Malcolm X was an American Sunni minister and a human rights activist who gained popularity throughout his work during the civil rights movement. Although his work as a person of color has been highly recognized, Malcolm has faced a lack of recognition as a bisexual man, even within the queer community. The absence of recollection may be due to the fact that Malcolm’s family members made a visible effort to deny his same-sex relationships due to religious beliefs the possibility of scandal.
Malcolm didn’t become highly recognized as a queer person of color during his lifetime, as media recognition was almost nonexistent for intersectional minorities at the time. His presence did, however, help other queer people of color feel less isolated and insecure about their cultural identities and sexual orientations. Seeing a high achieving role model was inspirational and beneficial for intersectional communities to see, and Malcolm fit this role as he was a trailblazer for activism and worked within the human rights campaign.
Throughout his life, Malcolm reportedly had many same-sex relationships. Many of these relationships were on his own will, but a handful were eventually exchanged for money (starting in his teen years until his mid-twenties) when Malcolm began sex work. Malcolm’s consensual relationships with men continued until his marriage to Betty Shabazz in 1958. Biographers have concluded that if Malcolm was not assassinated in 1965, he would have likely joined the gay liberation movement like other civil rights leaders, such as Huey Newton and Angela Davis did.
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