Jet magazine, the nation’s pre-eminent African American biweekly magazine, has featured a gay couple in its Dec. 10 issue as part of its December Jet Love wedding series
The biweekly feature, which traditionally showcases straight couples featured Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince and included a short bio of the couple and explains how the couple fell in love.
Ravi, an assistant professor of Political Science at Mississippi state University, and Paris, a licensed real estate broker and anti-discrimination compliance expert, were married in August at their home in Worcester, Mass.
“We are excited and honored to have our wedding featured in the historic yet ever-current Jet magazine. Long the hallmark in publishing news, culture, and events pertaining to the black American experience, Jet’s publishing of our union is historic” said Ravi and Paris.
Daryl Hannah, director of Media and Community Partnerships at The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) wrote on the GLAAD Web site, “As part of our year-round work to raise visibility of LGBT people of color in the media and to grow acceptance of LGBT people in these communities, GLAAD worked closely with Ravi and Paris to help them shape their story and also worked with JET to feature the couple.
“Over the years, GLAAD has highlighted the work of Jet magazine, including drawing attention to their coverage of LGBT stories such as their feature on Kye Allums, a former George Washington University student who made history as the first Division I college basketball player to come out as transgender while competing, and applaud Jet magazine for continuing to recognize that all loving and committed couples deserve respect. Last year, Jet Magazine featured its first lesbian wedding, telling the beautiful story of Nyema Vernon and Dr. Tenika Jackson.”
Herndon Graddick, president of GLAAD said,
“Jet magazine has an extensive legacy of covering the lives of LGBT African Americans. This is yet another opportunity to applaud Jet magazine for continuing to highlight the diversity of the African-American community and to urge other media outlets to recognize that it’s these stories that help grow acceptance of our community and give a voice to LGBT people of color who are too often invisible in the media.”
