Langston Hughes identified as gay

Authored by Kali Henderson

Langston Hughes, a celebrated playwright, novelist, and poet, still has his work widely praised now. He participated alongside now-distinguished writers, jazz artists, playwrights, as well as other creatives who constituted the essence of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes' inaugural published poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” stands as doubtlessly one of his most recognizable pieces and a mainstay across many school curriculums, spanning from elementary levels through university studies.

Born to Caroline Mercer Langston and James Nathaniel Hughes in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1, 1902, James Mercer Langston Hughes existed as the sole offspring resulting from this marital union. His father departed from his family, his marriage, and also the U.S. due to the restricted economic prospects open to Black individuals within the U.S. As a consequence, Caroline encountered the necessity of seeking out gainful employment, frequently in alternate towns, thus entrusting young Langston into the care of her mother, Mary Patterson, residing in Lawrence, Kansas.

During his residence alongside his maternal grandmother, who firmly declined engaging in any form of manual labor or household services on behalf of white individuals, Langston underwent a shortage of numerous fundamental requirements, notably including a sufficient dietary intake. As a distinguished Oberlin College alumnus, Mary held immense pride and imparted this racial consciousness to her grandson. Despite her pride constraining her economic means when providing for Langston, he discovered comfort through books, as he later recollected within The Big Sea, the recounting of his formative years. “It was at that point that literary works initiated their profound influence upon me, fostering a staunch conviction solely in the enchantment of books and the remarkable realm they unveiled – a world wherein, while individuals might endure suffering, such distress was articulated through exquisite language, diverging significantly from the monosyllabic manner of our experience in Kansas” (Hughes, 16). 

Following the demise of Mary Patterson, Langston resided alongside family acquaintances, interspersed with brief stays alongside his mother. During his period of residency alongside her within Cleveland, Ohio, Langston garnered the distinction of being elected as the class poet during his high school tenure. He recalled sensing that the driving force underlying this nomination was rooted in the entrenched notion that Black people are inherently blessed with rhythm. Nevertheless, he additionally acknowledged his innate talent for poetry. He initiated his endeavors in crafting verses, narratives, and theatrical productions during his high school years. After attaining graduation, Hughes made a journey to Mexico for the purpose of visiting his father, where James Hughes had accomplished monetary prosperity. Subsequent to persuading his father to provide the monetary means for the furtherance of his higher learning, he enrolled at Cornell University spanning from 1920 through 1921. His genuine intention resided in establishing closer physical proximity to Harlem, ultimately resulting in his relinquishment of his studies at Cornell.

Upon Hughes's departure from Cornell in 1921, his poem titled “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” saw publication within The Crisis, a literary periodical. While residing within New York, Hughes cultivated close professional ties alongside fellow luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance, including Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, along with Richard Bruce Nugent. The collaborative magazine bearing the name Fire!, issued as a singular edition, served as a noteworthy joint endeavor among these literary figures and their peers. The magazine's content drew considerable censure due to its prioritization of contentious and widely opposed themes, such as prostitution, homosexual leanings, coupled with the experiences encountered by individuals hailing from the lower socioeconomic echelons. Black literary critics posited the argument that these gifted authors held the capacity to render a more substantial contribution through challenging the dominant unfavorable portrayals of black people by furnishing more affirming depictions of black cultural expression.

Hughes persisted in authoring pieces centered on the lives of ordinary “black folks” through his literary creations, frequently integrating the vernacular that characterized the working-class black people in his immediate environment. Another collaborative project, Mule Bone, was co-authored alongside Zora Neale Hurston, an undertaking that unfortunately led to an irreconcilable schism transpiring between the two authors. His literary compositions mirrored an intense degree of respect and also admiration pertaining to the day-to-day existence and cultural identity of black Americans during an epoch wherein such facets were not widely lauded but disparaged instead.

During his sojourn within New York City, Hughes concluded that he desired to broaden his horizons and consequently procured employment as a crew member aboard the S.S. Malone.  He dedicated time to both employment and exploration along the eastern African seaboard and traversing across Europe. While dozing on a train during a European journey, a perpetrator pilfered his pecuniary assets alongside his travel documents, thereby leaving him stranded. He ultimately secured passage back towards the U.S. around 1924. He subsequently relocated to the residence of his mother situated in Washington, D.C. While performing his occupational duties as a busboy, he crossed paths with Vachel Lindsey, an individual whom certain accounts credit with “discovering” the budding poet, Langston Hughes. It transpired in close temporal proximity to this fortuitous encounter alongside Lindsey that Hughes’ inaugural assortment of poetic compositions, namely The Weary Blues, secured its publication. Hughes proceeded onward to finalize his scholastic pursuits at Lincoln University back in 1929.

During the ensuing year, Hughes's initial novel, entitled Not Without Laughter, was launched. The endeavor of writing this novel was made possible through the auspices of a well-to-do benefactor within the arts; nevertheless, the expectations she possessed prompted Langston to renounce her patronage and rather sustain himself through his literary works.  This particular benefactor aspired for Langston to depict Blacks as occupying a “primitive” state, a proposition which he resolutely dismissed. He sustained his commitment to authorship and initiated a theatrical ensemble, bearing the designation New York Suitcase Theater, in tandem with Paul Peters, Whittaker Chambers, as well as Jacob Burck back in 1931.

In contrast to a multitude of authors during this epoch, Hughes demonstrated the capacity to attain triumph during his lifespan and uphold his economic independence via his artistic endeavors. Hughes put into print sixteen compilations of poetry, eleven novels, six volumes of non-fiction encompassing a pair of autobiographical renditions, twelve theatrical works, alongside eight literary pieces intended for juvenile audiences. Throughout his life, he garnered various distinctions and accolades, notably a Guggenheim Fellowship, combined with honorary academic distinctions conferred by Howard University, Lincoln University, not to mention Western Reserve University.  Nevertheless, his road to accomplishment was not devoid of disputation.

The Guggenheim Fellowship enabled Hughes to journey into Russia amidst a period marked by considerable unrest across the area. Upon his repatriation, his political leanings embraced a more radical nature, thus eliciting accusations of Communist affiliation. His literary creations during this juncture exhibited a more overtly radical political disposition, culminating in an investigation transpiring amidst the McCarthy era.  He vindicated his unconventional viewpoint through refuting any affiliations by way of the Communist faction, emphasizing that his radical inclinations were firmly anchored within the lived reality of being black within the context of America, as well as the corresponding oppression intrinsically linked to such an experience.

One more contentious element of Hughes's existence, which unfolded in the aftermath of his passing, pertains to the notion that Hughes might have been gay. Over the years of his participation as an author, approximately spanning from 1926 through 1964, the majority of authors found it a struggle to secure sufficient earnings, and it was undoubtedly all the more trying for any black author. Numerous academics alongside critics suggest that in an attempt to avert further hurdles for himself, he opted to conduct a concealed existence. However, multiple instances among his poems could potentially be construed as holding homoerotic undertones, exemplified by To Beauty.  His literary works transparently convey admiration for the aesthetic attributes inherent to the black male, and furthermore, a few men have indeed been linked to Hughes through the passages of time. Sunday Osuya, a Nigerian law enforcement official, was observed as one particular individual in whose favour Hughes established specific stipulations inside of his testament.  Another individual, Gilbert Price, has been amorously connected in association with Langston Hughes. There exists no palpable evidence that Hughes identified as gay; nevertheless, the relationships he cultivated with a selection of men all through his existence signify that it was a particularly compelling likelihood, indeed.

At the age of sixty-five, James Mercer Langston Hughes passed away due to complications that arose in the course of surgical intervention. He had previously been subject to a prostate cancer diagnosis. The Schomberg Center pertaining to Research throughout Black Culture serves as the repository of his cremated remains laid beneath the flooring structure. This definitive location is denoted by an African cosmogram bearing the denomination “Rivers,” which is extracted from his celebrated lyrical composition “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” He has undergone depiction coupled with recognition in an array of cinematic productions, notably incorporating Brother to Brother and similarly Get on the Bus. He endures under continued commemoration in the capacity of a flourishing American poet in conjunction with playwright.

Primary References

Hughes, Langston. 1993. The Big Sea: An Autobiography. New York City: Macmillan.

“The Life of Langston Hughes.”  2007.  Retrieved on October twenty-ninth, 2013.  (http://lifeoflangstonhughes.blogspot.com/)

“Langston Hughes.” N.D. Retrieved on October twenty-eighth, 2013. (http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/biography/).