Gabrielle Union has secured the rights to turn the memoir of LGBTQ+ activist George M. Johnson into a TV series.
The 47-year-old actress — whose company, I’ll Have Another Productions, is under the Sony Pictures TV umbrella — is said to have a first-look deal at adapting his book All Boys Aren’t Blue for the small screen.
Union said in a statement: “Queer Black existence has been here forever yet rarely has that experience been shown in literature or film and television.
“Being a parent to a queer-identifying daughter has given me the platform to make sure that these stories are being told in a truthful and authentic way, and George’s memoir gives you the blueprint for that and more.
“What I love about this book is that it not only offers a space for queer kids of color to be seen and heard, but it also offers those who see themselves outside of that standpoint to be held accountable and help them better understand what it takes to truly have acceptance with someone who is considered other.”
In the book, Johnson explores his “childhood and adolescence” while he was growing up in New Jersey, as well as “his college years attending an HBCU in Virginia.”
The memoir also details memories from “getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age 5,” to his first sexual experience and the challenge of “growing up under the duality of being Black and queer.”
George has heaped praise on Union and explained how she has been championing “marginalized communities of color” through her various creative endeavors.
He commented: “She’s someone who is not only a champion in the fight for supporting marginalized communities of color, but the work she’s doing as a storyteller and producer is lifting every voice who hasn’t had the opportunity to be heard.”
