But Chris Dickerson overcame the culture of racism and began breaking records.
Born in 1939, he began competing in the 1960s, and became the first African-American to win Junior Mr. USA (1966), Mr. California (1967), and Mr. America (1967, 1970), and one of the first to win Mr. Olympia (1979, 1980, 1982).
He was also the first openly gay professional bodybuilder, coming out during the 1970s.
That's a lot of barriers to break.
Sadly, he found little mainstream fame -- no advertising contracts, only a few tv appearances.
Chris worked as a physique model beginning in the 1960s, and in the 1970s and 1980s made the rounds of all the physique magazines, including Muscle and Fitness. Here he is posing on the cover of an Arabic bodybuilding magazine.
Today Chris is retired, living in Florida, and writing his memoirs.
Chris Dickerson is a highly interesting case of an openly gay and successful bodybuilder even though he didn't get advertising contracts but I wonder why coming out harmed Bob Paris's bodybuilding career so much, especially taking into consideration the more than twenty years of separation between both cases. He came out in the '90s but he wasn't as nearly as successful as Chris Dickerson even though Bob Paris was a better bodybuilder than him.
ReplyDeleteChris Dickerson, unlike Bob Paris, never actually officially 'came out of the closet'.
ReplyDeleteHe was the first Black Mr America winner, and that's always emphasized in biographical interviews. His mother was highly accomplished Attorney.
AND he was a triplet.
Dickerson's friends knew that he was gay, and so did fellow competitive pro bodybuilders - but there were no articles that revealed Dickerson's sexual preferences to bodybuilding fans.
Similar to steroid use in pro bodybuilding, it was an 'inside secret'.
Interestingly, Jim Morris, the 2nd Black Bodybuilder to win the Mr America is also Gay.