In his decades of campaigning, Brown says he experienced physical violence “a handful of times”.
According to recent Home Office data, hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation have fallen for the second year in a row, to 22,839 reported incidents in England and Wales.
But, in Brown’s view: “For young black men, the world can sometimes feel isolating.”
In earlier decades, public figures were sometimes subjected to abuse, like gay footballer Justin Fashanu, who is referenced in Mr Loverman.
Nowadays, Brown says there have been changes in how black, gay men are perceived – and he instead sees a “sense of pride and positive role models”.
He adds: “Today, TV, organisations, music, magazines, and websites allow black LGBTQ+ people to see themselves and connect, creating community.”
Indeed, there are now high-profile black LGBT figures including British Vogue cover star Munroe Bergdorf, number one Head & Heart singer-songwriter MNEK and Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes.
According to Thompson, Mr Loverman “tries to provide different perspectives about being black and LGBTQ+ across the decades”.
He adds: “Mr Loverman is a powerful reminder that black LGBTQ+ people have always been here and been part of our communities.”
