AngryGayBlackCanadianman

Oh my goodness I just heard about a tragic tale about interracial love that ended in murder in Atlanta. When people talk about racial tensions it is usually between people of colour and the majority. Yet the question has to be asked why does the public ignore the racism between communities of colour? For instance in Canada and the United States there is racial tension between the blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and Native American communities.

In the Caribbean in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana the racial tensions between the blacks and South Asian populations are intense. Just because blacks and South Asians tend to have a darker skin tone doesn’t mean our cultures, histories, languages, values, aren’t different? Why is there this reticence to the racial divide? Can healing take place?

The story goes like this a young South Asian man fell in love with a young African American woman woman at his workplace they have a child together and got married. Abruptly the black wife is brutally murdered. Rumors are swirling in Atlanta that the father of the South Asian man was the mastermind behind the murder here is the link:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7g2ACI64AF0_VlASOV9yDXgpLTAD91BEP280

I love India Arie her third album “Testimony Vol 1: Life & Relationship”! India Arie’s third album debut at the number one spot on Billboard in the summer of 2006. “Testimony Vol 1: Life& Relationship” has been very successful reaching platinum status and selling close to two million copies worldwide. The high debut and solid sales are very important. It demonstrated India Arie is a force in the music industry and a black woman doesn’t have to change herself to obtain record sales. India Arie is very important not just to black women but everyone and the music industry. India Arie proves you don’t have to lose your integrity or dignity to have a successful career.

Some people have tried to insult India Arie by calling her the “Oprah” of music. So what if India Arie is positive? Sometimes when I feel depressed and miserable I listen to India Arie she makes me feel better. I admire India Arie for her courage to actually think outside of the box. The music industry is all about paradigms and following trends. India Arie has found her own niche and it works for her. India Arie has her own path. I also love the fact India Arie can play the guitar she reminds me of Tracy Chapman but she is less melancholic. I wonder if India Arie will move beyond a mixture of folk and R&B and release a full length folk album?

Don’t we have enough grief in our lives and this world? What’s wrong with a little bit of love? India Arie’s music is very positive and why not? Why should music always be depressing all the time. India Arie is all about helping the public to realize we should be thankful for being alive. Since we are alive we can make changes to our lives to make it better.

There is nothing wrong with examining ourselves and questioning how we can help the world. India Arie is all about exploring the internal side of ourselves the side some people refuse to share with other people. We have feelings of darkness, pain, sadness in our lives. What’s wrong with trying to overcome the unhappiness and grief?

Another reason why I love India Arie is because she is proud of her blackness. So often in pop culture we see black women such as Mary J Blige, Tyra Banks, and Beyonce Knowles with their lace front blonde weaves. The question is what messages are these black entertainers sending to the public? Mary J Blige talks about “real love” yet girlfriend has been rocking the same blonde weave since 1992!

Its like girlfriend get a new hair style! India Arie is all about natural hair but she says its okay to wear a weave and she’s right. Everyone has a right too style their own hair anyway they want to. I am just glad India Arie exists because she is demonstrating to black people and the world that black is beautiful.

I love Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson but I must admit I don’t feel they have dealt with the internal struggles with their blackness. Why did Janet get the unnecessary nose job? Janet Jackson’s original nose is beautiful. Why has Michael had multiple nose jobs and bleached his skin yet continue to deny the truth? My sister says Janet’s nose looks jacked up. Michael Jackson is a completely different story this guy needs a therapist. India Arie is heading to Broadway this summer in New York City she will be in Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf”.

I was talking to my friend on the phone the other day and he was watching You Tube. My friend was laughing at the Sasha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell kiss during an award show. I should point out we are both gay men. My friend urged me to watch the clip. I have to admit I laughed as well. I looked at the audience in the clip there were also laughing. Cohen and Ferrell are rolling around on the ground kissing but it was meant for shock value.

I began to question myself and wonder why is the clip funny? Why was I laughing as well? Am I homophobic too? Was the joke funny because it was just two comedians making a joke or is there a more deeper and subversive issue taking place here? Is society trying to say two men cannot have a loving, passionate, relationship with each other?

After all would the audience laugh if two attractive women were kissing? Would the audience have been so shocked? Was the audience really laughing at the kiss or was the audience laughing in attempt to hide their own fear and prejudices about male homosexuality?

Here is another clip from the gay storyline on the American soap opera As The World Turns. For the past six months Luke and Noah have been in an intense and passionate gay romance. Luke and Noah have only kissed two times in the past six months. The heterosexual couples on As The World Turns get to have sex so why can’t Luke and Noah? Everyone knows Luke and Noah are gay so were is the passion? The kiss between Noah and Luke although very short demonstrates the passion between them. You are not supposed to laugh when Luke and Noah kiss you are supposed to yearn that their relationship works and that their love survives and thrives. Fans of the show As The World Turns are upset at CBS because they believe homophobia is the real reason Luke and Noah haven’t been allowed to kiss more often.

Here is a third clip from the lesbian drama the L Word. The scene is from the first season of the L Word a passionate and erotic kiss between Jenny and Marina. You can tell from their body language that Jenny and Marina are yearning for each other. I know some people don’t like Jenny but I love Jenny! I kind of wish Marina was on the show more often. Marina was such a mysterious and amazing character. I thought the kiss here was very important it was the first time Jenny and Marina acknowledged they are sexually attracted to each other. The L Word is on Showtime in America and that’s a cable station so there is more freedom to explore lesbianism, love, passionate sex, breaking up, making up, and all that jazz.

First off let me say congratulations to Halle Berry for have a successful delivery and giving birth to a healthy baby girl. Halle must be thrilled right now she’s always wanted to have a child. I am sure Halle will be a wonderful loving and caring mother. Although some people think I don’t like Halle Berry this is simply not true. I do think Halle is a solid actress one of her performances was in the television film “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” for HBO.

Eighty three year old Ruby Dee was nominated for her performance in the film “American Gangster” she didn’t win. I was shocked this was Ruby Dee’s first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. I think it is such a disgrace that Ruby Dee wasn’t nominated for her electrifying performance in the 1961 classic film “A Raisin In The Sun.”

I started to think to myself what is Halle Berry’s appeal really all about? Obviously Berry is a very attractive woman I’m not blind. My questions refer more about Halle Berry’s acting abilities. Halle Berry definitely takes risks in her roles more risks then other black actresses. I applaud Halle for taking challenging roles for pushing the conventional thinking about black woman. Halle Berry’s most controversial and perhaps the one she won an Oscar for was for Monster’s Ball. Halle’s acting in Monster’s Ball is superb you see the layers, the complexity the feelings of anguish, sadness, grief, regret, pain, and finally acceptance of her character’s circumstances.

I also believe Halle Berry benefited at being at the right place at the right time. Prior to winning the best actress Oscar Berry was already the top actress of colour in Hollywood. The best actress Oscar win simply cemented Halle Berry’s A list status. The question is will another black woman ever win best actress Oscar? Does it even matter? Should we care? Or is the bigger issue the lack of dramatic roles for black women? The Oscars appear to me to be more about politics then about the actual craft of acting.

In the year 2002 the Academy had heard for years that talented black actors weren’t winning Oscars. The Academy killed two birds with one stone giving the best actor and actress Oscars to Denzel Washington and Halle Berry. I cringe when people say this is progress. I am not so sure. Denzel’s character in “Training Day” was a crooked cop. Halle Berry’s character in Monster’s Ball comes across as a whore willing to do anything to move up the social ladder.

A lot of the criticism for Monster’s Ball is the fact many people believe Halle’s character Leticia Musgrove should of went to a less sexually attractive actress. I will admit seeing Halle even without make up on she still looks glamorous even though she’s not supposed to be. It makes sense that Billy Bob Thorton’s character the racist prison guard Hank would want to have sex with Leticia. Although Hank is a racist he is still a red blooded man with raging hormones.

The part of Monster’s Ball I don’t believe is how quickly Hank “falls in love” with Leticia it doesn’t make sense to me. Was it love or just lust? How can a man in middle age suddenly transform so quickly from being a racist bigot to falling in love with a black woman? Why did Hank send his racist father to the nursing home after insulting Leticia? I doubt this would occur in the real world.

After Leticia’s husband is executed she is struggling to pay her bills, she is forced to leave her apartment, and Hank decides to help her. The question is why? What was Hank’s real motivation? I wondered why didn’t the movie explore this a bit more? Didn’t Leticia have any family or friends or any connection to the black community? Leticia appeared isolated from the black community?

Perhaps this was the screenwriter’s true motivation the fantasy that a black woman needs to be saved by a white man in order to have a better life? The screenwriter’s real motivation also is to cheapen a black actress force her to perform in a degrading and racist sex scene for shock value. Hank doesn’t appear to me as a noble or nice man he just looks like a racist old man that wanted to exploit and take advantage of a young black woman that was vulnerable and in danger.

Heath Ledger has a small but important role in Monster’s Ball his character Sonny is a sensitive young man he works with his father at the prison. Heath Ledger was an attractive guy he easily could of been Halle’s love interest in Monster’s Ball. I think Berry and Ledger becoming a romantic couple in this movie would of made more sense. Sonny is depressed he feels unloved he sleeps with prostitutes because he cannot make a connection to a woman in the mainstream world. Sonny also feels unloved by his racist father Hank. I think it would of made more sense if Heath Ledger’s character Sonny fell in love with Leticia because Sonny wasn’t a racist.

Billy Bob Thorton is simply too repugnant, unattractive, and old for the leading man role. It just didn’t seem right that Leticia would fall in love with such an unappealing old guy. Monster’s Ball would of been a more interesting movie if Sonny and Leticia fell in love because they are closer in age and Sonny appeared to to be more open about interracial romance. Sonny was just insecure and weak he followed his father Hank because he was desperate for his approval and love. Sonny wasn’t a racist. Sonny commits suicide right in front of his father Hank and his racist grandfather.

Leticia’s son also dies in a tragic accident. Next, the media and public focus shifts to the intense sex scene between Berry and Thorton. The sex scene seems to me purely for shock value a way to gain publicity for the film and it worked. I am sure millions of heterosexual men flocked to the movie theaters because they can see sex symbol Halle Berry naked in her full glory. Leticia Musgrove is reduced to the pernicious stereotype of being a whore. In Hollywood black women are stereotyped two ways the black woman is either the maid or the whore there is hardly ever any balanced perspective of black female sexuality in the movies.

The quandary is the sex scene reduces Berry’s character Leticia to a filthy whore. Leticia screeches the famous line “make me feel good” with a sneer. I can understand why some black men were so enraged with the sex scene. The question has to be asked does a black woman have to reduce herself in a licentious nude sex scene to win Oscar? Is this really progress?

When was the last time you seen Angelina Jolie in an intense interracial sex scene with With Smith? Can a leading black male actor have an explicit sex scene with a top white actress and win an Oscar? Can Terrence Howard have an intense sexual scene with Jennifer Aniston or Julia Roberts and receive critical acclaim? The answer is never because that’s never going to happen. Hollywood is all about white male dominance and white heterosexual men will never allow leading white women to have black male love interests.

Would a white actress that is considered beautiful have an intense, nude sex scene with a black man and receive critical acclaim? Charlize Theron and Will Smith have a movie coming out this year called Hancock and according to reports there is an interracial love theme in this movie. Hancock is going to be a comedy it is not a drama. Theron is an A list white actress actress she is considered to be one of the most beautiful and talented women in Hollywood. Will Smith is A list the most powerful man in Hollywood and he is black. The question is despite Will Smith’s crossover success will Hancock be a success with the black and white audiences? How intense will the movie’s interracial theme be?

The sex scene in Monster’s Ball was meant to be fractured to be awkward, to illustrate two anguished souls smashing together for comfort. At the same time Halle Berry’s sex appeal was exploited to lure in the male audience and create a buzz for the movie. Monster’s Ball reduces Leticia Musgrove to being a prostitute. Angela Bassett slammed the character Leticia Musgrove in a famous interview with Newsweek magazine. Bassett said she was not impressed with the character Leticia Musgrove because she believes it stereotypes black female sexuality.

The relationship between Leticia and Hank is basically a transaction it is a form of prostitution. Hank the older white man wants Leticia’s body because she is young and pretty. Hank will allow Leticia to live with him if she has sex with him. Since Leticia has no money she offers her body to Hank for shelter. Hank also has a higher social status then Leticia she benefits from this as well. But where is the love? I didn’t feel that either character truly loved each other. I will give Halle Berry credit for taking on a role that despite the controversy her acting is very strong you really do believe Leticia is in a lot of pain. Monster’s Ball was the last big dramatic movie role for a black actress and that was over seven years ago. The paucity of leading lady roles for black women is still very rare. Think about it, when was the last time you went to a movie theater and saw a black actress in a serious dramatic piece as the leading lady?

One topic a lot of gay men don’t want to discuss is the issue around bisexual men entering the gay male social sphere. There is indeed some friction between gay men and bisexual men due to mistrust. Some gays men believe the bisexual men are just in denial about their true sexual orientation. I believe male bisexuality does exist. Even some heterosexual women have a distrust for bisexual men they don’t believe a man can truly be bisexual.

I believe sexuality is fluid and a continuum there is no on or off switch. I am sure there are men that are sexually attracted to both sexes and are not “confused”. Women wonder why some men that have sex with men get married but society is part to blame. Maybe some of these men that marry women truly are bisexual and they want to have children and also form relationships with the opposite sex?

Even in Canada despite the social barriers around male homosexuality breaking down an invisible barrier still exists. The message the mainstream society sends about male homosexuality is that it is still immoral and wrong. Same Sex Marriage may be legal in Canada but for some gay men gay marriage is simply not an option. Even for bisexual men they may not be interested in gay marriage either.

I never jumped on the whole gay marriage bandwagon I have zero interest. I believe the mainstream media always attempted to find the most boring oatmeal gay couples that conformed to compulsory heterosexuality. I recall the news reports about the gay couples that lived in the picturesque houses, windswept streets, with green manicured lawns, antique furniture, and the little miniature toy dog running around the house. The message was a Hallmark card screaming “we are just like everyone else”.

Is this really true though? Are gay people just like heterosexual people? Of course in some aspects gays and straights are similar we are human beings that all want love and compassion.

However, I always felt that society still has a distrust for male homosexuality there is a dirty residue that exists. Maybe I don’t want to be like Bill and Bob and live in downtown Toronto in my huge house and live the oatmeal raisin bread life mimicking heterosexuality. Maybe I want to be the dirty slut and whore that lives life on my own terms that sends a fuck you salute to society.

Gay marriage in Canada has of course provided benefits for gay couples and more equilibrium between heterosexuals and homosexual couples in Canada. The reasons gay people want to get married are indeed legitimate for financial and also ethical concerns. The issue of spousal benefits, wills, even visiting a partner in the hospital are important to gay couples. There is also the social affirmation that a gay marriage and relationship is not inferior, abhorrent, or deleterious it is based on real love. I do believe if gay couples want to marry they deserve the right to. However, the whole hysteria around gay marriage never interested me at all. Perhaps it is due to my age? I don’t know? I do know that a marriage is a contract it isn’t just about “love”.

I honestly can’t say if I am ever going to get married or not. I don’t know if I would want to marry another man anyway.  Isn’t love enough? I believe Same Sex marriage has become too political and the love aspect has been diminished. A marriage shouldn’t be about politics. I haven’t met anyone yet that I truly believe I would want to marry anyway. I’ve had a few relationships that never became anything serious. The last guy I went out with a few years ago he was twice my age that’s a long story. I’m not getting into today. Anyway, Marriage is not just a piece of paper it is an agreement to honor your partner with love and devotion.

A few days ago I was on the internet and I noticed a lot of ads on a gay male website posted by married men. The interesting issue about married men is some of these guys believe declaring that they are married is a badge of honor. The married label is a way for these men to state they aren’t really “gay”. My opinion is if I know a man is married I don’t want to meet or talk to him. I always ask the men I am interested in if they are married or not. I always ask because I want to know this is my personal choice. It isn’t about being noble or anything it is just a way for me to figure out what my options are. I am just not interested in all that drama and baggage. Why should I deal with a man that wants his cake and eat it to?

However, for some gay men they appear to get a rush a real sexual charge knowing a man is “married”. I think for some gay men have the ideology they can “pleasure” a married man better then his wife can. Some gay men have the fantasy that they are better lovers then the heterosexual spouse and eventually the married man will leave his wife for his gay lover. However, it rarely happens because most married men never leave their wives. Who wants to be the other lover? Why would anyone want to be the other man on the side? An alternative argument is that the married men on the gay websites are being honest to a certain extent because they are letting gay men know they are indeed not single.

I think it is a false sense of sincerity though. I squirm when I watch television and I see these married men attempt to rationalize why they cruise on gay websites. Why lie to a gay man and claim you aren’t married when you really are? Why marry a woman and lie to her? Why waste a woman’s time? I can understand why women are angry and pissed when they find out their husbands are cruising online on gay websites. All the wife needs to do is check the history section on the computer and she can easily find out exactly where her husband has been surfing the internet anyway. I honestly believe if a woman thinks her man is gay chances are he probably is. If you have that gut instinct that feeling that your man isn’t tell you the truth you just know. Also, a confrontation is necessary and check to see if the guy becomes visibly nervous.

The ABC television movie “A Raisin In The Sun” will be broadcast on February 25th 2008 at 8:00pm. The television film fulfills the black quota for “black history month”. Pop star Sean Combs is the protagonist Walter Lee Younger. The title of the movie refers to black gay poet Langston Hughes poem “Harlem”.

African American lesbian playwright Lorraine Hansberry’s legendary play once again will be brought back to television to reach a new generation next week. Hansberry was the first black lesbian playwright to have a play produced on Broadway in 1959. “A Raisin In the Sun” was a huge success for Hansberry and launched her career.

The general public of course does not know that Lorraine Hansberry was a lesbian due to homophobia. Why is black lesbianism considered “private” yet “heterosexuality” is a part of the public domain? Although Hansberry married a white Jewish man Robert Nemiroff in 1953 the couple separated in 1957 and divorced in 1964.Hansberry was conscious of her lesbian identity and she negotiated between the public and private spheres. Black lesbians encountered racism from the mainstream, white gay culture, and also persecution from heterosexual blacks.

Lorraine Hansberry’s lesbian identity emerges from the articles she wrote for the lesbian publication “The Ladder” in the late 1950s. Hansberry did not use her full name when she wrote articles for “The Ladder” she used her initials L.H. instead. In the 1950s in America gays and lesbians lived in fear due to witch hunts against homosexuals. Black lesbian women encountered a triple form of oppression in relation to their race, gender, and sexual orientation.

Can you imagine the difficulties black lesbians endured in the 1950s? Homosexuality was still considered a mental illness that can be cured. The topic of human sexuality was still taboo in the 1950s. America was sexually repressed due to heterosexual male domination and male supremacy. The racial and sexual apartheid existed in the United States and black lesbians lived in constant danger due to racism, sexism and homophobia. The civil rights and gay movements did not gather strength until the 1960s.

Black lesbians encountered racism from white lesbians and were barred from entering white lesbian bars and establishments during the 1950s. Black lesbians also endured gender discrimination due to being women and unwanted sexual advances of dangerous, violent, and hostile heterosexual men.

Hansberry was indeed a lesbian but this important component of black queer history should not be erased by the homophobic Occidental world. Heterosexual black publications always ignore the important fact Hansberry was a lesbian. I didn’t know Lorraine Hansberry was a lesbian until I read lesbian activist, feminist, poet, and writer Adrienne Rich’s incisive essay “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence”. Rich’s analysis is correct society attempts to erase, diminish, and destroy the contributions of lesbians in many ways. I believe the silence about Lorraine Hansberry’s lesbianism is due to the negative attitude that still exists against homosexuals.

Why is the term lesbianism treated like a scatological word? One argument is some straights believe “it doesn’t matter” and if people discover that Lorraine Hansberry was a black lesbian it might “scare people off” from watching the movie. Why is there this invisible code and this silent barrier? If black lesbian emancipation is to occur why is black lesbianism still a social taboo? Society appears to have a love and hate relationship with lesbianism.

The political, cultural, social, and artistic merits of black lesbians such as Lorraine Hansberry must be celebrated and not treated as some shameful abhorrent secret. It is the year 2008 so why are we still reticent? Why hasn’t this final chasm been shattered and the truth still shrouded in silence? Lorraine Hansberry proves that black gay people care about the black community. Often heterosexual blacks believe black gays and lesbians only focus on sexual orientation and ignore race. Lorraine Hansberry proves through art that she was cognizant of the racial, social and political polemics blacks endured during the civil rights era. “A Raisin In The Sun” is about a fictional family struggling to survive in 1950s Chicago at a time when America’s social and racial apartheid was at full strength.

Virtually all the articles published about “A Raisin In The Sun” always mentions Lorraine Hansberry’s race and her gender but excludes her sexual orientation. The question is why? It appears in the year 2008 homophobia reigns supreme. Lesbianism is more then just a sexual act there is more to lesbianism then just sex. Lesbians are women that are not sexually attracted to men but there is an illogical fear of lesbianism in society that lesbians are anti male.

Lorraine Hansberry lived a double life a life where she constantly was in fear that the heterosexist matrix would discriminate against her since she was a black lesbian. The real Lorraine Hansberry is blurred between the printed lines of “A Raisin In The Sun”. The sentences, paragraphs, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and doubt, lives in Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play. “A Raisin In The Sun” is about emancipation and personal determination I believe this also relates to the struggles gays and lesbians encounter. Perhaps Hansberry used her play as a metaphor to explore the internal struggles she endured during her own life?

Lorraine Hansberry’s incredible groundbreaking play proves that black gay and lesbian people were cognizant of the struggles blacks endured in the mid 20th century. Hansberry wanted to bring a greater awareness to the incredible racism, sexism, and economic discrimination African Americans experienced in the United States.

Lorraine Hansberry is very important she shattered an artistic and cultural barrier in the performing arts. It is such a disservice to ignore Hansberry was a lesbian. Lorraine Hansberry’s lesbian identity should not be concealed in the shadows and be treated as an afterthought. I believe it is imperative, and crucial that there be a dialogue about how Hansberry’s play relates to her lesbian identity. It is simply disgraceful that the mainstream press to ignore and attempt to erase the importance of lesbianism in Lorraine Hansberry’s life and art.

The articles Lorraine Hansberry wrote for “The Ladder” are very passionate and powerful she wrote about the struggles she endured as a black lesbian woman in the mid 20th century. Legendary African American actors Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier were the stars of the original stage version of the play and the 1961 feature film. Sadly, Lorraine Hansberry died in her prime at the tender age of thirty four in 1965 due to pancreatic cancer. Lorraine Hansberry died at a very young age she was such an incredible talent.

The press have showered the movie with a lot of praise saying the three hour film is a testament of Hansberry’s incredible talent. The cast includes Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan, Audra McDonald, and the omnipotent Sean Combs. I will admit I might take a peek at the movie. However, I am not impressed that Sean Combs or P Diddy or whatever that guy calls himself is the star of the film. I wanted a younger black male actor to be the star of the movie.

The crisis in black Hollywood is the paucity of film roles available for young black actors. I am sure some black actors are seething right now that Sean Combs is the star of the film. In white Hollywood you rarely ever see a “singer” attain a prestigious movie role these days. Can you imagine Jon Bon Jovi as the star in a movie about Elvis? So why is there a double standard for black Hollywood? Why do untalented bottom feeders such as Sean Combs get to the be star of such an important movie?

I really feel for the talented young black male actors that are training hard at various universities, colleges, theater programs, across North America and the world. The only reason Sean Combs was hired is due to greed. The producers and director behind the television film believe Combs can generate huge ratings for ABC television. ABC television will hype this movie to the maximum I just believe a talented and much younger black actor should of chosen for the male lead.

The lead in “A Raisin In The Sun” Walter Lee Younger is a young black man and Sean Combs is thirty eight years old. Since Combs in thirty eight one argument is he can bring “maturity” to the role. However, I believe the feeling of naivety and optimism is diminished for the character Walter Lee Younger due to Combs advanced age.

A younger black male actor possibly someone between the ages of twenty five to perhaps thirty two should of been chosen for the role. Combs is simply not talented enough and too old for the part. Combs is also a rap artist he’s a wannabe actor he is not a serious dramatic actor. I have so much sympathy for the talented black actors that want to become stars in Hollywood but are not given the opportunity.

Why does Hollywood continue to insult the audience and cast these talentless flakes such as Sean Combs in such prestigious roles? The barriers for black actors in Hollywood are incredible there are limited opportunities to advance up the Hollywood star system. Twenty five years ago perhaps an unknown black male actor would of been chosen for the lead role. Hollywood is profit driven and the ideology is since Sean Combs already is successful in various demographics his fans will fans will flock to watch the movie. However, does talent not matter anymore?

Why do young blacks in Hollywood have to always be singers or dancers in order to breakthrough and get the big movie roles? Beyonce just won the lead role in a biopic about the legendary singer Etta James. I cringe because Beyonce is not an actress she needs acting lessons. Beyonce cannot act she requires an acting coach and numerous hours to learning the craft of acting.

Young talented unknown black actors are being disrespected and ignored. A young black male actor with talent would of been electrifying in the role of Walter Lee Younger. A young black actor could of brought pathos, complexity, sensitivity, and range to this very important role. Unfortunately, Hollywood is now all about profit margins, ratings, and the craft of acting is now secondary. The only glimmer of hope is that young people will learn more about Lorraine Hansberry and gain an appreciation for her incredible talent.

Monday afternoon my friend suggested I borrow his DVD copy of the film “My Beautiful Laundrette”. I was hesitant at first because I thought the film was going to be another classic white savior movie. I notice a theme in a lot of interracial films that the person of colour always needs empowerment from the white person. Some interracial films present the false notion that interracial relationships are fighting racism. However, some interracial relationships are based on racism because of the racist assumptions once race has about another.

Whiteness is depicted as better in many interracial movies and as superior to communities of colour. The subversive vein of racism is in order for people of colour to have better lives we need white partners.

The person of colour’s family life is often framed as originating from an oppressive culture and the European culture is presented as the only solution. White culture is depicted as open minded and perfect. “My Beautiful Laundrette” challenges this racist notion that communities of colour are always oppressive. It is so wonderful to actually see the reverse in “My Beautiful Laundrette”.

In “My Beautiful Laundrette” the South Asian families are actually just as prejudiced as the white British people. The main Pakistani family in the film view lower class white people as inferior and lazy unwilling to work hard to move up the social ladder. I am happy to announce that “My Beautiful Laundrette” is definitely a forward thinking kind of movie.

The film is about a young Pakistani man Omar he lives with his father on welfare in 1980s London. The movie is set in Margaret Thatcher’s England where the racial tensions between the white British community and South Asians are intense. Omar dreams of a better life his father is an alcoholic and his mother is deceased. Omar’s uncle Nasser introduces Omar to a new life and his ambition grows he wants the capitalist dream of material wealth. Omar believes money will give him happiness.

Omar first starts out washing cars but persuades his Uncle Nasser to let him run his own laundrette. One evening Omar meets up with an old friend Johnny a young white British man. Johnny is unemployed, unhappy, and homeless. Johnny hangs out with a bunch of street punks that get involved in crimes, use drugs and are disillusioned about life in London. The young white men are upset that their lives aren’t better and make South Asians the targets and scapegoats for their own unhappiness.

The South Asian community in London are working hard to rise in British society. The young street punks feel left behind and have a sense of entitlement due to the fact they are British.

Omar needs another Uncle Salim he is the villain in the film he gets Omar involved in dirty deeds and is emotionally abusive to Omar. Omar persuades Johnny to help him fix up the Laundrette and gives Johnny a job. Johnny’s self esteem grows he now has a purpose in life and he is conflicted about hanging out with his punk friends that are miserable, racist, and anti social. Omar and Johnny’s feelings for each other grow and they fall in love.

The aspect of the movie I loved the most is  the gay romance is not viewed as a social problem. It is still so rare to see a movie about a South Asian gay man that is the star of the film and being gay is not a source of conflict. “My Beautiful Laundrette” just presents male homosexuality as a part of life. Omar just happens to be gay he doesn’t make a big deal about it and neither should the audience. Gordon Warnecke gives a confident and strong performance as the protagonist Omar. Daniel Day Lewis shines as Omar’s lover Johnny.

The gay romance is tame by twenty first century standards there are a few romantic kisses to illustrate Omar and Johnny are lovers. I love the fact that Omar and Johnny have intimacy to their relationship. Far too often gay movies either conceal the gay romance or are too explicit that it destroys a film. “My Beautiful Laundrette” has a balance that is so charming and cute. Omar and Johnny have a sweet tenderness to their relationship you can tell they are in love just by the way they gently hug or look intensely at each other.

I believe “My Beautiful Laundrette” is indeed superior to other so called big budget gay films that have been released in the last few years. My perspective is if “My Beautiful Laundrette” was made in North America the whole movie would of been worse to treat homosexuality as a social issue. It is simply incredible that “My Beautiful Laundrette” was released in 1985 because the movie is so current and so real.

The main themes about the movie deal with cultural clashes between the South Asian immigrants and white Anglo Saxon population, identity politics, and also class. Class is a main theme in the movie. Omar begins to rise in the class system and starts to become a bit arrogant as well.

Meanwhile Uncle Nasser is having an affair with a white woman Rachel and his daughter Tania and his wife know about this. Tania is depressed she doesn’t want to live in a patriarchal family and she wishes she had more to do with her life.My only criticism of the film is I think the Tania character should of had more screen time the issue of sexism and misogyny was explored to a certain extent. I wanted to know more why Tania was so unhappy and I wished her character was more developed. I feel Tania is just a plot device in the film but maybe this was in the intention of the screenwriter.

Tania confronts Rachel at the opening of the Laundrette and Rachel dumps uncle Nasser. I think Tania is a catalyst for change in the film. Johnny’s friends attack him in the third act of the movie because they feel he is betraying them by trying to become a productive citizen. Uncle Salim is also attacked by the street punks. Tania leaves her family and moves on with her life she wants Johnny to go with her. Johnny refuses Tania’s advances and says he loves Omar and he will not leave him.

Uncle Nasser confronts his fears that his ephemeral relationship with Rachel was doomed because he is so unhappy with his marriage. Omar’s father wants Omar to attend college. Omar and Johnny make it out in the end and remain a couple. I absolutely love this fact that neither Omar or Johnny died.

I cringe every single time a gay movie is released and one of the protagonists has to die. Of course in real life relationships don’t always work and this has to be explored on film. However, in cinema there is a predilection that gay romances are doomed because the subliminal message is gay romance is inferior to heterosexual love. I recommend “My Beautiful Laundrette” to anyone willing to give a movie a chance that deals with gay love in a funny, clever, intelligent, and serious manner.

The blogs have been exploding with rumours that Queen Latifah and her girlfriend Jeanette Jenkins are going to have a commitment ceremony. The other story is that Queen Latifah may officially come out as a lesbian. I doubt Queen Latifah will come out of the closet right now.

However, Queen Latifah isn’t lying she is a lesbian and she’s not hiding either. Queen Latifah basically lives in the glass closet. Everybody already knows Queen Latifah is dating her “fitness trainer” Jeanette Jenkins. Whenever Queen Latifah is promoting a movie, at a celebrity event, or just doing regular things Jeanette is always there. Now one argument is that Jeanette is just Queen Latifah’s good friend but people can tell they are a couple.

Queen Latifah is aware of the fact the public lens is watching her. She never show up at a movie premiere or a high profile celebrity event dressed as a butch. At high profile celebrity events Queen Latifah always looks glamorous in elegant gowns, carefully applied makeup, and high heels. Once Queen Latifah is off the celebrity platform she can be seen riding her motorcycle and dresses like a typical butch lesbian. Queen Latifah carefully navigates the butch and feminine imagery in the public sphere.

Some people believe the rumours go back to 1996 when Queen Latifah played the butch lesbian Cleo in the hit film “Set It Off”. However, the rumours about Queen Latifah and Jeanette Jenkins are intensifying not because of what Queen says but what she doesn’t say. When was the last time you saw Queen Latifah with a man? It is a fair question. I am not suggesting just because a woman is single for a long time means she’s gay. However, we have never ever seen Queen Latifah romantically linked to a man we always see her with Jeanette. The public is shrewd enough to connect the dots and discern that Queen Latifah is a lesbian.

In the October 2007 issue of Ebony magazine Queen Latifah was actually asked by Ebony if she was dating Jeanette Jenkins. Ebony is the top black magazine in the world and Ebony usually never asks black stars personal questions. Ebony is all about black community “uplift” and not about getting involved with black stars private lives. Ebony can be boring at times but the interview with Queen Latifah was definitely interesting. However, Queen Latifah provided a very evasive answer and didn’t deny she was a lesbian.

Queen Latifah is also cognizant of the fact since she’s a black lesbian she cannot just come out like Ellen Degeneres. Ellen Degeneres had the support of the liberal white American media on her side. Queen Latifah’s situation is a bit more precarious since she is a black lesbian. Would the black media support Queen Latifah if she declared she is a lesbian? Degeneres was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1997 when she came out. Degeneres is also not a movie star she’s a comedian and she’s also white.

Queen Latifah does have more barriers because she is a black lesbian and her core audience are black Americans. Although Queen Latifah has “crossed over” in the last couple of years into the mainstream with Cover Girl and numerous other high profile endorsements. Queen Latifah always presents the image that she “cares” about what the black community thinks about her.

It appears to me Queen Latifah is struggling navigating the questions about her sexuality. Again, Queen Latifah has never been seen dating a man. Queen Latifah always says in interviews she’s looking for a “good brother” or she hasn’t found the “right man” yet. It is obvious Queen Latifah is a lesbian the public can read between the lines. Black Celebrities have it tougher because they have to deal with the public and private spheres.

Black celebrities are a part of pop culture the media and the public become curious when they notice certain things. Queen Latifah’s “personal life” has always been off limits. Of course, on the one hand that’s important everyone wants to maintain a certain level of mystery and have some privacy. On the other hand, it is well known publicists of the closeted black gay stars also understand in maintaining the status quo. There are numerous female rappers that are gay but they don’t have the same high profile Queen Latifah has so the media and public are apathetic to them.

It is well known that different cultures view homosexuality differently. I actually think because Queen Latifah is a black lesbian it would be much easier for her to come out. There is an anti lesbian attitude in society and lesbians do encounter discrimination in relation to gender and sexual orientation. However, the mainstream doesn’t have the same fear of lesbianism as it does with male homosexuality. There is still an intense hatred society has for gay men.

I definitely think there is so much negativity towards black gay male sexuality. It would be very difficult for a black gay man to come out. For instance, R&B Tevin Campbell was caught soliciting an undercover male police officer. Tevin has not come out of the closet but is an open secret in the black community that he’s gay. Tevin is currently on Broadway in the play “Hairspray”.

Everyone in the black global community knows Luther Vandross was gay yet during his lifetime Luther never disclosed his sexual orientation. It was an open secret that Luther was indeed gay. Luther Vandross had a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy with the black audience. We all sing Luther’s songs, attend his concerts, buy the DVDs and CDs. However, the game was that Luther was asexual or at least he had to appear asexual for us to respect him.

Ebony, Essence, Upscale, Vibe, and the other black entertainment publications never asked Luther about his homosexuality. The topic was off limits. I think that’s the tragedy of Luther’s life that he wasn’t able to be himself in the public sphere. Its the hypocrisy of the black community that’s disconcerting. On black blogs such as Bossip, Crunk and Disorderly, Mediatakeout, and other black blogs the homophobia can be incredible.

Another point to consider is openly gay and closeted black gay stars cannot count on the mainstream white gay community as a potential market. Black gay stars are rarely ever mentioned in the mainstream white gay media. Black gay and lesbian celebrities know their main market is the black audience.

If you bother to pick up the glossy white gay magazines such as Out Magazine, Girlfriends Magazine, or the Advocate you will notice gay people of colour don’t exist. If you surf some of the white gay media blogs there is a condescending, patronizing, and racist attitude towards black gays and lesbians. Black gays and lesbians we are marginalized due to race, gender, and sexuality.

A few white mainstream gay media blogs have a “corner” on their websites marked “gay people of colour” as if that’s all we are. Being black and gay is more then just being displaced and branded on some white gay media website. We are multi dimensional people and there is more to us then being categorized and stigmatized into a cardboard box. I find these kinds of barriers limiting no wonder some black gays don’t trust the white gay community.

You will also notice most of the time the people on the cover the mainstream gay magazines are white gays not black gays. Also, when the Advocate does have a black star on the cover the celebrity is usually straight. For example, Mary J Blige was recently on the cover of The Advocate. The public image of blackness is still compulsory heterosexuality and once again black gays and lesbians we are branded as “the other”.

Even in lesbian pop culture on the television program the L Word why is the only black woman on the program Pam Grier’s character straight? Why isn’t Grier’s character a lesbian? The L Word is about lesbians and bisexual women yet the only black woman on the program is heterosexual. I find this annoying, irritating, but not surprising. Black lesbians are once again displaced in pop culture. The producers and writers behind the L Word have a right to do whatever they want it is their show. However, I think Pam Grier’s character should be a lesbian not a heterosexual woman. We need more representations of black lesbians in pop culture. Yes, Jennifer Beals plays a lesbian on the L Word but Jennifer Beals has never declared that she is a “part” of the black community. Beals is mixed race and she’s always kept a distance from the black race and black issues.

There is an eerie silence to the issue of racism and prejudice of the mainstream white gay media. Luther Vandross never attempted to reach out to the white gay press during his lifetime. Vandross simply did not trust the gay white media. Rosie O Donnell and Ellen Degeneres are white lesbians they are a part of the white gay American community. Queen Latifah is a black lesbian although she is popular she is not white. The white gay press also has a consistent racist paternalistic attitude to the issue of homophobia in the black community. Meanwhile, the white gay press ignores the bigotry within the white race. It will be interesting to see what Queen Latifah will do? The questions about Queen Latifah’s sexuality have even entered mainstream media publications. Everyone is just waiting to see when Queen Latifah will come out or not?

I think there might be a slight backlash against Queen Latifah if she came out as a lesbian. Some people may be shocked but there have been rumours of other high profile black female celebrities being lesbians as well.

There have never ever been a high profile A list black lesbian celebrity to come out of the closet yet. Although the former WNBA basketball star Sheryl Swoopes did come out a few years ago. The public was apathetic to Swoopes coming out announcement people just shrugged their shoulders. Swoopes was very brave in coming out of the closet. Swoopes is an Olympic gold medalist. However, since women’s basketball has a low profile in the American sports culture there was indifference to Swoopes coming out.

Nobody was shocked when Swoopes declared she is a lesbian. Although it may not be politically correct to say this the WNBA has the public image of being a haven for lesbianism. There are a lot of stereotypes associated with women’s sports. Swoopes coming out as a black lesbian didn’t exactly shatter these stereotypes. Although it was commendable that Swoopes came out it just wasn’t a big story. Queen Latifah’s situation is entitely different she’s a well known A list Hollywood movie star. I think there is still the unknown and that’s probably the reason Queen Latifah hasn’t come out yet.

About a year ago on October 8th 2006 a young black gay man Michael Sandy went to the parking lot of Plumb Beach in Brooklyn to hook up for a sexual encounter. Sandy had chatted online with another man for sex. However, Michael Sandy didn’t make it out alive that night. Sandy was lured into Plumb Beach for a sexual encounter but he was brutally beaten and robbed by four young white men. Sandy tried to flee his attackers he stumbled into traffic was hit by a car and died five days later.

Could you imagine if a racial reverse occurred? The white American media, the white gay mafia, the top white news networks would be on the case. The white heterosexual and gay media would be salivating and bloodthirsty there would be a new opportunity to pounce once again on the black community. One of the current themes in the mainstream media this year is that all black people are homophobic.

The white media would be attempting to make a “racial link” between the so called rampant black “homophobia” and “violence against white gays”. It is this apathetic racist attitude of society that’s so chilling yet so real. Yet here you have the Michael Sandy case a young black man that was brutally murdered by four young white men and it barely made the news!

Michael Sandy’s murder isn’t the first or last black gay person to be a victim of violence due to being black and gay. Sandy’s death has not received much media attention as Matthew Shepard for one reason. Sandy was black and Shepard was white. In America the blood of a white person has more social value then the blood of a black person. Sandy and Shepard were both victims of violence. However, in white gay America Sandy’s death was of no value or importance for “white gay rights”  to advance the white gay agenda.

When Matthew Shepard died almost a decade ago the white gay and heterosexual communities raised the public awareness about gay bashing and homophobia. However, when Michael Sandy died there was only indifference. Sure, the mainstream gay American media wrote a couple articles about Sandy’s tragic death but there wasn’t the same urgency nor did the  white American gay media take a stand. Michael Sandy although gay wasn’t “one” of “them” due to race.

Sandy wasn’t a member of the New York City white gay community he was an “outsider” since he was a black gay man. Michael Sandy’s death also exposes another issue and that’s the racism of the mainstream American gay community and the homophobia and hypocrisy of the heterosexual black community.

No Al Sharpton, no Jesse Jackson, no Andrew Young, no Tavis Smiley,  it is clear that  the black straight activists don’t care when black gay men are murdered. No CNN, no cover story on Newsweek, no CNN, no NBC, no ABC, no CBS. The black heterosexual activists quickly organized and marched for the Jena six though. The Jena six wasn’t just front page news in America it was global news the BBC in the United Kingdom and Le Monde in France were on that case.

However, anything to deal with black gay people well that’s just off limits. Black gay people we are still viewed as the scum of the earth. Even though Michael Sandy was a member of the black community being gay in the black community means you’re “different”. Black gay people are still viewed as people with no morals and considered a disgrace to the mainstream black community.

Its the silence that speaks volumes about the homophobia that still exists within the black North American communities. Of course, black gay people are indeed helping ourselves to improve our own lives. Black gay activists have been vocal about the Michael Sandy tragedy. There is only so much black gay activists can do. Its exhausting to constantly deal with the racism of the mainstream white gay community and the homophobia of heterosexual blacks. Its just disconcerting that the black heterosexual community is deaf and mute on this issue.

Its frustrating, annoying, and heterosexist, but the black straight media really don’t give a damn about black gays and lesbians. Michael Sandy should be discussed on every single black radio station across North America yet he’s hardly mentioned if at all. I did  notice BET.COM have a brief blog entry about Michael Sandy’s trial and the usual discussions about morality emerged. Its frustrating because here you have a young black gay man that was brutally killed and the focus of the discussion for straight blacks on BET.COM is about morality? I screamed at the top of my lungs. Its like being black and gay there is a constant tug of war people on both sides of the racial, cultural divide cannot be counted on.

The African American gay community in America did make their voices heard about the Michael Sandy’s murder. Black gay people we have to realize we have to help ourselves not just in times of crisis but all the time. The black heterosexual community does not care for black gays and lesbians. The mainstream white gay community only “wants” black gay support when it serves their self interests due to sexual orientation while ignoring race. Black gays and lesbians we cannot ignore race because it is inextricably linked to our identities.  Since white gays still possess white skin privilege they have a choice to think about sexual orientation and race we do not have that choice.

Michael Sandy could of been me, he could of been any of my friends, he could of been someone that I knew. The Michael Sandy tragedy strikes a chord in me because I know what it feels like to have my hormones take over and not think things through completely. All men think about sex and there is nothing wrong with that. Michael Sandy had a sex drive like any other living breathing male. Michael Sandy took a risk a risk he thought he could handle. How was Michael Sandy supposed to know he was going to be attacked? He didn’t? Michael Sandy thought the sexual encounter would be like any other a thrill, a rush of excitement. Michael Sandy’s death is a chilling reminder to young gay black men that there are men out there that are evil and prey on gay black male sexuality that wish to exploit and destroy us.

According to news reports the good news is that three out of the four men have been convicted of a hate crime but not of first degree murder. The first attacker he was convicted of manslaughter and robbery as a hate crime, one man did confess he admitted his guilt to robbery as a hate crime, and another man was convicted of manslaughter and robbery as a hate crime. The fourth man is still awaiting trial.

Plumb Beach’s parking lot in Brooklyn in New York City is still a cruising ground for men that have sex with other men a year later despite the risks. Plumb Beach is far away from the gay epicenter of downtown Manhattan. Men sit in their cars in the parking lot at night waiting for other men to approach them and then they leave the park for a sexual encounter.

The Michael Sandy case pulls the covers off of an issue a lot of gay men do not want to discuss and that’s the potential dangers of cruising for sex. Why is the issue of the entrenched racism against black gay and lesbian people ignored by the media? The mainstream media are attempting to ignore a clear fact that “racism” along with homophobia was a factor in this tragedy.

The Michael Sandy murder case is an opportunity to form a dialogue about the barriers that gay men of colour or closeted men of colour experience. Where are the support networks for young black gay men and other gay men of colour? Although it has been mentioned that Michael Sandy was a young black gay man the media have focused on the issue of “homosexuality,” “gay bashing”, and ignored the issue of systematic “racism”. The question remains why? Black gay people we cannot separate ourselves from our blackness or our sexual orientation, we encounter multiple layers of oppression.

Race is a factor here because there is an intersection of racism and homophobia that makes black gay men vulnerable. The media have focused on the “gay bashing” of Michael Sandy yet it must be pointed out Sandy’s attackers were young white males. It is indeed possible Sandy’s attackers targeted him not just because he was gay but also because he was black and they wanted to kill a young black gay man.

The Michael Sandy trial has not received much attention in the African American heterosexual media although the New York City press have covered the story. It is disconcerting that the larger heterosexual black community are not cognizant of the sheer violence that young black gay and lesbian people can encounter. Black gay people we face racism, sexism, and homophobia. I wish stronger ties could be forged between the black heterosexual and black gay and lesbian communities. For some young gay men of colour cruising is considered a more viable option to explore sexuality then going to the gay epicenter and not encountering the racism in the white gay epicenter.

Every gay man regardless of race has cruised. Everybody has done it and the gay men that claim to have never cruised for sexual encounters are either lying or never done it yet. Whether its going to a bar, going to a party, going to a bathhouse, going to a park at night, or looking online its still cruising. It must be hard for straight people to understand” why gay men “cruise” for sex.

In Toronto there was a horrible tragedy recently although for slightly different circumstances. A seventy two year old white gay man named Harley Walker died after meeting up with a man he met online. Walker met up with another man online for a sexual encounter not at a public parking lot but at his residence in downtown Toronto. A violent struggle took place yet the killer transported Walker’s body to Northern Ontario and dumped it there. Recently the remains of Mr. Walker have been found. Mr. Walker’s death highlights another issue and that’s the safety of gays cruising for sex as well.

Should Sandy and Mr. Walker had been more cautious? Perhaps? But hindsight isn’t always 20/20. Both men believed they were safe. Sandy knew Plumb Beach was a gay cruising ground in Brooklyn. Walker believed his own residence was a safe place for a sexual encounter. Both males were cognizant of the dangers of cruising and thought they would be safe.

In North America gay men have much more freedom and rights compared to men from other countries. However there are still powerful invisible social stigmas attached to male homosexuality. Male homosexuality is still viewed as decadent behavior in society’s eyes. Although gay rights have improved tremendously homophobia also exists. For closeted men also known as men that have sex with men going to a gay bathhouse is not an option or a gay bar because they could be potentially “seen” in public. There is a fear for these men that people will find out about them. Another issue is the danger for gay men is gay men are vulnerable to “gay bashers” that know where gay men go cruising for sex and seek to exploit, rob, murder, or attack gay men.

Sandy and Walker were openly gay men they were cognizant of the gay scenes in their respective cities and yet still they were both vulnerable to male violence. The issue of male violence is another issue some gay men don’t want to discuss about because some view it as threatening our manhood. It is true gay men can be victims of violence by other men. In society the belief is that men we can take care of ourselves and are not vulnerable to male violence but this is not true. Heterosexual men can be potential perpetrators and gay bash and even murder gay men. Male violence is an issue gay men need to discuss and form a dialogue on more often.

The internet has become a vital and important tool for gay men, married, bisexual men, men that have girlfriends that don’t consider themselves gay to meet other men for sexual encounters. Cruising is still a part of the ” gay underground” it still remains hidden to straight eyes.Perhaps this is one of the attractions gay men have to “cruising” because “cruising” is also a scavenger hunt, a journey, a chase, a way to explore sexuality without the fear of the heterosexual society’s piercing eyes of contempt and judgement.

Being a gay male in North America is still taboo to a certain extent. There are anti discrimination laws that protect gays but there is still the belief in North America that to be a gay male you are not living the “right” kind of life. For some closeted men they internalize this kind of homophobia they don’t feel comfortable with the larger gay community that is very white and has other barriers such as racism. Not every man regardless of whether he is in or out of the closet wants to go cruising at the usual gay social centers such as a bar or a bathhouse. Not every gay or closeted man is out to family, friends or even to themselves. It is important to identify that some of the men that cruise for sex do not identify themselves as gay.

Some straight people may believe this sounds illogical. How can men have sex with other men and not be gay? In straight society’s minds if men are making the decision to cruise for sex travelling to places known for where gay male sex takes place they view these men as gay. However, in the minds of the closeted men they don’t identify as gay or even as bisexual they view this sexual activity as just as something they want to do. Unless you live in specific gay neighborhoods men cannot approach another men in public say at a bookstore, supermarket, or at a movie theatre, or on the street for a date.

The public sphere is still very heterosexist it is where straight people do not have internal social barriers. For example straight men don’t think to themselves being “heterosexual” is “not okay” there is no internal social barrier. Straight people can meet straight people just about anywhere they want. Its also the reason closeted gay men like the United States Senator Larry Craig will cruise for sex in an airport washroom. It is also the reason some men take drastic steps to meeting in public parking lots, cruising in parks, cruising in public washrooms for sexual encounters. Society forces gay men to “cruise” I believe. Now my view is it is unacceptable to cruise for sex in a public washroom because its a public space. However, cruising in public washrooms does take place because closeted men feel compelled to do this due to society’s homophobia and that’s what’s being lost in all the news reports.

The heterosexual media still have the homophobic attitude that “cruising” is “wrong”. There is no “wrong” or “right” here. There are always going to be gay men that cruise in public or private spheres. Cruising exists because gay men feel compelled to take action to explore sexuality and to meet in social spaces gay males “think” other gay men are due to society’s entrenched homophobia. If society was a truly “open” and “accepting” of male homosexuality perhaps gay men wouldn’t feel the need to cruise but that day hasn’t come yet. Michael Sandy and Harley Walker’s deaths are a wake up call to the North American gay communities that more education needs to take place more needs to be done to reach gay men and explain or discuss and have a forum about cruising. Why is cruising our dirty secret? Why is it in the closet? Just about every gay man cruises in his own way whether he chooses to admit it or not? Maybe if the gay male community was more focused on working together instead of trying to present an image of compulsory heterosexuality more action could take place.

Links to information about Michael Sandy and murder trial: http://gothamist.com/2007/10/12/jurors_argue_bu.php

http://www.baynewsbrooklyn.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=18911369&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=552847&rfi=6

http://www.gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18907024&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6

Link to Harley Walker story: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/211221