Joe Anderson Jr. is a storyteller. So when it comes to the stories he wants to tell, he leans in on his Black queer identity. As a bigger-bodied, sometimes feminine gay man, he knows that his story, his lived experience, is not always seen in the arts, especially in the theater.
This weekend, in his hometown of Oak Cliff, Texas, Joe Anderson Jr. is looking to change that.
Patches: A Black Gay Man’s Journey To The Moon, written and starring Anderson, blends poetry, music and more to tell the story of a day-long date between two Black men. With Texas as the show’s backdrop, the men engage in deep and heartfelt conversations about race, intimacy and more. The show will be performed at the Bishop Arts Theater in Oak Cliff, Texas for its final weekend.
Anderson grew up in the Dallas suburb of Oak Cliff and used his experience as a queer Black man growing up in the South to help write Patches. For Anderson, understanding and appreciating his Blackness is rooted in his appreciation for his city.
“Dallas means so much to me because that’s really where I was affirmed in my Blackness before I understood what it meant to be gay,” Anderson said.
Still, living in Texas undeniably has its challenges, as Anderson knows well.
In shimmery shorts and a mesh netted gold shirt, Anderson went out to a bar one evening in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, Texas. In his own world, Anderson chatted with his friends and the bartenders and enjoyed the complimentary popcorn.
Unbeknownst to him, a couple nearby was looking over at him, commenting on his outfit, eventually standing nearby him and pointing at him and laughing. Anderson’s friends noticed, and without him ever seeing what transpired, moved him away from the couple.
Thankful for the people in his life, Anderson said it’s important for queer people to have chosen family and friends who will be there to uplift and support them no matter where they are.
“It’s important to find your tribe because they had my back even when I didn’t know. They allowed me to be in the space and be in my own world and to dream and to think that everything was fine,” Anderson said. “They allowed me to just be Joe and protected me without even knowing.”
Even in the conservative parts of Texas, people will be there to support you, Anderson said.
“Find people who you feel the most safe with, who affirm you,” Anderson said. “They will give you the space to dream and to be and to exist.”
As a Black queer man growing up in Texas, Anderson didn’t see queer folks like him, especially in entertainment. The first queer show he saw, Queer as Folk, which infamously had no Black main characters. Shows like HBO’s Looking, which centered a first season episode on a day-long date, also had no main characters who were queer and Black.
In Patches, Anderson brings his connection to his home and his queerness and Blackness to the forefront. A daylong date turns into multiple discussions on gentrification, class, body image and an ending that will leave the audience amazed. Most of all, Patches is a story of love. Queer Black love.
“I wanted to show the importance of showing two black gay men, just in their element— in love,” Anderson said.
Queer Black love exists in Texas and for far too long, its stories have gone untold. This weekend in his hometown, Joe Anderson Jr. hopes his show will inspire his communities and shift the narrative. Not just for the queer Black kid he once was but for the next generation as well.
“I will drop everything I can for the community and for the culture,” Anderson said. “Because it’s what I needed and I know there are so many people who need the same thing.”
Patches: A Black Gay Man’s Journey To The Moon, is playing for its final weekend at the Bishop Arts Theater in Oak Cliff, Texas. For more information and tickets, visit the link here.