Renee McCoy, and John Gee,[5] were motivated by a belief that existing gay and lesbian organizations did not represent the views and experiences of African Americans.
NCBLG chapters existed in cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Norfolk, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, St. Louis, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston, Richmond, and others.
[9] In addition, it sponsored two National Third World Lesbian and Gay Conferences and published a news magazine, Black/Out, which offered funding and support for the organization.
With Joseph Beam as its editor, the magazine considered itself to be "the voice of a new movement of Black Lesbians and Gays" and a "revolutionary publication" in the face of discrimination.
[14] It primarily focused on highlighting the erasure of black people from LGBT spaces, as well as offering discourse for race and sexual identity.