An activist, a documentary filmmaker, a journalist and singer. Clay Cane is a modern day renaissance man making his mark in politics along with various social issues. He is most prominently known for his work in the intersection of two worlds he knows all too well, being part of the African American community and identifying as part of the LGTBQ community. Cane has been successful on many platforms, including television, print and radio.
“My first dream was to be a singer, even though I can’t sing on key.” Cane jokes as he reminisces on his motivation in moving to New York City. “As much as I wanted it, that wasn’t my gift.” Cane describes writing more songs than he sang, realizing his gift laid within the written word. “I was writing all the time, for free, to build writing clips. I was writing about luxury dogs, fashion -which I couldn’t stand- but I did it. People look at writing like going across the street and going to the store, but it’s actually an art form. And it’s a process, and I knew I had to prove myself.”
“I have seen people lose their lives because of spiritual and theological violence. I think it’s one of the most horrific things you can do to people.”
Graduating from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in English and African American Studies, Cane describes his toxic relationship with the church while being part of the LGBTQ community as his “champion issue”. Cane started digging deeper into theological and spiritual violence, navigating the negative pressures the church puts on homosexuality. “I have seen people lose their lives because of spiritual and theological violence. I think it’s one of the most horrific things you can do to people.” This is a very personal issue to Cane, as he struggled with acceptance from his family and church when he came out. This sparked his early activism, as he began a journey of calling out the hypocrisy churches were often promoting.
Not only was Cane helping give a voice to the voiceless, but it helped him in starting his career as well. After going viral on the Huffington Post Live with this issue, BET (Black Entertainment Television) asked Cane to direct a film titled. ‘Holler If You Hear Me: Black And Gay In The Church’. “I was told this would take me nowhere, that I shouldn’t build a career off of this topic. That we aren’t supposed to talk about this.” That only sparked Cane to lean into this issue, as he knew there were stories from people who are hurting that need a spotlight.
“We don’t have time to throw people away.”
Cane’s perseverance and clear passion about his work has landed him many opportunities, his most notable now being hosting his own show on Sirius XM’s Urban View Channel called ‘The Clay Cane Show’. Here he has learned to sharpen his interview skills and has really made a name for himself as a talk show host. When asked how he feels about all of his success, Cane poignantly says “You don’t get to where I've gotten without having a really core belief in yourself”. Cane said he believes in writing one sentence a day, giving the advice to young writers everywhere. He’s been keeping a journal since 1987 when he was 11 years old, allowing his one or two sentences to inspire pieces of work he’s since created.
Cane’s career can be described as passionate, humbling and selfless. He has dedicated his life to helping create a more stable relationship between coming to terms with your sexuality and practicing religion. With no signs of slowing down, Cane leaves us with a sense of urgency: “We don’t have time to throw people away.”