Issue date: 10/9/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Ben Williamson Duane Boutté acts out a monologue, reading as Baynard Rustin, from the Broadway play "Civil Sex." The performance was part of a lecture the actor gave on the ethical representation of historical characters in entertainment. [Click to enlarge]

He's openly gay, and he's enthusiastic about exposing the masses to history's unheard stories about homosexuality. Within the context of Coming Out Week, he may seem like a role model for any young person struggling with an identity crisis, but Duane Boutte will tell you he wants nothing of the sort.

"I wouldn't wish [that] upon myself, because I'd have to watch every little move I make. And that's a very tall order for anybody," he said.

Regardless, the film actor and Broadway veteran is determined to make an impact upon society's perceptions of misrepresented minorities. As part of Coming Out Week at Texas A&M, Boutte was invited to lecture about the ethical representation of historical events in entertainment. Boutte, a black and gay performer, has pursued roles depicting minority rights activists. In his own words, he portrays "people in the fringes…people who've had to fight for legitimacy in their lives."

His film credits include "Stonewall," a fictionalized account of the 1969 drag queen riots in New York City and "Brother to Brother," which discusses the acceptance of homosexuality amongst Harlem Renaissance artists. Boutte has been involved in a number of productions involving the lives of Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, among others.

"Whenever I look back on things, the things I'm most happy about, they are those that have had an impact on people…projects that have opened people's eyes, especially such that they are a bit braver about the way they live and in the way that they treat others," he said.



Dan Humphrey, an assistant professor for the women and gender studies department, invited Boutte to speak at A&M after meeting him several years ago before at a film premiere in New York.

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