Lendale Johnson is a professional athlete, actor, model and activist. As the first openly gay, Black professional tennis player in the International Tennis Federation Pro Circuit, he is also the CEO and owner of the Johnson High Performance Tennis Academy, a celebrity and public tennis academy offering programs in New York, New Jersey and Chicago.
His latest venture is a reality television show entitled “Deuces and Love.” It finds the athlete using his platform to bring awareness to social issues affecting marginalized communities, which Johnson discussed with Watermark ahead of its streaming premiere.
WATERMARK: What inspired the creation of your new show “Deuces and Love”?
Lendale Johnson: I really felt like it was time for a show to be put out in the mainstream media really addressing things that have not been addressed [such as LGBTQ rights, Black civil rights and racism in Hollywood.] A lot of trans and LGBTQ actors and actresses haven’t really been highlighted in a positive light. A lot of their roles have been involving murder and I feel like it really needs to change.
Can you describe your experience of navigating the professional sports world as an openly gay, Black man?
I recently came out in the sport, it hasn’t really changed too much for me. It’s more about being visible because I feel like [LGBTQ people] should feel comfortable playing any type of sport. Tennis is a very lucrative sport … and I believe that a lot of players that may be in my position – out or closeted – are mainly worried about losing sponsorships or not getting sponsorships if they came out. I believe that has a lot to do with it and also the homophobia that’s still prevalent in a lot of sports… Coming out is taking a big risk and it’s a lot of added pressure.
What have the implications been for your career in coming out?
The [tournament] tour is suspended right now because of COVID-19, but as far as the media … we just did the press release with my coming out a few days ago and I’m slowly doing interviews, so right now I’m not sure how people are going to take it. I can’t say that I’ve noticed anything different yet. If anything, it would either help me or it would make things worse, but I like to believe that it’s bigger than me and I feel like if I can help out and be a pioneer in my sport for LGBTQ athletes, then I’ll do that.
What is the importance of visibility and media representation for marginalized communities?
I feel like they’re not represented that well. I can’t even think of a professional Black athlete who’s out in sports right now, so I definitely want to be the one to get that going. We need more of our community [and double minorities] to come out.
Are there any special guests that viewers can look forward to seeing on your show?
We’ve actually already interviewed [reality TV star and “Real Housewives of New Jersey” alum] Teresa Giudice and we’re going to have some American tennis stars on the show, as well as [an actor from the cast of the FX series “Pose.”] Each episode, we’re going to have a different star on the show to talk about whatever we feel that’s relevant for the episode and make sure that the content is really what our audience needs.
How can people who want to be allies for social justice best support the members of marginalized communities?
Donating to charity and being vocal when they see an injustice. I can’t stress how important it is for an injustice to be verbally reprimanded … Silence is violence.
You have also been an active part of the Black Lives Matter movement in New York, marching in protest alongside the Manwari Black Panthers. How do you plan to bring more awareness to the movement and what is your hope for the progress of it overall?
By being visible and continuing to speak out. We definitely need to focus on systemic racism, redlining, discrimination in the workplace, we need the police to be defunded and we need some policy changes as well. We need to have more Black people in positions of power. The racism that’s been cultivated in American society and American culture needs to constantly be addressed, because I feel like it’s been going on for so long that people can be racist now and not even realize it.
It has been mentioned that you have been the victim of racial profiling on more than one occasion. can you talk about what it was like to undergo these experiences?
I had an incident with the NYPD, actually. I was heading home on the Upper West Side in the West Village. I got racially profiled and I was thinking ‘Is this really happening to me?’
I ended up getting a panic attack and my anxiety was at uncharted levels. They had detained me in the street for a while and I missed dinner … I felt personally attacked and victimized. It was really traumatic for me because when something like that happens to you, especially at night, there are always thoughts that go through your mind and you’re thinking ‘What if this happens again?’ So when you see police around, it makes you uncomfortable.
But I will say that I definitely conquered my fears when I was protesting for Black Lives Matter. I led the protest with the other organizers and we were around a lot of police officers; being around other Black people and having our allies support us really helped. But I did have moments of thinking I was going to be singled out and I just had to really push those thoughts away. I feel like those thoughts really came from that incident.
What would you say to people who attempt to brush off the realities of systemic racism and argue that if you just “do the right thing” things like racial profiling can be avoided altogether?
That’s definitely the worst type of racist person we could have. I feel like that’s a major problem in America and the world as well that’s got all these people thinking that racism is not real and if you just pray and just go about your life being a goody-good, everything’s going to be okay and that’s not the case. People need to take action and it needs to happen with every single human being in this world.
Your tennis academy will be hosting a charity match with the NYPD to raise money for organizations such as the ACLU, The NAACP and The Okra Project. How can law enforcement agencies in general best support people of color in today’s social climate?
This sounds bad, but I feel like maybe the [people working in police departments in America] need to be fired and then they can be rehired after they pass a certain psychological test. Of course, not all cops are bad cops – but the bad ones are shining a bad light on the good cops. I feel like the only way to sort out the bad ones is to start over.
You’ve said that “the fact that Black people are still being murdered in 2020 by the hands of the justice system leaves me feeling very alarmed.” What are you currently doing to preserve your mental health and what is your advice to other members of the Black community dealing with similar anxieties and emotions?
This is a very emotional time for a lot of African Americans. I would say reach out to some clinical psychologists or clinical centers. A lot of centers are offering free services right now and I’ve actually taken some classes. If you’re a Black person, you need to not try to put all the pressure on yourself, just do what you feel comfortable doing. One thing at a time, one situation at a time and take it slow.
How would you like to see the Black LGBTQ community empowered in the future?
We need to be in positions of power. Us being in the limelight is important too. We really need someone to take a stand and be a beacon of light for the African American LGBTQ community because we don’t really have anyone who’s doing it justice, except for [actor and singer] Billy Porter.
What do you want people to take away from “Deuces and Love” once it premieres?
Being Black and being gay is a double minority. People can never know what it feels like, but we can show them and teach them the ins and outs. We want them to learn what it’s like to be a double minority.
What else do you want people to know?
If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it and don’t say it behind closed doors either.
Lendale Johnson is still in talks with streaming platforms to determine where to distribute his show, but “Deuces and Love” is expected to be available Aug. 24. For more information about his advocacy and for additional updates on his work, visit LendaleJohnson.com.
