Sampson McCormick</strong. says D.C. will always be home. (Photo courtesy of McCormick)

Native Washingtonian Sampson McCormick is bummed the National Museum of African-American History & Culture wasn’t open before he left town to move to Los Angeles six years ago. He’s visited it several times since it opened two years ago.

“What I really love about it is they don’t just pick parts of it to include but we’re there in all our capacities, the 33-year-old, self-described old soul says. “Other museums may mention Bayard Rustin but they won’t mention that these were queer people of color. This museum really spells it out and I really like that.” 

Sampson, an established stand-up comedian, will headline an old-fashioned Harlem Renaissance Speak Easy event on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the museum. It will also feature Charlene A. Carruthers, a black, queer feminist community organizer who will discuss her book, “Unapologetic” and spoken word artist 2Deep. It’s free but tickets are required. Sampson spoke to the Blade by phone last week. 

WASHINGTON BLADE: How is California treating you?

SAMPSON: I like it. California is a place where people come to be free and there isn’t as much judgement here as there is back east. They’ll say, “I don’t like you,” back there but here it’s a little more passive-aggressive. But it’s cool. I’m making it work.

BLADE: Tell us about the event.

SAMPSON: It’s a Harlem renaissance-themed evening to celebrate queer black artists. It’s basically gonna reflect on those who came before and show where we are now. I’m the first queer comedian to headline there. 

BLADE: How did they know about you?

SAMPSON: How could they not? I’ve been performing for 20 years and have created a body of work that speaks for itself. I use my platform to contribute as much as I can to our growth as a community. I have a really great reputation that I’m proud of.

BLADE: Do you make it back to D.C. very often?

SAMPSON: I love D.C. I hadn’t been for about a year. I was having a little bit of family drama … but I get back as often as I can. D.C. is home.

BLADE: What prompted you to move? Career?

SAMPSON: I was crazy, I moved out here for love. We met in D.C., were absolute love birds and after we’d been together a little over a year, we moved to the Bay Area. It was a big jump. We broke up last year.

BLADE: Are you seeing anybody now?

SAMPSON: You would think as gorgeous and sexy as I am, you would think I am, but dating is hard, especially with the apps now. But nobody serious right now, which is sad.

BLADE: As a comedian, did the Cosby conviction hit you any harder?

SAMPSON: It was hard seeing him shuffle down that hallway in those handcuffs. That was hard because that’s a part of your childhood. He was America’s dad. We were all disappointed, black or white. We all looked at him and held him up as a favorite family member. But somebody who rapes people, it’s wrong and they should have to suffer the consequences.

BLADE: How are black gay guys different in California than D.C.?

SAMPSON: Oh Lord, you want me to be honest? They don’t date other black men in San Francisco or Los Angeles. If you see a black gay couple here, you better be taking some pictures because you won’t see it again for a long time.

BLADE: Why is that?

SAMPSON: I don’t have anything against interracial dating. Love is love, but I do believe there are some internal conflicts among black gay men out here. On the East Coast, it’s more celebrated but not as much on the West Coast. Atlanta, D.C., Chicago — those are black cities. The landscape is just a lot different in L.A. and San Francisco. And if you’re a darker-skinned black man, a lot of times people are only interested in you as a sexual fetish.

BLADE: What’s the last thing you saw that cracked you up?

SAMPSON: I love “Insecure” on HBO. I would love to be on that show. And “Pose” is another show that’s really funny.