotypes still permeate the black community. We feel like thatās not for us, we donāt have access to that.ā
Brown thinks thatās one of the reasons African-Americans living with HIV donāt always get the care that they need, while studies show white HIV-positive people seek care and reach undetectable levels at higher rates.
āAlso,ā Brown adds, āI think thereās a lot of stigma when it comes to gay black people, trans people ā we just donāt want to go to the doctor and be judged. Itās very hard to sit in front of a doctor or a physician, whoās supposed to be caring and understanding, and tell them, āI think I might have an STD.ā People are embarrassed. And part of that embarrassment goes back to their self-esteem and mental health, of like, well, taking care of yourself ā you should never be embarrassed about that.ā
As 6in10 gets off the ground, Brownās television career is also taking off. But the truth is that both his advocacy work and TV career almost didnāt happen.
In the wake of The Real World, Brown admits, āI got addicted to drugs, to cocaine, and was like partying every night, wasting away, killing myself, basically, because I didnāt know how to deal with this sort of new reality fame. I was getting messages that I loved from people saying, āOh my gosh, you stopped me from killing myself,ā but I didnātā¦ know how to respond [or] what to do. [It was] a lot of pressure.ā
Then something happened that snapped Brown out of his addiction and forced him to grow up fast: he discovered he was someoneās father. His son, Jason, was already 10-years-old when Brown first met him, and, a short time later (in 2007), gained full custody of the pre-teen.
āItās the greatest gift ever,ā Brown says now. āYou know, being an openly gay man, I didnāt ever think that fatherhood was a possibility. Obviously, I was scared, I was terrifiedā¦ but luckily, I grew up in a family that embraced being together and taught meā¦ you have to step up. And it was the best decision ever.ā
Brown put aside dreams of becoming a TV star and buckled down into the social work career heād prepared for in college. He also ended up adopting a second son, who would later give Brown another life changing gift.
āHe was writing a paper on living your dreams,ā Brown recalls. āAnd he asked me if being a social worker was my dream. ā¦I could say āYes,ā which was a lie. I said āNo.ā He said, āWell why donāt you go after your dreams?ā I quit my job, maybe two months later.ā
He was hired by Oprah Winfrey to host #OWNSHOW on Oprah.com, then recruited to be a panelist on Dr. Drew on Call, in part because of his social worker background. He filmed 54 episodes on Dr. Drew, between 2014 and 2016.
Last year, Carlos King, a producer known for his work on Real Housewives and Hollywood Divas offered Brown a spot on The Next 15 with other former reality stars like Tiffany Pollard (I Love New York) and Claudia Jordan (Real Housewives of Atlanta). In addition to hosting both Are You the One: Second Chances on MTV and a new History Channel show, The Unexplained, Brown is getting into producing and has been filming a show he developed. Details are still under wraps, but it should premiere in early 2018.
āThis has been a three-year journey since I got back in the entertainment industry,ā Brown says. āI would just tell people to watch out because Iām about to be a force to be reckoned with.ā
Find out more at 6in10.org.
Editor's note, this article has been edited to note that Marcellas Reynolds was the first out Black gay man on a reality TV show.
