Monthly archive of August 2005
His Eye Is On The Sparrow
I arrived at church just as a big demonstration was taking place across the street in the park. Police officers blocked parts of the street with orange pylons and directed cars through the heavy traffic. The cab driver dropped me off at the front door, where a young white man was holding a blue program book emblazoned with the words "REVIVAL! Victory Over Spiritual Violence Through Grace." I knew I had arrived at the right place.
The young man directed me to the back of the huge cathedral, and I began my five-minute walk to the other side. Along the way, I ran into Donald Agarrat, my web designer, who I had not seen in months. We walked together and stepped inside the rear entrance of the church, where we were directed downstairs to one of the many basilicas in the sprawling complex. Riverside Church, located at the top of a tall hill in Harlem, is one of the largest churches in New York. It's the place where Dr. King spoke out against the Vietnam War on April 4, 1967, a year to the day before he was assassinated. And it is the church where Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Patti Labelle, Cissy Houston and dozens of other stars came to pay their last respects to Luther Vandross just last month for his funeral.
Posted in spirituality on August 1 2005, 10:27AM | Read More | Comments (34)
Pride In The City
For New York's black gay and lesbian community, this is one of the biggest weekends of the year. This weekend is New York's Pride In The City, sponsored by People of Color in Crisis. It's a long hot weekend of parties, picnics, forums, films, concerts, cruises and beaches.
This year the weekend kicks off when the biennial Black Gay Research Group summit. I spoke at the summit yesterday morning about the challenges and opportunities for the black gay community. Here now are excerpts from my remarks.
Posted in sexuality on August 5 2005, 11:11AM | Read More | Comments (15)
Summer of Hate
New York Newsday calls it "the summer of hate crimes." Although Mayor Mike Bloomberg says hate crimes are actually down in New York City, two new incidents over the weekend raise the ugly spectre of hate violence once again.
In the first incident, which is likely to generate more media coverage, a gang of white men attacked a black man in Brooklyn. In the second incident, a black gay man (yes another black gay man) was attacked on Sunday while on his way to the Roxy nightclub in Chelsea.
Posted in sexuality on August 8 2005, 10:13AM | Read More | Comments (9)
Remember The Titans
The media has lost two hugely important public figures this week. First there was news that longtime ABC News anchor Peter Jennings had died of lung cancer at 67. Then the next day came news that Ebony and JET publisher John H. Johnson had passed away at 87. They will both be sorely missed.
For 60 years, John H. Johnson has provided news to, for and about black people. When the white media wouldn't tell our stories, Johnson did. In 1945, he started Ebony magazine. Six years later, he launched JET. The first magazine Johnson started in Chicago in November 1945 has since grown to 1.7 million circulation and its smaller weekly counterpart, JET, boasts a circulation of 927,000.
Posted in pop culture on August 9 2005, 9:54AM | Read More | Comments (7)
Why the N. of Islam Shut Down Noah's Arc
Members of the Nation of Islam shut down the taping of America's first black gay television series last Friday in a demonstration at the South Central Los Angeles filming location of the series. Jasmyne Cannick, a producer of Noah's Arc, reported the news by email and on her blog on Tuesday, describing it as an example of "bigotry and intolerance."
But the film's director, Patrik-Ian Polk, told me in an interview this morning, "I'm pretty sure it was not motivated by the sexuality issue because I'm not even sure they knew anything about the show or the subject matter." Similarly, Michael Elkin, a white crew member on the show, described it more as a racial incident, not a gay one. According to Elkin, one of the black men in the community was upset when he saw white members of the crew and assumed it was a white show being filmed in the black community without black involvement.
So what really happened?
Posted in sexuality on August 10 2005, 11:20AM | Read More | Comments (24)
Black and Gay on Fraternity Row
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's not to believe everything that comes in the email inbox. But a recent email claiming that Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity is sponsoring the nation's first same-sex automobile vanity license plates got me thinking and reminiscing about my own experiences with fraternities.
First, let's start with Alpha Phi Alpha. The Alpha license plate story is not true, says bestselling author E. Lynn Harris, who was mentioned in the email. I spoke to Harris this afternoon about the story and he confirmed the email is completely fabricated. The campaign seems to be a rival's lame homophobic attempt to satirize Alpha Phi Alpha, the nation's oldest black fraternity, as a gay organization. In the process, the email employs derogatory stereotypes about male homosexuality to mock Alpha Phi Alpha.
Posted in sexuality on August 11 2005, 4:18PM | Read More | Comments (18)
Nation Of Islam Update
So I missed a phone call today from Southern Voice reporter Ryan Lee. Lee was working on a story about the recent run-in between Nation of Islam Minister Tony Muhammad (pictured here) and the cast of America's first black gay television series, Noah's Arc. Lee's story appears in today's Southern Voice.
SOVO is a part of Window Media, which also owns the New York Blade, Washington Blade and Houston Voice. I missed his deadline because I forgot that the four papers recently began posting news on their sites daily instead of the weekly updates they used to post when the papers were published on Fridays. Sorry Ryan. I'll catch you on the next article.
Posted on August 15 2005, 11:02PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Moving On...
It's time for a change. After three years of attempting to maintain this web site with fresh new articles every week, I think it's finally time to move on.
I am now changing the main page of the site into a more traditional blog where I will write short comments about whatever is going on each day instead of writing one long article for the day.
I have resisted this change for a long time now because I liked the exercise of writing and self-editing longer pieces that explore topical issues in depth. I may still do this from time to time, but not on a regular basis.
The great advantage to the new approach is that it allows me to comment on a lot more that's going on in the world, from politics to sports to film to sexuality. Sometimes I will give my opinion, some times I will ask questions, and other times I will just provide a link with information.
It's a work in progress. I don't know if I have the right software on my site to be able to do it, but I will find out soon and watch it evolve with you. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for giving me the encouragement to maintain the site as it has been the past three years.
Posted on August 15 2005, 11:45PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Maid in Georgia
Here's a story to make you question the death penalty. The only woman ever executed in Georgia's electric chair is being granted a posthumous pardon, 60 years after she was executed! And you guessed it, she was black. The woman, a maid named Lena Baker, was put to death in 1945 for killing a white man who she said held her in slavery and threatened her life. Sixty years later, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has decided to pardon her, after discovering what they called a "grievous error." Her final words while she sat in the electric chair were, "I am ready to meet my God."
Posted in politics on August 16 2005, 12:08AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
And Now For Your Homework...
Bestselling author E. Lynn Harris, who I interviewed last week for a different story, is back in the news. Harris, who teaches Creative Writing and African American Non-Fiction at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, is assigning a popular new book for his syllabus, according to celebrity reporter Jawn Murray. The book: Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans.
"I will be teaching Karrine's book because I think it's a cautionary tale that my students will relate to," Harris told Murray. "I always like to pick books that young people are reading because I have a lot of student athletes and try to make them realize how much fun reading is."
My guess is that registration will be up this semester.
Posted on August 16 2005, 10:23AM | Permalink
The Return of Anonymous Sex In NYC
Troy Notorious reports on his blog that the legendary (some some infamous) Mt. Morris Bathhouse will reopen soon in Harlem. The bathhouse, located at 125th and Madison, was closed down a few years ago after the New York Times profiled the place back in January 2003.
Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reports that the Fordham Road subway station in the Bronx has become a popular spot for gay sexual encounters. In case you want to check it out for yourself, the Daily News even reports the location: "The cruising area is at the northern end of the long southbound platform." On the D line. Reporter Pete Donohue went undercover to get the story, but he seems to enjoy the assignment a little too much. "The News went to the Bronx station on a steamy summer night. In 90 minutes, we witnessed one lewd act - and were propositioned twice," he writes. Later he goes into detail to explain an encounter with a 40-year-old Hispanic man.
The most unusual part of the News story was this line: "Transit officials could not recall another example of the subways being used for sex." Huh? Evidently, they did not read my true story about sex in the subways, which was published two years ago this week.
Posted on August 16 2005, 11:52AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Surf, Sun and Beach Wrestling
I'm kicking myself for not taking this seriously. When I first heard of beach wrestling two weeks ago, I thought it was a joke. Turns out it's not only not a joke, it's the newest officially sanctioned sport. USA Today ran an article about it. The national championships took place last weekend in New York. And a wrestling buddy, CW, went and competed at the event. Here's what CW reported in an email:
"Some of us went to Long Beach (NY) yesterday for this beach tournament, and this was a much, much bigger event than any of us thought it would be. The wrestlers there numbered more than 300, and the matches
happened continuously from noon until after 6 pm on three circles in the sand. There is a little boardwalk on this beach, and the best vantage point for spectators was sitting on the boardwalk looking down on the matches." CW also reports that a few local wrestlers are using New York's beach volleyball spot at Pier 25 as a practice space.
I've never done beach wrestling before, but I do go to a local wrestling club on Tuesdays. If I ever hear about another beach wrestling tournament, I'm there.
Posted in sports on August 16 2005, 1:22PM | Read More | Comments (1)
The Advocate Outs Luther Vandross
The Advocate magazine today became the first established publication officially to out Luther Vandross, who died in July. (At least that's the first time I've seen it.) An article on the magazine's website today described Luther Vandross as a "gay artist." The casual reference to Vandross's sexuality was included in an article that listed Alicia Keys, Celine Dion, Elton John, and Usher as some of the singers paying tribute to the R&B legend in a new CD called "So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross" (September 20 by J Records).
Everyone else in the media has hinted about it or suggested it, but nobody has ever said it. Point blank. But is it true? Was Luther actually gay? Actually, I don't know. I've never heard Luther Vandross say he was gay, so I'm not sure I can say that. I assume he was not completely straight, but that doesn't mean he considered himself "gay" either. I think it's a big leap for The Advocate to draw that conclusion. Hopefully they have evidence to back it up, but since Luther is deceased he can't sue them for it anyway.
This is not the first time this has happened too. In March 1996, former congresswoman Barbara Jordan was outed by The Advocate in a cover story called "The Other Life" that ran two months after she died.
Posted in sexuality on August 17 2005, 2:10AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
It was four years ago this month when George W. Bush took one of the longest summer vacations for a president in recent memory. That was the summer when Bush read and dismissed an August 6, 2001 CIA report titled, "Osama bin Laden determined to attack inside the U.S." A month later, four jetliners were hijacked, the World Trade Center was destroyed, the Pentagon was attacked, and all U.S. flights were shut down after the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil.
So you would think the President has learned a little something since then. You might forgive the President for taking a long vacation in August 2001. Four years ago this month, America was still enjoying the post-Clinton era of peace and prosperity. Today we're at war. And Bush likes to remind us that he's a "war president" in the midst of a "war on terror," recently renamed "the global struggle against extremism."
August has been one of the bloodiest months in the history of Bush's war. At least 16 soldiers from one community in Ohio were killed in the war recently. And a mother of a soldier killed in the war is camping out near Bush's ranch.
So what does the commander-in-chief do for his summer vacation? I was lucky enough to get my hands on Bush's "Things to Do" list, stolen from his ranch in Crawford.
George Bush's Top 15 Things to Do On Summer Vacation
1. Avoid Cindy Sheehan
2. Nap
3. Fish
4. Try not to fall off bicycle
5. Clear brush around the ranch (when the cameras are on)
6. GOP fundraisers (when the cameras are off)
7. Pretend to read daily CIA briefings
8. Helicopter rides
9. Little League baseball games
10. Beat Ronald Reagan's vacation record
11. Figure out ways to mess up Condi's perm
12. Bike riding photo op with Lance Armstrong
13. Referee Condi and Laura arm wrestling match
14. Go on with my life
15. Continue avoiding Cindy Sheehan
Posted in politics on August 17 2005, 11:42AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
And The Band Played On...
Men who have sex with men (MSM) bear a greater burden of HIV than any other group in the U.S., according to a new open letter to black gay men signed by more than 50 same-gender-loving African Americans. With all the recent media hype about women becoming infected by the down low, no one seems to notice the raging epidemic among black gay and bisexual men.
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study showing 46% of black gay and bisexual men surveyed in five major cities were HIV-positive. The letter asks, "How many Black gay men have to get infected, get sick and die before we —- not CDC, not the Congressional Black Caucus, not the large AIDS organizations, but us -- mobilize and take action?"
The letter was signed by film directors Paris Barclay and Patrik-Ian Polk, author James Earl Hardy, dancer Bill T Jones and elected officials Ron Oden and Phil Reed.
Meanwhile, the Washington Blade and the Washington Post report that DC's AIDS czar Lydia Watts was fired from her job yesterday. (Lydia and I appeared on America's Black Forum last week on television.) The decision came after a damning recent report concluded that the city had mismanaged and understaffed its HIV/AIDS response.
Posted in sexuality on August 17 2005, 1:31PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Elizabeth Birch Tells All
In a wide-ranging interview in today's Metro Weekly in Washington, former Human Rights Campaign executive director Elizabeth Birch reveals her new plans. Birch is returning to the public eye with a new television show, Birch & Co., which airs on the here! TV gay and lesbian cable network. Among her guests: Rosie O'Donnell, congressman John Lewis and conservative talk show pundit Pat Buchanan.
Birch tells MW the content of here! and LOGO is "tamer" than Showtime or HBO. "What's reflected in these [gay and lesbian] networks is a real desire to deliver product that is addressing gay people where they are now. They don't have any pornography. Queer As Folk has already pioneered a lot of the very raw exposure to sex. I don't think Logo and here! will touch [that] for years."
When asked who would be your dream hard-to-get interviews, Birch responded, "I would love to have Louis Farrakhan with Donna Payne and Keith Boykin just before the Million More March in October." Actually I wouldn't be that hard to get. I ran into Elizabeth Birch on June 30 at the Logo launch party in New York. Farrakhan, on the other hand, may be hard to get. But if shows up, I'll be there.
Posted in sexuality on August 18 2005, 10:10AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
The Flying Nun He Ain't
He commands the world's largest church, with a billion Catholics who answer to him. He is the most powerful man in religion today. He travels the world to spread his message. But on a trip to Germany this morning, the pope couldn't get his vestments in order. First, as he got off the papal plane, his cap flew off. Then as he walked across the red carpet, the wind kicked up his cape. The final score. Wind: 3. Pope: 0.
Posted in pop culture on August 18 2005, 10:30AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Where The War On Terror Went Wrong
It was bad enough that they killed the wrong guy. But now comes word that the 27-year-old Brazilian man "accidentally" killed by British police last month was already under restraint when he was shot eight times by officers. Jean Charles de Menezes was killed on July 22, the day after the failed London subway bombing. The new evidence contradicts earlier reports that Menezes had jumped a wall to flee from police at the subway station where he was shot. Some are now saying the killing resembled an illegal execution or an assassination.
Now there's talk of a cover-up. Britain's top cop, Scotland Yard commissioner Ian Blair, reportedly tried to stop the investigation. A lawyer familiar with the process called the investigation a "chaotic mess," and the victim's family members are demanding answers. The incident has created concern about the new London police "shoot-to-kill" policy designed to thwart terrorists.
Posted in politics on August 18 2005, 11:08AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Hip Hop and Homosexuality
From the moment he first burst onto the scene, I immediately knew I liked Kanye West. Now I have another reason to like him. In an interview on MTV tonight, the hip hop artist says gay bashing needs to be stopped in the music business.
While talking about the new song "Hey Mama" on his upcoming album, "Late Registration" (Roc-a-Fella, Aug. 30), the 27-year-old rapper explained that he was called a "mama's boy" when he was young and the experience made him homophobic.
West says he changed once he learned that one of his cousins was gay. "It was kind of like a turning point when I was like, `Yo, this is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays.'" West believes that "everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people," and he urged his fellow rappers to "stop it."
The interview, "All Eyes on Kanye West," airs tonight at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
In contrast to West, some of the comedians at New York's Laugh Factory last night were knee deep in homophobic humor. Wendy Williams made her obligatory appearance at the beginning of the show, The Wendy Williams Comedy Experience, and then turned the stage over to the show's host, Capone, who told one too many gay-bashing joke for my tastes. Fortunately, all but one of the comedians he introduced avoided the homophobic laughs. But there's a serious problem in our community when black gay people are such easy targets.
Posted in sexuality on August 18 2005, 5:06PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
The Real Villains
With everything that's going wrong with this country, you would think the right would finally take some responsibility. After all, the GOP runs all three branches of government and most of the state governments. But old habits die hard, so they're pointing fingers at everyone else but themselves. The editors of The New Republic call on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to resign. Eric Alterman shoots back with his own list of who should resign, starting with Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld and including "every Republican Senator and Congressman and about half of the Democrats."
Similarly, Arianna Huffington challenges the media double standard on Cindy Sheehan, who ended her protest at Bush's Crawford ranch today to return home to her ailing mother. The media "want to hold Sheehan’s feet to the fire on statements she’s denied making about Israel while allowing Dick 'last throes' Cheney, Condi 'mushroom cloud' Rice, George 'slam dunk' Tenet, Alberto 'quaint' Gonzalez, and George 'Mission Accomplished' Bush a free pass." (A special prize to the first person who can identify the source of all of those quotes.)
But victory is not having to say you're sorry, according to cartoonist Mark Fiore in a sad but hilarious animated cartoon in this week's Village Voice online.
Posted in politics on August 19 2005, 9:05AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Back From Fire Island
I'm back from a weekend vacation in Fire Island. Although I don't turn 40 until Sunday, I celebrated my birthday early over the weekend with a few close friends in my favorite little getaway. The weather was great, the people were chill, and the food and drinks just kept coming. The highlight of the party for me was settling a score from last year when a couple of friends threw me into the pool. This time I made sure that almost everyone got wet. Look for some new pictures in the Photo section in the next few days.
Posted in pop culture on August 22 2005, 11:53AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
New Head For DC's Troubled AIDS Agency
It looks like Dr. Marsha Martin, the executive director of AIDS Action, may become the new head of the troubled Washington, D.C. HIV/AIDS Administration, according to a report in the Washington Business Journal.
Martin would replace Lydia Watts, who was fired August 16 after a damning recent report concluded that the city had mismanaged and understaffed its HIV/AIDS response.
While the appointment may sidestep one controversy, it is likely to rejuvenate another. Martin's agency, AIDS Action, has been criticized in the past year for its plans to sponsor an inaugural ball for President Bush and for failing to challenge the Bush Administration on policy issues.
If the DC government wants to play it safe with the administration that controls its purse strings, Marsha Martin may be the perfect choice. But if the city hopes to appease AIDS activists, it will be a much more difficult task.
Posted in sexuality on August 22 2005, 12:18PM | Read More
My Three Sons (Is Willie Wilson Lying?)
The Willie Wilson saga continues in Washington, DC. It turns out that the minister's son has a girlfriend, according to the Washington City Paper. Normally that wouldn't be big news but it is now because Wilson used his son's failed attempts to get a date as an excuse for a vicious attack on lesbianism recently.
In a sermon on July 3, Wilson told his church: "My son in high school last year, trying to go to the prom, he said, ‘Dad, I ain’t got nobody to take to the prom because all the girls in my class are gay. There ain’t but two of them straight and both of them are ugly. I ain’t got nobody to take to the prom.’"
Wilson does have a son, Hamani Wilson, who is in high school, but the younger Wilson has had a steady girlfriend for the past year, according to the report. Students at the school also say that only a handful of their classmates are openly gay, and young Hamani would have had no reason to go to the prom because he was not a senior.
In response, Hamani’s older sister, Lili Wilson, suggested to the City Paper that Rev. Wilson was not speaking of his son at all. "[He's] got a lot of spiritual sons," she said. "There are a lot of children without father figures who look up to him."
Wilson, who heads the Millions More Movement, has become a lightning rod for controversy around a scheduled October event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. Black LGBT groups have been busy planning a march of their own, which the Washington Post reported today.
Posted in sexuality on August 22 2005, 1:24PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Pictures From Fire Island
I could not think of a better way to celebrate my 40th birthday than to spend a weekend in Fire Island with friends. My partner Nathan Williams and event planner Nathan Scott organized the event, and it surpassed my wildest expectations. I told my Nathan that I didn't want a stuffy party where everyone stood around the pool and looked pretty. I wanted people to jump in the water, hop in the hot tub and enjoy the day. And that they did.
Without a doubt, this was the best birthday party I'd ever had and the best birthday gift I'd ever received. Check out the photos and see for yourself.
Posted in pop culture on August 23 2005, 1:44AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Kill This Man
Televangelist Pat Robertson told viewers yesterday that the U.S. should kill Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to prevent the South American country from becoming a "launching pad" for extremism. "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability,'' Robertson said on his television program, The 700 Club.
Robertson was responding to recent allegations by Chavez that the U.S. is trying to kill him. "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war," Robertson said.
There are some pesky little problems here. First, assassination is against international law, even if the U.S. does it. How would Americans like it if leaders of another country advocated the assassination of our president? In fact, when Iraqi president Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate the first George Bush, the younger Bush was so outraged that he led us to war against Iraq.
Second, how could someone who calls himself a man of God advocate the murder of political opponents? But sadly, Robertson's remarks come as no surprise. This is the man who prayed for God to kill liberal Supreme Court justices and who blamed the September 11 attacks on "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians."
I doubt that Pat Robertson's god listens to prayers to decide whom to kill, but if he does...
Posted in politics on August 23 2005, 10:03AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
The Best Pics of the Week
I'm a very visual person. So my thanks go to Frank Roberts, Rod Online and Republic of T for the best pics of the past week.
Frank posts a series of pics from the House of Latex Ball on his blog today. This photo of Chris Mizrahi, on the right, was one of the many found on Frank's site. Rod posts a picture of a shirtless Tyson Beckford posing with a shirtless Paul Walker on the set of Into The Blue. And T features a hot shot of two men kissing in Times Square.
Posted in pop culture on August 23 2005, 6:07PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Farrakhan Ends His Silence
Minister Louis Farrakhan is again welcoming gays and lesbians to participate in the Millions More March, but there's a catch. In a letter dated August 15, 2005, and received via Federal Express mail in the office of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) on Tuesday, Minister Farrakhan reiterated his earlier support of black gay and lesbian participation in the march.
Farrakhan's letter came one month after NBJC executive director H. Alexander Robinson wrote the Nation of Islam leader to express concerns about the planning of the march. In his response, Farrakhan again said that the "Millions More Movement is for all of us" and that "the aim is to create a tent big enough for all of us to come together."
The letter comes just days after Farrakhan welcomed LGBT participation in the march during a speech in Michigan. "A gay or lesbian brother or sister cannot be denied presence in a movement that is for all of our people," Farrakhan said last week in Detroit. And in an open letter last week, Farrakhan said, "I cannot fault a gay or lesbian person who stands on their platform to preach what they believe of self and how the world should view them."
Posted in sexuality on August 24 2005, 12:18PM | Read More | Comments (22)
Sex Behind Bars
BET.com explores the subject of prison sex in a two-part series on its website this week. "Any discussion about AIDS and Black males in prison has to begin with a fundamental discussion about the number of Black men in prison," says Phill Wilson, executive director of the L.A.-based Black AIDS Institute. Wilson told BET that "a 20-year-old black man is more likely to be in prison than in college. And in a lifetime, 50 percent of all black men will have been incarcerated for something. Why is that?" Although I disagree with the statistics, Wilson asks the right question. Why are black men disproportionately incarcerated?
First, let's clear up one misconception. Despite the popular myth to the contrary, there are actually more young black men in college than in prison. And a 20-year-old black man is actually more likely to be in college than in prison. Still, it is true that black men are grossly over-represented in the criminal justice system.
Here's what we know about HIV in prison. We know that men are having unprotected sex with men in prison, we know that some are becoming infected, and we know that some are infecting others. One way we can deal with the problem is to provide condoms in prisons, which most prison systems do not allow. Nobody wants to talk about it because we don't want to admit that men have sex with men in prison. Another long-term approach is to reduce the high incarceration rates among black men. This is a laudable approach, but it is still a long-term solution.
Whatever our solutions, we have to be careful not to perpetuate myths that demonize and stereotype all black men. As Stacey Barbas, executive director of the Michigan AIDS Fund, told BET, "This is not a time to blame the African-American male. Instead, let's educate and empower ... females to feel comfortable to ask questions, and to protect themselves."
Posted in sexuality on August 25 2005, 1:02PM | Read More | Comments (15)
When Oprah Calls
Last year she gave away new cars to each of the 276 audience members at the launch of the 2004-05 season of the Oprah Winfrey Show. Earlier this year, she gave away $200,000 diamond earrings to the honorees of her Legends Ball. But the most powerful black woman in America (sorry Condi, it's not you) couldn't get into a Paris Hermes boutique. So what does Oprah Winfrey have in store for the 05-06 season of her popular show? Think gay.
Here are some of the topics for the upcoming season of the show, which begins in September.
- When did you first realize you were gay?
- Do you know someone who is gay but won't come out of the closet?
- Do you want to come out on the Oprah Show?
- Has your family disowned you for being gay?
Posted in pop culture on August 26 2005, 2:43AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Save Us From The Sex Police
There's a new sheriff in town. They call him the sex police. No, I'm not making that up. A group called the Sex Party Police has created a new website to stop sex parties among black gay men. The anonymous website includes a form to notify the web master about a sex party in your community and it encourages readers to contact the local sheriff's office if they hear about a sex party. "These parties promote promiscuity, increases [sic] exposure to HIV and other STD's that are now rampant in the Black community," according to the site.
The effort to discourage HIV infection is laudable but the campaign against sex parties is completely misguided. Sex parties, by themselves, do not spread HIV. HIV is spread through unprotected sex with someone who is infected with the virus. That can happen at a sex party, in a park, or in the privacy of your own bedroom. Despite the message of the website, promiscuity is not the problem. Unprotected sex is. A man can have protected sex with a different partner every day for the rest of his life and never contract HIV, while another man could have unprotected sex once in his life and become infected the same day.
Posted in sexuality on August 26 2005, 11:57AM | Read More | Comments (19)
Remembering Rashawn Brazell
Nineteen year old Rashawn Brazell's life was brutally taken in February after he disappeared from his home in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Brazell's dismembered body parts were found in garbage bags strewn throughout the city.
Now a group of activists, promoters and leaders in the community have come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Rashawn Brazell. They will host host an event called "Brighter Days," the official launch party for the Rashawn Brazell Memorial Scholarship. The event takes place on Sunday, August 28 at Luke and Leroy, one of Rashawn’s favorite places to party, and the requested donation is $10, all of which "will be used to support the college education of a New York City student committed to the fight against racism, sexism and homophobia."
Posted in sexuality on August 26 2005, 12:22PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
The House That Taxpayers Built
"In 1995, Bishop Eddie Long established a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity to help the needy and spread the gospel. But it was Long, leader of the largest church congregation in Georgia, who became the charity's biggest beneficiary." That's the way the Atlanta Journal-Constitution began an exhaustive report on Bishop Eddie Long's eponymous charity, which reportedly provided him with at least $3 million in salary, benefits and the use of property, including a $1.4 million 20 acre home and the use of a $350,000 luxury Bentley automobile.
You may recall that Long is the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia and led a march against gay rights from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center last year. The damning story in the Journal also mentions that Long was fired from a job for lying on an expense report.
The story continues: "In October 2002, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries notified the IRS that the charity was dissolving and pledged to transfer all of its assets to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The house was never transferred. Instead, a year later, Long signed papers relinquishing the charity's interest in the home, making himself the sole owner."
A church spokesman said Long no longer takes a salary, but instead accepts "love offerings" made by church members, according to the Journal. Long also rejected old-fashioned notions that pastors should be poor. "I would love to sit with you and walk with you through the Bible to show that Jesus wasn't poor," he said. "I'm not going to apologize for anything," he told the Journal.
Posted in spirituality on August 29 2005, 12:21AM | Permalink | Comments (40)
A Special Request for Rene Miranda
I first met Rene Miranda back in the mid-1990s when she worked at the Los Angeles office of the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum. I was executive director and she was the office manager. Rene was always an efficient, energetic force in the office, but she always wore a warm smile as she did her work. That was 10 years ago.
Today, Rene's situation has changed. "Six years ago I was diagnosed with kidney disease," she explains. "For the past six years my kidney function has gotten worse to the point where I recently (2 months ago) started dialysis. The doctors and I don't know how or why I have kidney disease as I have never smoked, been a heavy drinker, used drugs, nor is there a history of kidney disease in my family." But she has it.
Rene is now on dialysis 3 times a week and needs a kidney transplant. She is on the transplant list in Boston, but the average wait, she explains, is 4 years. So what does she do now? "I am turning to family and friends to get my story out to people in hopes that someone would want to donate a kidney to me," she writes.
Rene asked me to post an article on my site to reach as many people as she could. It is an unusual request, but I agreed to do so in the hope that her message might reach the right person who could help save her life.
In an August 18 letter to friends, Rene acknowledges it is "not an easy thing to consider" to become a kidney donor, but she is hopeful that things will work out. Rene has been with her partner Nancy for 6 years and they have a 12-year-old son. Both Rene and Nancy are active in the Boston LGBT community. If you would like to help Rene or to offer your support, please write to V.Rene.Miranda@simmons.edu.
Posted in pop culture on August 29 2005, 12:42AM | Permalink
Melodies Across The Atlantic
Today is the big day for Kanye West when his new CD, Late Registration, drops. But everyone already knows about Kanye. So I thought I'd find a few new artists we may not know as well. I clicked on the website for the UK's annual Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards and I found several British acts that were new to me but old to Brits.
If black British music makes you think of Craig David, there's a lot more out there than that. I like Craig David, but his latest bubblegum CD, Story Goes, didn't impress me enough to buy it when I sampled the songs on ITunes last week. In contrast, I like the sound of Jamelia, a popular British artist who is not available on ITunes. You can see her new video, Stop, by clicking here. From the hip hop dance sounds of "Bout" and "DJ" to the soulful ballad sound of "Stop," Jamelia really shows off her musical range.
Then there is the sexy British R&B singer Lemar, who shows off his ability to sing the standards in "What Is This Thing Called Love?" from the soundtrack to De-Lovely. Lemar is nominated for five MOBO awards, more than any other artist. His music is lush and sensual and enjoyable all at once.
Posted in music on August 30 2005, 9:00AM | Read More | Comments (3)
Black Gays and Straights Come Together
First Louis Farrakhan, then Al Sharpton, and now Kanye West. Why are we seeing a new conciliatory tone from straight black men about black LGBT issues? In this week's Village Voice, Congressman Charlie Rangel says, "Homosexuals have always been a part of our churches, it just wasn't talked about. Ten, 20 years ago they were in the dark ages, in part because the African American gay community wasn't as aggressive in obtaining their rights as their white counterparts."
But the work is not done yet. As Kenyon Farrow says, "Change cannot begin or end with Kanye West." Writing in this week's Black AIDS Institute newsletter, Farrow explains, "It was really Kanye’s seeing his cousin as gay that caused his shift in his thinking. While public education campaigns and more visible opposition to homophobia in the Black community is key, it is ultimately the work that we, Black LGBT people do in our families and in our communities that will make the difference."
Farrow says "we must be willing to tell our stories to our families, our neighbors, and our communities." And, he says, we must support men and women like Kanye West, "who take great risks to get our backs."
Posted in sexuality on August 31 2005, 1:14AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Black People "Loot," White People "Find"
Atlanta, GA--I'm down here in Atlanta all week for a special consultation with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which I will report on later. We were battered by the outer edges of Hurricane Katrina on Monday and Tuesday, but we have not experienced anywhere near the devastation visited upon Louisiana and Mississippi.
I wasn't planning to update my site again today, but I've gotten numerous emails from people about a popular posting on Boing Boing, which is making its way throughout the Internet today. Boing Boing is listed below as one of my "hot blogs," and now you see why. Apparently there's a little disparity in the way the media identify the black victims versus the white victims of the hurricane. (Rod also has the story on his blog, and Clay Cane has an excellent analysis on his blog.) Sadly, I'm not the least bit surprised by the racial difference. It simply shows the subtle way in which white racial privilege perpetuates itself and reinforces negative images of non-whites.
This is what Boing Boing said about the two images above:
"The images were shot by different photographers, and captioned by different photo wire services. The Associated Press caption accompanying the image with a black person says he's just finished 'looting' a grocery store. The AFP/Getty Images caption describes lighter skinned people 'finding' bread and soda from a grocery store. No stores are open to sell these goods."
Posted in pop culture on August 31 2005, 3:39PM | Permalink | Comments (12)