TRIBECA: I WAS BORN THIS WAY

If you google “Born This Way, ”  Lady Gaga and her infamous song will immediately pop up with no mention of Carl Bean or Bunny Jones.

Even Gaga will admit, the reality is during the late 1970’s, Motown recording artist and Archbishop named Carl Bean released what many consider to be the original LGBTQ+ community anthem – “I Was Born This Way.” So, it comes as no surprise that Tony, Grammy and Emmy award-winner Billy Porter and Oscar winner Questlove serves as Executive Producer alongside directors Sam Pollard and Daniel Junge to set the record straight.

But how did Carl Bean get crowned with this task? With humble beginnings, an unimaginable event with an Uncle resulted in being sent to Baltimore to live with his Mom.  Literally going from middle class to dirt poor, the youngster found himself learning how to make a living on the streets when tragedy would strike again.

Like many women in a pre- Roe v Wade America, his mother would lose her life after an illegally botched abortion. Bean knew it was time to pivot, as his circumstances no longer served his spirit or personal/professional growth. Music was is way out, a bridge to crossing into a life where he could be himself.

His love for music saved his life, but it was through the AIDS pandemic path was driven for those gifts to work on educating his community forming the Minority AIDS project – the first AIDS organization dedicated to people of color – which provided access to healthcare, HIV/AIDS education, HIV testing and social services. His work with the organization paired him with his old pal Dionne Warwick and firebrand US Representative Maxine Waters and cast him into the public spotlight in Los Angeles.

Carl Bean passed away in September 2021, but his manta  and conviction that “love is for everyone” continues in the pulse of congregations that gather. every Sunday at Unity churches all over the globe.  Porter takes on the task of hunting down the original masters for the anthem.  He finds them with Jones’ son along with the B-side of that record “Liberation” (which was never released) and goes on a quest to update and re-record to pay homage to Bunny and Carl.  That scene is beautiful to behold.

Pollard and Junge’s use of animation mixed with talking heads, makes this documentary uniquely mesmerizing to watch with many jaw dropping moments shared along the way.

It’s important to understand that during a time where our history is attempting to be erased, that as a nation and community (Black and LGBTQ+), we continue to speak the names of our ancestors to never be forgotten.

Not only is Bean’s legacy shared and in tact but songwriter/beautician Bunny Jones will infamously live on in our minds and hearts.