However, I know that waiting for a major lgbt magazine to do a serious story on gay issues in the black community is like waiting for BET or Ebony or Jet to do a serious story on the issue.
It's a question that deserves far more attention than it is getting (hello Advocate magazine!). And the self absorption of the lgbt community at large which refuses to acknowledge that the lgbt struggle for self-determination is present in some form or another in every ethnic group, every culture, and every country. The cowardice of influential black leaders who tackle the issue with the force of a baby licking the tip of icing off of a cake. The religious right's eagerness to exploit the ignorance of the African-American community regarding its lgbt members. The simplistic belief that the black community automatically does not approve of homosexuality is driven by three factors: That enough confirms a belief I've had about the black community.Īpproval or disapproval of gays and lesbians in the black community is far more complex than folks realize. Tonex says that 96 percent of the responses he received have been positive. There is a sad part to this entire situation as far as I am concerned. The real story is not cute, ladies and gentlemen. But believe me, it wasn't for shock value. But for many, I guess, it was a shock of sorts. I've addressed this issue in my music for years. I don't think that there was any new information here. I noticed parts one and three weren't juicy enough for the church or the public, yet they were the key to the whole puzzle. So much more to my story then the sexuality part, but most church folks are sexually repressed anyway, so they naturally gravitate right toward that type of subject matter. There was so much more in that interview that I thought was, unfortunately, overlooked. I then had to think about the repercussions of this revelation.
For me, it was particularly taboo because of my upbringing and the ministerial call on my life. You know, it's not easy growing up in a Pentecostal/Evangelical church, where everyone is pretty much anti-gay, although it's common knowledge that some of the most anointed musicians and singer-songwriters have, or have dealt with, same-sex attraction at some point. I want to know for myself the true interpretation of scriptures in Biblical text and well as scientific documentation. I'm tired of echoing what I've been told. I'm studying daily on the subject of same-sex matters. These are his words in an exclusive interview with Black Voices: James Cleveland and others), but he is the first to have the guts to be honest about his sexual orientation. Granted, he is not the first African-American gay gospel singer (i.e. In comparison, the quickest way to drive the black community nuts is to mention the subject of the lgbt community.Īfrican-American gospel singer Tonex recently became the first black gospel singer to come out publicly.
It’s 2006, and people need to free themselves.We are now seeing that the idea of a black president seems to drive some white folks crazy. “But seriously, it’s incredibly sad that there are still millions of men of every color living in the closet, or on the Down Low, or whatever they want to call it. “What haven’t white people stolen from black culture?” he said. “I’m not even going to try.” Next I called Jimmy Hester, a white former music executive and an expert on the Down Low. “Are you really asking to me to explain the behavior of white dudes?” he said, laughing.
I called Rakeem recently to ask him what he thought about white guys claiming to be on the Down Low. It might hurt you some, but it’s not like if you’re black and gay, because then it’s like you’ve let down the whole black community, black women, black history, black pride.” “If you’re white, you can come out as an openly gay skier or actor or whatever. ”We know there are black gay rappers, black gay athletes, but they’re all on the DL,” Rakeem, a black gay man from Atlanta, told me three years ago when I interviewed him for my Down Low story.