Hiatus

 

I had hoped that it would not have to come to this.

Alas, I learned a lesson from my friend Darian Aaron: It is nearly impossible to devote your full attention to a lifelong dream project while maintaining a blog with the level of energy and verve it deserves.  It is this realization that has led me to announce that I will be placing Son of Baldwin on an indefinite hiatus.

What is the dream project, you ask?  I am working on my very first novel; and if I wish to live up to the standards of my great literary predecessors (primarily James Baldwin and Toni Morrison), I am going to need all of my intellectual and creative abilities focused on it.

In my absence, I would like to recommend that you support the following dynamic blogs:

Womanist Musings
Angry Black Bitch
A Radical Profeminist
Red Clay Scholar
Zaheer Ali
The Anti-Intellect Blog
Racialicious
Living Out Loud with Darian
Racism Review
Rod 2.0
Ill Doctrine
Shadow and Act
Maybe It's Just Me
I'll Keep You Posted

I will return to Son of Baldwin once the novel is completed.  Feel free to visit the Son of Baldwin Facebook page or the Son of Baldwin Twitter page to continue conversations and discuss the news and events that affect our community.

And with that, I bid you adieu. I hope to be conversing with you again soon.  Until then: Be well and keep fighting against the forces of oppression.

I see you.

- Son of Baldwin

No Name in the Street

Love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters? – James Baldwin

Say My Name is a complex exploration of black male sexuality.

 “Mans need to have bitches,” Ricky explains in Say My Name, the remarkable film short from writer/creator Kofi Agyemang. “We have to know when and how to switch.”

This, he says to his clandestine lover, Chris, is the only practical way for two men—especially two black men from the rough streets of East London—to love one another under the watchful gaze of a homophobic society.  His argument is compelling: Why risk losing family, friends, and loved ones when deception permits you to have them all?  For Chris, the answer is simple: because truth matters.

Some viewers may have some difficulties understanding the brogue (which sounds like a cross between East Coast urban slang, Middle English, and Jamaican patois), but the struggle is well worth it. Other than the sublime and severely undervalued The DL Chronicles, no other body of work has managed a nuanced examination of the so-called down low. The film does not condone Ricky’s behavior, but it does not condemn it, either.  This is simply the story of two men in love who possess different ideas about how that love might survive in a lonely, hostile world.

Chris and Ricky don't see eye to eye.

 What sets Say My Name apart, and perhaps above, the other genre films, is its fearless investigation into how race informs one’s ideas about sexuality. After Chris insists that living dishonestly would do more damage than living openly, Ricky chastises him for regurgitating “the white man’s politics.”  This articulates an emerging notion in communities of color that “coming out” is a largely European invention, one that mistakenly privileges the desires of the white, wealthy homosexual over those of other homosexual identities. The key to the film’s success is the tension between that and the opposing view: that all homosexuals, regardless of race, should be free to live their lives as authentically, shamelessly as heterosexuals. 

Kofi Agyemang (pictured) says that Say My Name is the first installment in a planned twelve.

 Agyemang’s writing here is crisp, genuine, hip, and poetic without being overly sentimental. Adaora Nwandu’s direction helps make the small apartment in which the film takes place feel as large and tumultuous as the outside world. Ayo Fawole (Ricky), who also appeared in Nwandu’s Rag Tag, is a calming presence whose confident sensitivity and unselfconscious swagger make him a convincing, three-dimensional thug figure.  But the big draw here is newcomer Nahum Bromfield (Chris), whom the camera adores. With a prominent brow; dashing, bedroom eyes; and pouty lips, he exudes the same kind of boyish charm and rugged allure that made actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando such enduring and irresistible symbols of masculinity. 

Say My Name is a must see.

Catch a Tiger By His Toe

Johnathan Cedano as Tiger Tyson during Confessions' premiere performance at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival (April 2010)

Gifted scholar and activist Darnell L. Moore shares his insightful interview with bestselling author James Earl Hardy as they discuss, among other things, Hardy's Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star, about the life of legendary porn entertainer Tiger Tyson. And Son of Baldwin has the exclusive.

An Interview: James Earl Hardy on His Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star

By: Darnell L. Moore

June 8, 2011

Plays focused on the diverse lives of queer of color subjects receive little to no attention within mainstream media. And plays written to share the complicated/remarkable life stories of queer of color sex workers are virtually nonexistent and if/when produced, tend to be highly criticized by many audiences including queer of color audiences.  James Earl Hardy's recent play, Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star, centers on the life of Tiger Tyson, a well-known porn star and entrepreneur. While this is James's first play, it is not his first attempt to bring to the fore the experiences of Black and brown men who love (and/or have sex with other men) on paper. What follows is an interview between James and I—which focuses on his new work—that was conducted over e-mail recently.

DLM: You are well known for your work as a prolific journalist turned best-selling novelist. Most recently, the public has encountered James Earl Hardy the dramaturge with the debut of your play, Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star.  What prompted your shift from the novel to the stage?

JEH:  It happened by accident. Tiger approached me about helping him with his memoir and the more he opened up it became clear that his life story would be so ripe for a one-man show. He confessed to being a fan of mine for years. He also believed that, given our combined audiences, that our collaboration would be a success. Always the businessman! So, with his blessing, I drafted a script and entered it into New York's Downtown Urban Theater Festival last year. It won their best short prize and it has had three incarnations since: two more runs in New York (at Whyte Hall on Fire Island in August and at the Roy Arias Theater in mid-town Manhattan in March) and its national debut in Washington, D.C. last month (at Lace Lounge and Restaurant). 

DLM:  Why did you settle on this particular title?

JEH:  It's a stand-out marquee title and tells you up front who and what the play is about. Tiger doesn't care for it—I agree with him that the invention and propagation of the "homo thug" tag by heterosexuals is a not-so-subtle way of saying that real thugs are straight—but he can't argue with the affect it has on people. Some are tickled by it; others find it to be curious; and some are offended by it. It's sexy and shocking at the same time.

DLM: What plays, if any, inspired your construction of Confessions?

JEH:  I took my inspiration for the construction of the play from the movie Interview with the Vampire, except you don't see the interviewer on stage. I thought it would be better theatrically and give the work a more intimate feel if the audience stands-in for the reporter. So during certain parts of the show, a very natural call and response exchange happens. And there's a testimonial vibe, reminiscent of the play Having Our Say. Like the Delany sisters, Tiger is actually confessing in the show, sharing things that he's never disclosed before, and placing his life in its proper cultural context.

DLM: Confessions, while it is a piece that specifically focuses on the “rags to riches” story of the famed bisexual porn star/producer/entrepreneur Tiger Tyson, also seeks to unpack the complicated intersections of race, sexuality, gender and class that shape the lives of “same gender loving” (as you would say) men of color that figure in your novels. Do you see a connection between your characters and the characterization of Tiger in Confessions?

JEH: Confessions is based on a real flesh and blood person, the pressure was on to present and represent Tiger well. However, Tiger does remind me of Raheim, the b-boy of the B-Boy Blues series: a boi from the 'hood trying to navigate the minefields of masculinity and sexual identity. Neither were comfortable with the typical alphabet soup labels non-heteros can choose from but still came to embrace themselves as men who are attracted to and love other men. And the very existence of both men (either on page or in person) challenges the notion that SGL/gay/bi/queer men have to fit into a certain box; we are indeed everything, everywhere and everyone. Yet, the fact that some misguided hetero Negores are, in 2011, still asking me who "the gay rapper" is shows just how sexually schizophrenic we [Black folks] continue to be. The question you should be asking isn't who is the gay rapper but who aren't the gay rappers! 

DLM: The script was developed from a transcript of your conversations with Tiger and many of the lines can be directly attributed to him.  Is it your impression that this particular artistic move helped to illuminate the interiority (and authenticity) of the character in Confessions?  If so, how?

JEH: I was in a rare position as the playwright, since I have direct access to the subject. Most theatrical works about real people, especially in the one-man/woman show category, are created after the subject has passed on. And, in many of those cases, the portrait is a fictionalized account of their life, even if documented interviews are utilized. Because Confessions is not only told in his words but from his perspective, it has a different kind of energy; you don't feel detached from Tiger, you're really getting him.

Tiger Tyson (the subject) and James Earl Hardy (the playwright) just before the curtain went up on the premiere performance of Confessions (Photo credit: Marc Newell of the Downtown Urban Theater Festival/April 2010)

DLM:  Tell us a bit about Tiger, the human being, who is situated behind the epithets that minimally define him.

JEH:  Tiger is such a down-to-earth, charismatic gent; the way he draws the boys in on screen is not an act, it's very natural for him. He possesses true sex appeal. He has a wicked sense of humor, both about himself and the business—which is why he's been able to survive it without the type of scars that so many others in porn end up with. And once you get past the mystique, you discover he also has, as Angela Winbush sings, a sensitive heart. I was surprised to learn that, like me, he loves Luther Vandross, and he gets all mushy when you bring up his daughter, the apple of his eye. 

DLM:  What has been Tiger’s reaction to the play and Johnathan Cedano’s, the main actor’s, response to Tiger’s reaction?

JEH:  Tiger was beside himself, watching Johnathan step into his Timbs; it was as if he was hearing about himself for the first time. But it has to be a different kind of out-of-body experience when you're seeing your life acted out on a stage. 

It was intimidating for Johnathan: Not only was this his first time doing a one-man show, but the subject of the play was sitting in the audience, hanging on his every word. But he killed it; he represented Tiger without impersonating him. Even I was struck with how well he captured the tone and flow of Tiger's voice, especially since he [Johnathan] is Dominican and Tiger is Puerto Rican [and Black]. I think it helped that Johnathan only knew of Tiger and hadn't seen any of his work, so he didn't have any preconceived ideas about him. Several of the actors who auditioned for the role were star struck; a couple even thought they'd be appearing in a film with Tiger!

DLM:  How has Confessions been received among its various viewing audiences? What audiences have been least and most receptive?

JEH: Audiences across the board have been enthusiastic about the piece, especially white gay men and Black SGL women, who are some of his biggest fans. If there's been any one complaint, it's that the performance ends too soon; the show is 45 minutes. But the fact that they wish there was more, that they want to know more about him, is proof that his story is a compelling one. 

DLM: Confessions might be best described as a counter-subcultural work even within the sub-cultural spaces of queer of color America. In other words, it seems to me that this work might be resisted because it is an attempt to bring to the fore sex workers and porn stars in a sub-cultural space that has yet to fully embrace bodies (of all types), sex and/or sex positivity beyond the private sphere. It is one thing to engage Tiger—as a sex object—via media technologies within the personal bedroom space and, yet, another to embrace Tiger—as a human subject—via performance within the public sphere. Do you agree with this assessment?

JEH: Most definitely. In fact, much of the resistance we've received to the production has come from Black/Latino/Blatino SGL men, who don't have a problem buying/downloading Tiger's work and gratifying themselves with it behind closed doors, but don't believe someone like him deserves such a spotlight. Well, porn stars are people, too; they've got a story to tell. And, in Tiger's case, several stories to tell. 

Also, Tiger isn't just a porn star: he's an entrepreneur, a man who created his own multimillion dollar studio, and there are very few Black/Latino/Blatino men in porn, regardless of sexual orientation, who can claim that. And he is his own brand: in addition to the DVDs and dildo, you can even purchase Tiger Tyson lip gloss and Tiger Tyson car freshener! He is a shining example of the American Dream come true, of creating your own. In this stackin' chips/bring on the bling culture, why shouldn't he be applauded and held up as a model?

DLM: Where would you like Confessions to go from here? What audiences? What performance spaces? What other iterations (i.e. book, movie, etc.)?

JEH: We do plan to visit other cities this summer; details are being ironed out for Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and Oakland. The long-range plan is to expand the show into a full-length and have a run off-Broadway—and, who knows, maybe even Broadway. The memoir is still in the pipeline, and the film version won't be far behind. There are still so few multidimensional roles for actors of color, and this one has star-making, Tony/Oscar-Winning turn written all over it.

DLM: How has this project changed you as a writer/artist and what are you hopes regarding the change you hope that it produces in the viewer? And, what’s next for you?

JEH: I've spent much of the last two decades writing fiction, so this project provided me with the opportunity to return to my journalistic roots while also stretching my writing chops in another genre.

My hope is that, by the end of the show, people have gotten to know the man behind image; he's so much more than, as he says, the Li'l Kat with the Big Mac.

As far as next steps, I'm still promoting Visible Lives: Three Stories in Tribute to E. Lynn Harris; the response to the collection continues to be overwhelming. The film version of B-Boy Blues goes before the cameras this summer. And the eighth title in the series, Men of the House, and my first short story collection, The Freak Filez, will be released next year.

Darnell L. Moore is a sometimes writer and all-the-time thinker. He is a 2011-2012 Visiting Scholar at the Center for the Study of Sexuality and Gender, New York University. He is presently developing a poetry chapbook and historical fiction novel. He lives and writes in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, USA.

Interlude

 

My 700th post!

A brief reprieve from my hiatus to announce some amazing news:

The Annual Black Weblog Awards has nominated Son of Baldwin in the "Best LGBT Blog" category!

Each year, the BWA honors the best black blogs in over 30 categories including "Best Writing in a Blog" and "Blog of the Year."  This marks the very first time my blog has been nominated.  Past LGBT winners include: Living Out Loud with Darian, Rod 2.0, The Skorpion Show, Xem Van Adams, Pam's House Blend, and Keith Boykin. 

To vote for Son of Baldwin, please complete the:

2011 Black Weblog Awards Official Ballot

A heartfelt thank you to the Black Weblog Awards judges and to everyone who votes for Son of Baldwin. Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you!


With gratitude,

 Son of Baldwin

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

We must bear witness. Support black LGBT filmmakers.

This is the kind of film that I would like to see made.

Dominic: A Love Letter is a short film about a young African American man who must cope with the profound loss of love he experiences when his family discovers his sexuality.  The film seeks to illuminate and deconstruct homophobia by exploring the cultural value systems, particularly in the African American community, that make such bigotry possible.

The film is in its early planning stages and the producers need to cover the production costs.  They are asking for our help. If you are so moved, please help in any way you can.  You can donate by visiting the Dominic: A Love Letter website. 

In the meantime, listen as co-creator, co-writer, co-producer, and co-star Acacia Morgan; co-creator, co-writer, co-producer, and co-star Damone Williams; co-director Jerome Watson; and co-director Gary Leroi Gray (of The Cosby Show and Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom fame) discuss why they believe in this project--and why you should, too:

Follow Dominic: A Love Letter on Facebook or Twitter.

A Bundle of Sticks

Oops, I did it again! Kobe Bryant draws fire from gay groups for use of a sexual slur.

In a moment of anger, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant called referee Bennie Adams a "fucking faggot." Now, Bryant was not talking to a gay person (that we know of) and, perhaps, he was not attempting to demean homosexuals by using the term.  But he was, indeed, attempting to demean the referee by calling him a derogatory term meant to describe homosexual acts.  This is revealing (and of concern to gay rights activists) because, generally speaking, one does not use the term faggot as an insult if one has any respect for homosexuals.

Almost immediately, a debate about Bryant's use of the slur began on a message board.  Most of the gay men who participated--especially those who were gay men of color--defended Bryant, indicating that the word faggot wasn't really a slur because gay people use it when referring to one another, and because the word, as they see it, does not carry the same history of degradation, oppression, and stigma as a slur like "nigger."

Some of the gay participants indicated that, in fact, they liked to be called faggots, particularly when engaged in sexual acts. (We can talk about reappropriating oppressive symbols as a revolutionary act, but I personally do not believe much of what is occurring on this message board has anything to do with political power plays or fights for freedom, but lots to do with Stockholm syndrome.)  Others indicated that some gays deserve the derogatory label (and this, according to them, has everything to do with one's level of femininity).  Besides, some of the gay folks said, Kobe Bryant is physically attractive, so the insult, coming from him, should be tolerated.

Only with great violence and willful deceit can the word faggot be divorced from its homophobia.  That anyone could belittle or ignore that the word carries its own terrible history of persecution and destruction is, if nothing else, indicative of the profound failure of our educational, social, political and cultural institutions at best, and the loss of our common humanity at worst.  Another implication made clear in this discussion--that is, if the comments represent what these individuals actually believe and feel and are not simply attempts at being comedic or antagonistic--is how effectively homophobia has rendered some queer minds to dust.  Sadly, the disintegration is obvious to everyone except the afflicted. 

In the end, Bryant, himself, is simply a product--albeit, a well-paid and influential one--of the homophobic society in which he resides.  He can only use that term so broadly, casually, loosely, and reflexively because the whole of society encourages the very same.  And he can only get away with it because we allow it--which raises the question:

How much longer are we going to allow it?

UPDATE: Kobe Bryant apologized, but his statement indicates that he somewhat missed the point. The NBA fines Bryant $100,000.

Lola

Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. Lawrence Campbell as the infamous Brook-Lynn Pinklady.

By now, everyone has heard about the incident involving Hot 97 hip-hop DJ Mister Cee.  If you haven't, you can read my take here.

In any event, Lawrence Campbell, also known as Brook-Lynn Pinklady, has decided to speak out about the incident.

She does not shed light on the situation as much as she uses it as an opportunity to bask in her new-found infamy.  For example, she claims that the scandal was manufactured and sensationalized by the blogs, but fails to acknowledge that the official police record outlines--quite clearly in fact--what transpired between her and Mister Cee. She also never explains--if the police are, indeed, lying--what, exactly, she and Mister Cee were doing in the car that would require their arrests.  She does, however, indicate that, as I surmised, she is not a transsexual, but is a drag queen (transvestite).

What do you make of Brook-Lynn's testimony?

UPDATE:

Okay, so Brooke-Lynn Pinklady is changing her tune just a bit:

Your Funeral

Badu.  Badu.

Check out this laid back video from the one and only Erykah Badu.  The song is called "Fall In Love (Your Funeral)" from her album New Amerykah, Part Two: Return of the Ankh.

"See, you don't wanna fall in love with me...."

Get it, E!

Sex Sigma

The fine brothers of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity have put together a tantalizing calendar. Looks like it might have been shot in the NYC with various chapters of the organization.  And from what I understand, the proceeds go to a worthy charity.

Have mercy.

Adieu

The smooth, sultry sounds of Sade

Sade (featuring lead singer Helen Folasade Adu and band Sweetback) has released their new single from their upcoming album, The Ultimate Collection, entitled "Still In Love With You."


Take a listen:

The Ultimate Collection will be available in stores, and on iTunes and Amazon on May 3, 2011.

Sade and special guest John Legend will be at the Nassau Coliseum on June 21, 2011.

X-Factor

Manning Marable's exhaustive biography of Malcolm X has heterosexists in a panic; they're trying to ignore and diminish revelations about Malcolm's sexuality.

Malcolm X engaged in homosexual activity.

That was the bombshell dropped into the laps of heterosexists everywhere with the release of the already bestselling Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, written by noted (and recently deceased) scholar Manning Marable.

Whether this means that Malcolm actually identified as homosexual or bisexual or gay-for-pay or closeted or not-heterosexual (or felt free enough--under the purview of the Nation of Islam, the black community, and the eras in which he lived--to do so) is a subject for debate. But what is not debatable is that he was queer.

And it is that fact that has thrown the heterosexist worldview into a shambles.

The Grio's Javier E. David is one of those individuals who feel the revelation is, at best, irrelevant.

The possibility of Malcolm X's bisexuality begs the obvious question: so what? In the current environment, there seems to be a prurient temptation to refract the legacies of historical figures through a prism of modern-day sexual mores. Such notions, however, are devoid of the necessary context. Although his biography can polarize, Malcolm continues to be a world-bestriding historical figure, and by all accounts was a devoted husband and father. The example that he set, as a family man and a person of deeply held principle, is one that can be emulated by anyone, regardless of their race, creed or sexuality.

It seems that David is completely unaware of the inconsistencies in his response. On the one end, he argues that Malcolm's sexuality is irrelevant, but then immediately follows up by noting that, "by all accounts," Malcolm "was a devoted husband and father." So, sexuality matters only when it is heterosexual? I see.

And this, of course, spurred me to respond in the comments section:

Sisters and Brothers,

Help me with something:

Why is it that when we overtly talk about heterosexuality (vis-à-vis marriage) or covertly talk about heterosexuality (vis-à-vis progeny), no one complains or remarks that one's sexuality has nothing to do with one's historical accomplishments, but the moment that sexuality is revealed to be, possibly, something other than heterosexuality, people find a billion different excuses/ways to express how irrelevant the historical figure's sexuality is?

Why is there always this push to keep history as white, male, and straight as possible? And why is it that so many of us who are not white or male or straight so complicit in that paradigm? Has white supremacy and its awful puritanism been so successful that we want to pretend like a person's sex life is irrelevant or, worse, doesn't exist--particularly if they are queer?

The idea that Malcolm X might have been gay/bisexual/not-straight absolutely makes a difference in the same way that discovering that Africans made vast contributions to society makes a difference: It shatters the myth of heterosexual superiority in the same way African excavation shattered the myth of white superiority. It serves as a small piece of evidence against those heterosexists and their supporters who claim--with their brutal propaganda and endless self-loathing--that queers are nothing more than deviants who have done little to contribute positively to the human race. (Malcolm X may have sucked a few penises and had anal sex with men during his lifetime: Can you now remain homophobic in light of that? And if you can, there's some serious cognitive dissonance going on. Seek help.)

And while some of us might feel as though they don't need any historical figures/great leaders/celebrities to be homosexual in order to validate/feel good about their own sexuality, millions, maybe billions, do. And I'm not so much thinking about those who claim to be self-sufficient as I am about the homosexual child who has no support, has to endure relentless abuse, and has no way and no place to build their esteem.

People who wish to regard Malcolm's homosexual encounters as irrelevant simply want to keep their own fantasies about him intact. (They are also deathly afraid of facing the prospect that, for all of these years, they have admired, emulated, and loved a queer man.)  I say: The world has too many fantasies already--and has suffered terribly for them. It is time we grow up and face reality.

Quite frankly, I grow tired of those members of our community who feel so comfortable as to complain about the other members of the community in that way that each and every one of us has heard countless times:

"Man, I hate gay folk. They always want somebody else to be gay!" (News flash: A great many of your icons, whom you believe to be heterosexual because of your own blinders, are closeted homosexuals precisely because of your blinders.)

Never mind the fact that a great many heterosexuals want everyone else to be heterosexual--and some of them will hit you over the head with their religious documents, beat the shit out of you, or murder you to have it their way. No complaints about that, though. Nah. Instead, it's the homosexuals that should be hated.

I wish I had a cure for conscious, subconscious, and unconscious homophobia (and an antidote for heteronormative dogma) but I do not. In the meantime, however, I will stand behind anyone who wishes to reveal the truth about history and its players--no matter how uncomfortable that truth might make me, no matter how it might force me to let go of my preconceived notions about the world. Because I'm the type of person that values truth, the WHOLE truth, even when it contradicts my opinions or worldview.

I find that there isn't any other way to grow or evolve.

You are going to hear many defensive explanations for this aspect of Malcolm's life: "He was tricked by the white man!" "They made this up to undermine his legacy!" Believe none of it. Instead, let the evidence speak for itself even if you do not wish to hear it.

We must not tolerate historical erasure.

Hypocrites Always Want to Play Innocent XXXIV

"See, what you have to do is put your fingers inside like this and spread..." Hypocritical Pastor Albert Oudele

There must be joy in repetition.

Why else would so many of these homophobic pastors repeatedly preach virulent homophobia with one face and perform serious fellatio with the other?

From Rod 2.0:

London has its very own Bishop Eddie Long.

Oudele A fiery anti-gay evangelical Anglo-Nigerian pastor has been sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault. Pastor Albert Odulele is the founder of Glory House International based in East London. Oudele admitted to assaulting a 14-year-old boy and a 21-year-old youth pastor.

For some preachers, it's almost as though publicly denouncing homosexuality is a cover for secretly engaging in it. For others, like Oudele and Long, homophobic preaching is license for engaging in pederasty. And no matter how many of them are caught and exposed, there's always another waiting in the wings.

These dudes are worst kind of hypocrites, have no moral authority, and are, in my opinion, symptoms of the larger problems with religion--namely, the destruction of critical thinking and the deification of bigotry.

Disgusting.

For the full story, visit The Independent.

Lay Hands

In the middle east, men holding hands is customary.  In America, it's a sign of the Apocalypse, especially if the two men are black.

I doubt that Americans will ever be able to face the fact that the word homosexual is not a noun. The root of this word, as Americans use it — or, as this word uses Americans — simply involves a terror of any human touch, since any human touch can change you. — James Baldwin, The Price of the Ticket


I don't understand the big deal.

Immediately after last Sunday's Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic NBA game, where the Raptors pulled a surprising win over the Magic, the Raptors' Leandro Barbosa grabbed and held the hand of his teammate Reggie Evans. The action sparked a homophobic uproar on the Internet.

From Outsports:

While Barbosa remained stone-face, Evans was good-natured and gave a big smile. The duo had a strong night with 18 points on 9-for-15 shooting. That didn’t stop many from spewing homophobia on YouTube at the players, their team, and a Toronto fan and RealGM moderator named Little Ozzy [some language NSFW]:


4lyfesports: so not only does [head coach] jay triano have to deal with barnani and calderon but these fags has well?!?!?!?! its a miracle they even won 21 games!!! give him coach of the year!


ir0ckfartz: Wow, you guys are talking over the YouTube comments sections? How romantic…ha, faggs.


Creamybrown07: Little Ozzy is a hugeee fucking panzy who gets it up his ass by not only Barbosa and Reggie, but by the rest of the team, including Triano, the golden boy Colangelo, Even Gheradini! The Raptors Mascot actually ended up jizzing on Little Ozzys face, while Ozzy took it like the gay fuck he is. … Disgusting


MrDarkStalker15: I think Reggie Evans is GAY. He likes tossing the salad. Remember him grabbing Chris Kaman’s balls? I think Leandro Barbosa knows that Evans likes men holding his hand so he’s messing with him…

I wonder if these people realize how ridiculous they sound.  Or how much their words reveal them.

Whether they're gay or not, I find something genuinely heartwarming and courageous about people who are secure enough to publicly display (what should be considered innocuous forms of) affection:

Love Me

Queen of Hip-hop Soul Mary J. Blige

New Mary is recalling old Mary.

Check out her new video, "Someone To Love Me/Naked," featuring P. Diddy and Li'l Wayne.

What Lies Beneath

DJ Mister Cee

Lawrence Campbell

Lawrence Campbell as "Brooke-Lynn Pinklady"

Cee and Brooke-Lynn's mug shots

I don't really know much about Hot 97 DJ Mister Cee; I haven't listened to that station in years.

According to The Advocate and The New York Daily News, 44-year-old Cee (real name Calvin LeBrun) was arrested last Wednesday for engaging in lewd sexual conduct with a 20-year-old transvestite known alternately as Lawrence Campbell and Brooke-Lynn Pinklady.

Apparently, this isn't Cee's first time around the block in regard to these sorts of charges. 

A few things:

• Why is sex, even if it's public, considered lewd (and how public is inside your car)?
• How will this impact Cee's career given that the hip-hop world is known for, among other things, it's rabid homophobia?
• Does anyone know whether or not Mister Cee has ever participated in or supported homophobia or homophobic rhetoric?
• Will Mister Cee find the courage to tell the truth about the incident, or will he take the Eddie Murphy route? (Apparently, he's going to take the Eddie Murphy route.)
•  How long will it take hip-hop to turn on him?

Former New York DJ and Wendy Williams sidekick Charlamagne Tha God, who now works out of Atlanta, responded to people alleging that the charges against Mister Cee are false:

Now yesterday we reported on Mister Cee being caught with a transvestite, we found out this morning via The [New York] Post and Daily News that he's been arrested twice before for loitering for the purpose of prostitution. Mister Cee is Funkmaster Flex's friend so Flex decided to stand up for Mister Cee last night. You sound like an old a** wrestler. 'Whatcha gonna do, when Funkmaster Flex runs wild on you!' You the big bad wolf in the city, huh? You like to huff and puff and blow houses down. Let's be clear. You can huff and puff but the only thing getting blown down is Mister Cee by transsexuals. That is the fact of the matter. Why you mad at us because your man Mister Cee likes getting it on with transsexuals? I'm confused here. He got arrested for being with a transsexual last week, he got busted in October and November for loitering for the purpose of prostitution. Don't get mad at us, get mad at him. Tell him, Homie, I don't care if you like men, but move better. Don't get a prostitute, get a boyfriend. You're out here making yourself and the brand look crazy.' It's OK if he's gay but give him some brotherly advice and tell him to move a little better with it...Subliminals are so 90's. But I understand because you a 1990's type of guy. That's your era.

Stay tuned....

UPDATE:

50 Cent and Soulja Boy get together on magazine cover

In the shocker of the century, 50 Cent explains his support of Mister Cee.  While Cee denies the charges, The Smoking Gun posts the arrest warrant.

Thanks to Kevin for the update.

The Triumph of White Supremacy

Black self-loathing has persisted for centuries

The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. - Steven Biko


Harriet Tubman risked her life for this?

In this tragic video, young black people demonstrate, with dreadful precision, how the Color Complex still maintains a vice grip on the black psychology. The Color Complex is a concept that explains the pathology of blacks who place enormous value on light skin, and other Eurocentric features, and degrade darker skin and traditionally African aesthetics (In some rare cases, as shown in the video, the reverse is true: Almost in retaliation, darker skinned black folk denigrate lighter skinned black folk). It is a form of internalized racism, a psychosis transmitted from generation to generation.

The most astounding things about this video are the irony and cognitive dissonance.  Often, it is the darker skinned blacks who seem most disgusted by darker skinned people, as if they have never been in possession of a mirror--or have purposely avoided it. (One girl says, "Light skinned people, like myself...." but she is not light skinned by any stretch of the imagination; the extent of the delusion is astonishing.) They assigned characteristics to skin color that have nothing at all to do with the color of one's skin, but everything to do with the content of one's character.  What is most heartbreaking is that so many of these children are convinced of their righteousness and so few are proud to be black.  Thank goodness for the few.

It is almost understandable.  After all, when you live in a society that tells you, overtly and covertly, that blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin are the aesthetic ideal--and that the further you are from that, the less attractive and valuable you are--it is bound to profoundly disturb the psyche.  And the children in this video are profoundly disturbed; let us not pretend otherwise with faulty and myopic arguments about "personal preference."

White supremacy and racism are frightening not simply because they are so insidious, but because they are so incredibly effective.

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome has never been more apparent. Or tragic.

Brace yourselves.

Fools

Zip-a-dee-doo-da

You know, it's not the world that was my oppressor, because what the world does to you, if the world does it to you long enough and effectively enough, you begin to do to yourself. — James Baldwin


Remember how blatant racism used to be back in the day?

Nowadays, it's much more covert--just as pervasive, but strategically surreptitious.

And remember how whites used to caricature blacks?  These days, they do it in subtle ways.  But they really don't have to.  Thanks to people like Tyler Perry, Lee Daniels, and 50 Cent, we get along just fine doing it to ourselves.

To Live and Die Unheard

What homophobia has wrought. Battered and beaten: Damian Furtch

With god on their side and arrogance in their hearts, two degenerates brutally attacked and beat 26-year-old Damian Furtch in the West Village section of Manhattan last Sunday in what authorities believe was a gay bashing.

Let us be clear here: None of this would be possible if churches, synagogues, and temples all across America did not preach, by the hour, that homosexuality is a blight against divinity.  None of this would be possible if narrow, pathological, patriarchal ideas about masculinity and the Myth of the Cowboy did not infect the American psyche.  None of this would be possible if Americans were not such cowards.

Can you not hear the apologists? "I don't hate gay people.  I would never beat anyone up. I would never condone what happened.  I think what happened is sad, but there's nothing I can do about it."  

The mistake is believing that hatred is necessary for homophobia to flourish when all that is needed is complicity.

And since, it seems, we cannot trust most heterosexuals--especially the religious ones or ones with even a tiny bit of power--to acknowledge the injustice and do something about it, I believe it is time that we dealt with this on our own.

So what are we waiting for?

Harpo!

Who dis woman?

Bleach

Hollywood bleaching continues with the upcoming Akira film

White Americans, bless their generous little hearts, are quite unable to imagine that there can be anyone, anywhere, who does not wish to be White. 

- James Baldwin, The Evidence of Things Not Seen


Remember the comic-book-turned-animated-film Akira?  It's about young people in post-apocalyptic Japan who have enormous telekenetic abilities.  Any geek will tell you that it's a classic. African American directing duo the Hughes brothers will be bringing it to the big screen as a live-action, big-budget, special-effects feature film.  But there's just one caveat.

The main characters will be cast as white people instead of Asian people.

This dull and unimaginative practice isn't, I'm sad to say, an anathema to Hollywood.  In fact, the conventional (read: economic) Hollywood wisdom says that the only way white people can be engaged in any medium is by reflecting their own images back at them.  According to Hollywood, white people, especially white boys, are so tribal, narcissistic, egotistical, and racist; they are so severely lacking in the ability to empathize with anyone outside of their race, that it's impossible for them to patronize films that contain casts of primarily non-white actors. Or not so primarily. 

Case in point: In the upcoming Thor film, Idris Elba was cast in the relatively minor role of Heimdall.  Heimdall is fictional Marvel Comics character based on the god Heimdallr from Norse mythology.  Traditionally, Heimdall has been depicted as white. When some white fans of the character got wind of the casting decision, they nearly lost their minds.  This despite the fact that Heimdall is a relatively small character in the mythology, the comic book and, apparently, the film.  This despite the fact that aside from Elba and Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano (who plays a tiny role as Hogun, who has been depicted as Asian), each and every other actor in the film, especially the leads, is white.

But, on the other hand, they apparently have no problem, whatsoever, when characters that have been traditionally depicted as non-white are cast--both in the leads and in the bit parts--with actors who are white.  Their ire is raised only with the threat of the reverse.  For example, they had no problem when M. Night Shyamalan--a grievous person of color--cast The Last Airbender so that all the lead heroes were white and all the lead villains were people of color (even though, in the show the film was based on, all of the characters were either Asian or Inuit).

And if they stick to type, and there is no evidence or indication that they won't, they will have no problem when these two willfully obtuse black directors cast Akira with white leads. Because, you see, political correctness and diversity is bad, but white supremacy and white privilege is good.

Well.  As the video below will outline, quite poignantly, writing letters and complaining won't do a bit of good. The only way to make Hollywood understand the depth of your outrage at their pandering to institutional racism is to withhold your economic support.

BOYCOTT AKIRA!

Oracle

James Baldwin: A Soothsayer

Has anyone ever wondered what James Baldwin's position on gay marriage might have been?

I believe I may have an answer. From the prophet's mouth.

The esteemed Mr. James Baldwin, at the University of California, Berkley in 1974, discussing marriage and love: