“For my so called sins against nature and the race, I gain the burdensome knowledge of carnal secrets. It rivals rituals of sacrifice and worship, and conjures the same glassy-eyed results- with less bloodshed. A knowledge disquieting and liberating inhabits my soul. It often comforts me, or at times is miserably intoxicating with requisite hangovers and regrets. At the other moments it is sacred communion, causing me to moan and tremble and cuss as The Holy Ghost fucks me. It is knowledge of fire and beauty that I will carry beyond the grave. When I sit in God’s final judgment, I will wager this knowledge against my entrance into the Holy Kingdom. There was no other way for me to know the beauty of Earth except through the sexual love of men. Men who were often more terrified than I, even as they posed before me, behind flimsy constructions of manhood, mocking me with muscles, erections, and wives,” said Essex Hemphill
