By Ken Woods
Actor Tyler James Williams depicted a black gay male in the film Dear White People recently, and he had some choice words for the black community about its views on homosexuality. “Whether we like to address it or not, the African American community is notoriously homophobic,” he said. “We have been coming up on this rough side of the mountain as far as civil rights issues go, but we haven’t necessarily addressed the fact that there is a whole other side to that civil rights coin, which are gay rights.” Williams said this in an interview with Huff Post Live as he sat to talk about the complexity of his role in the break out indie film. He said he was quick to take on the role because it challenges dominant perceptions of gay characters. “I feel like the new stereotypical characters are gay characters, where you can’t just have a regular everyday guy who just happens to be gay, just like many people that I know.” Why must black celebrities and entertainers continue to degrade the black community through media outlets and public forums? This type of slanderous rhetoric is only harming rather than helping. His assessment is also untrue. There are many gay members is black churches all across America. Homophobia is notorious in the dominant society. How is this concept more of a problem in the black community? Williams said he received backlash for his portrayal in the film. “There’s this interesting thing in the black community of staying real…always representing the community well, which is frustrating in a lot of ways and stressful as well,” he said. “It’s hard to please everybody and stay black and proud.” Williams also failed to mention that there is racism in the gay community as well. Perhaps once those issues are addressed, and then blacks can move on to tackle our own so called homophobia. Is Williams another in a long line of black entertainers that are cozying up to white supremacy in order toget preferential treatment? You be the judge.
The original/complete interview can be seen on huffingtonpost.com.
The term homophobia is a misnomer, first off only a certified psychiatrist can diagnose a phobia. The black community has always embraced our Gay, Lesbian, and Trangendered family members. Everyone has at least one gay or basehead in their family so this is nothing new.
Thank you! This didnt become an issue until the media’s slick @ss started saying it was. Just another of many instances when we are used for someone else to get their agenda poppin off of our backs. FOH!
Yes, another in a long line of ‘Blacks are the most homophobic’ meme-spouters who honestly believes that everyone black that they don’t know personally is rolling around in their escalades rapping ‘i beat a fagit’, to the latest beat. ‘Black Homophobia’ is the new ‘Black Misogyny’, another attempt to force some type of abstract power onto blacks in order to force us to sit down and ‘look ourselves in the mirror’ as opposed to taking on white supremacy. Whatever you believe bout homosexuality, see this as another attempt to make black people the flagship of some sort of ‘oppressed people’ that INCLUDES, everyone who is already making leaps and bounds over us even thought the aren’t stereotypically white. This is why Black empowerment needs to stay BLACK empowerment, i still don’t know anyone named ‘Civil’.
Also, i don’t think I’m going to recommend ‘Dear White People’ to anybody, the mere fact that they named the movie that demonstrates that it is just another integrationist puff piece designed to get white people to feel some way about us.
On a more realpolitik note, it is an easily proven fact that gay black people are more likely to be hired than straight ones.
Next!!!_____ nobody wants to hear about no damn gay rights. blacks have more important issues to deal with like how white men are killing young black men n getting rewarded for it n not getting punished by the law. This is sending an alarming message to white racist extemist out there
Another distraction from the real issue which is white supremacy. Let’s tackle the elephant in the room which is white supremacy first then we can deal with so called homophobia. Honestly I don’t think that’s actually an issue in the black community being that black folks pretty much embrace the gay culture
I think we’re the least homophobic race on the planet, we don’t round people up and lynch them for being gay.
Homophobia is a cop out. A phobia is a fear of something. I have strong doubts that Black men are afraid or have a fear of gay people. What Black men are afraid of is being raped by other men. Black men do, however, check gay behavior in straight men. If a man is wearing a dress, he’s gonna call it gay. Not the men who happen to like other men but blend in with straight men until you ask them their sexual preference. No, the gay men who are Trannies and flaming, over-the-top gay men.
Homophobia is another one of those code words. It’s code word for, “Black men… you’re too masculine. Soften up a little” So if a gay man calls you a Homophobe just tell him he’s a “vaginaphobe” (ha ha ha)
This is why they paraded around Jason Collins, to create this narrative about imaginary black homophobia. I remember thinking to myself “Jason Collins, don’t let them use you”. Well we know how that turned out. Besides even if black people were homophobic, we don’t have the power or infrastructure to inflict homophobia on anyone.
This is simply more of the same propaganda tactic they’ve been running. Put a black face on domestic violence. Put a black face on child abuse. Put a black face on rape. Put a black face on homophobia.
Wow! I think it all has been said that needed to be said. I will only add the fact about all the gay white politicians on the low who are the ones creating all the laws against gays to hide their true identity. I can’t remember the name of the politician who was in the public bathroom tapping guys feet in the next stall to see if he could get some. LOL Just another coon regurgitating white supremacy reterect. If the conversation is not about white supremacy and how to form a system of justice then it’s just another smoke screen. We must stay focused brothers and sisters. Peace
True dat on your post. I also, think it all has been said that needed to be said!
I think that gays are persecuted in the black community the same as in the white community. No, its not right to put a black face as the front runner but lets not romanticize here. As a gay black woman ive been denied for many jobs and ive heard many attacks against gays especially males. Im not bashing my own race im speaking the truth. I dont side with devils at any point. All im trying to say is im black first and im ready for whatever. Dont let sexuality decide whether or not a soldier will be good enough when war has already been forced on us.
There is a youtuber who had a similar stand on this, his name is mrsuperboy223. On my take, we as black people waste too much time trying to ally with subdivisions (such as the LGBT or Feminism) and non blacks. Black men in my experience indirectly make fun of homosexuals (not anyone in particular), black women especially in the beauty store make fun of gay black men directly. I am not picking on black women, but honestly black men are not really homophobic or sensitive over sexuality…but for the author of this article double check for grammar issues. Lets make this site professional as possible
This is why I love Reagon Gomez Preston so much because even though she grew up in Hollywood she is willing to get on twitter and ask questions about the struggle regular blacks are going through. She has empathy and doesnt talk down to other people like this dude is doing. These self proclaimed “new blacks” like this kid, Pharrell, Raven Symone and Sage Steele from espn need to stop speaking on what blacks need to do and don’t need to do or think. They are making blanket statements based on their personal experiences as sellout clowns only. Just because you grew up in Hollywood or grew up in a place with few blacks or you went to an ivy league school is no excuse for talking down to other blacks. As Tariq said if Bill Cosby can get his number called anyone can get called. These people kissing butt trying to avoid getting their number called are crazy. If the supremacists cant make money off blacks or have sex with you then they want you dead or they want you to go back to Africa.
Is Homophobia an Black issue? Absolutely not!!!! That’s just like asking is Black issues (Inclunding Black LGBT’s) an issue for LGBT’s (Including non Black LGBT’s) I neva hear folks ask other groups (Asians, Jews, Native Americans, Latinos/Hispanics etc.) is homophobia their groups issue.
I’m a black man who is gay. I can agree and disagree with what he said. Is there a stigma against black men who are gay, yeah there is. However, issues within the Black community should be kept among ourselves. I don’t agree with him putting that out there to everyone else. After all no other group talks about their internal conflicts to outside races. But also something that is commonly said is that the black “homophobia” issue should be tackled after we beat white supremacy. Without black unity and the recognizing of the potential that ALL black people have, there will be no beating white supremacy. You have black scientists, engineers, etc. who are gay and have extraordinary skills. You need them as well as the others, and the thing is there are quite a few black leaders in the conscious movement who strongly oppose homosexuality even to the point of saying that you cannot be pan-african if your a homosexual, or that if you’re gay your sick, or that homosexuals by definition are anti-black. I’ve heard all of these things. Why would the black people who are gay help in the black struggle against white supremacy if as far as they are concerned, when white supremacy is over thrown, they won’t be able to share in the rewards of that victory. It would be like being stranded in the middle of the desert with a group of people and them asking you to help them dig a well because you’re all dying of thirst. Except they tell you that once the well is dug, even though you helped, you don’t get to drink from the well that you helped dig. Ask yourself, would you help them dig that well? There are gay black people who are killed in places like Uganda and Ghana and jailed all over Africa. In the Caribbean in places like Jamaica, black gay people are ousted from their families and many forced to live in gullys and ghettos. In fact I know many who do. There are black women in all the places I’ve named who are raped by men in order to turn them straight and the people who do these crimes are not punished by a large. Ask black people from Africa and the Caribbean who are gay and they’ll tell you. The question black gay people in the U.S. have for the rest of our brothers and sisters is this…when white supremacy is overthrown, are those things what we have to look forward too or will conditions be different? That question needs to be answered now not later because black people need to be united now not later in order to stand against white supremacy. Tackling this issue doesn’t have to shift focus from fighting white supremacy. All our people have to do is say to one another, “You’re my brother/sister, I may not agree with everything you do but as long as you’re committed to the fight against white supremacy, nothing else matters.” It’s really as simple as that. We built pyramids, we can multitask family.
I dig it.
Though I don’t agree that black people are any more homophobic than any other group–I will say this–the so called ‘conscious’ community and people who speak out on YT and other online venues–present a decidedly ‘homophobic’ slant. They seem to rail about the -feminization of the black male & tend to conflate this with homosexuality in general. Like I’m sure all gay black people are getting a check from the system for trying to effeminize the black male image. They been doing that since we got here. That’s nothing new. All I will say is what someone else said: we all have at least loved one who identifies as homosexual & there have been many open & closeted gays who have valiantly put their lives on the line for the black struggle as a whole (James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin & Angela Davis, to name a few). In this life & death struggle for true black freedom–I don’t believe we have the luxury of being able tell certain troops that we don’t need boots on the ground b/c we don’t agree with their ‘lifestyle’.
No! It’s a God issue. If God’s hate for means nothing to you, there’s no reason to try and reason with you…take it or leave it!
The slaves prayed to God day and night. Why don’t homosexuals petition Him?
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