“How does it feel to be a problem?” W.E.B. Du Bois invoked this question as it applied to the state of Black people at the turn of the century in his seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk, back in 1903. In 2014, this question can be posed to Black gay men in the South as…
Category: MUSED MAG
HOW ‘COMING OUT’ SEMANTICS REINFORCE HETEROSEXISM FOR QUEER PEOPLE OF COLOR
The “coming out” paradigm has become rather mainstream (which I actually think is a good thing). But as a result of the mass appeal of “coming out,” it has become sexy and trendy to critique the process of “coming out” for how it reinforces heterosexism. The critique has some validity. After all, why don’t heterosexual…
#LOVEWINS, BUT THE FIGHT FOR BLACK LGBTQ MUST CONTINUE
I believe I will meet a man someday. A man that will take my breathe away every time he walks into the room. A man who will support, affirm and love me for the person I am. He will be more than my better half; he will be my better whole. Earlier this morning, like a…
A LOVE PROSE FOR BLACK GAY BROTHERS
“This is for my brothers who dare to love other brothers in a revolutionary way.” Writing to you is an exercise in self-love and holistic restoration. I am called to reckon with the promise of my future, the depths of my own greatness, accessed and denied. You are the world. It has been said that…
TAKEN MEN ALWAYS TARGETED, WHILE SINGLE MEN AVOIDED
When it comes to relationships, it’s quite interesting how people treat someone when they go from a single gem to a taken trophy. In the beginning, you’re living the happy life as a single person. Then one day, you tell yourself that it’s time to get out there and start dating. Whether it’s just having…
NO MEANS NO, EVEN BETWEEN TWO BLACK GAY MEN
On a Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C., I decided to go hang out with the crew at our usual gay club hangout. I was having a great time drinking and doing a little two step, when nature called. I decided to leave my friends and go to the bathroom alone, as I have done since…
I CHOOSE TO LOVE BLACK GAY MEN
Using the media as a litmus test, one would think romantic love among black gay men is in dire straits. Prominent black gay men like Michael Sam and Derrick Gordon both have white lovers, and recently, the key black gay character in Lee Daniels’ “Empire” has a Mexican boyfriend who ostensibly is white. Quite honestly, when the only highly…
COPING WITH BEING THE THIRD WHEEL WHEN ALL YOUR FRIENDS ARE COUPLED UP
I once thought that everyone looked at coupling and the single life the same way I did. Now after numerous conversations with my peers over the simplest things regarding the two subjects, I now see that I was wrong. As a matter of fact, the commentary I get reminds me that some views on relationships…
THE CHOICE IS YOURS: ¿WHAT IF BEING GAY WAS A CHOICE?
The ignorance surrounding homosexuality is practically inescapable. “You can pray the gay away.” “It’s just a phase.” “You’re confused.” “ You’re choosing to be this way.” We’ve heard it all before; cue Sunshine Anderson. Now despite the fact that anyone with some semblance of sense knows that being gay is by no means a choice,…
BUT THIS IS ‘THE LIFE’
We were young. We bartered our souls for the “life.” A life of sequin tank tops, spiked leather, sharp eyebrows and sharp tongues. The life of many who have fallen and those who have gracefully accepted the fall. Those who have “made it” in the world, surrounded by those who seem to find nowhere in…
