Seasons Greetings from New Mexico

By Kenneth Winfrey
Tuesday, December 12 2006, 9:56AM

Kenneth Winfrey Reports

Let me be honest, I am not big on Christmas. I mean, think about it, we all know that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th. We also know that the holiday has become more about spending more money than we have and--for those of us who have escaped the homophobic heritage of our origins--spending time with people we fled for the other 364 days of the year. Maybe I'm the AfroScrooge, but I don't want you to celebrate any less.

All things considered, the holiday does bring out the charitable spirit in most of us. It also lets us show our creativity in lit decoration as well our thoughtfulness in the gifts we choose, and it gives us a chance to reconnect with the people we do actually want to see, but do not during other times of the year. But who says we can't do those things all year around? We certainly don't wait until a holiday to throw a ball, as Fratman discusses here.

As I mentioned a while ago, I've decided not to go to St. Louis during the Winter this year. However, I have been invited to attend a Winter Solstice Festival on the Isleta Pueblo. Like most Black people, I am part Native American (about a quarter), and I do love the sun. Daylight hours will start to increase again after the Solstice. Being "seasonally affective," that does make me feel all warm inside! It is no small honor to be invited to the pueblo either, and I am really looking forward to the festival.

My favorite Winter holiday is actually New Year's Day anyway. There is no controversial religious overtone to the fact that the Earth is starting a new 583 million-mile cycle around the sun. I feel connected--in a dogma-free way--with the larger Universe by celebrating that. I haven't made any plans for New Year's yet, and it would be nice to share it with someone special. What are you doing New Year's? "Sayword?," a new member of the message board family is coming home and asks, "New Years - What's the Word?" Keep an eye on this guy, he's got some interesting posts out there, and he's looking for a place to ring in the New Year. He knows that he is welcome in Albuquerque, even if he is scared of New Mexico...check out the post to find out why.

Relationship Drama

On a less celebratory topic of interest, "Sayword?" also leads us in asking "Why is Breaking up So Hard to Do?" When I read it, it was a chance to realize how easy it has become for me. It took a while to get there. It also took a while to learn why I needed to do it so much that I actually got good at it... Tell us your thoughts. Was that last "divorce" a mess or what?

Was he (or she) one of those Cheaters and Liars out there? Speaking of which, "If He [or she] sleeps with Someone Else, Do You Stay or Do You Go?". Relationships can be life-enhancing, but damn, they can also make you wanna holler!

Another Posthumous Outing?

Last time, on the message board, we talked about the outing of Luther Vandross after his death. In a more recent post "Malcolm X - Gay Black Hero?" we learn that there are stories that might earn the slain leader the title as well. All these years since his untimely and brutal death on February 21, 1965, it is reveled that he may have had intimate experiences with men. Naturally, there are those who would rather not hear that the Honorable Minister was ever involved with another man. For me, it was just interesting to think of him that way, even if only hypothetically.

It doesn't diminish my perception of him either way. If anything, it's just an affirmation that homosexuality is not necessarily an exclusive culture as a lot people think that it is. I'd have to write another article to even begin to explore the implications for the hyper-masculine, largely homo-intolerant, but very well-known in incarcerated populations...Nation of Islam.

What Makes a Man a "Man?"

When we think of Malcolm X in the context of homosexuality, we think of losing everything Black men have invested in presenting themselves as masculine creatures. Three topics explore this. The first "It's a Thug's World..." explores the obvious attraction many of us have to the thug type. What is a thug? Tell us here how you might define the term. The second is "The Black Gay Alpha Male." It hasn't gotten any replies, but it's been viewed over 40 times. That says more than any reply to me. The third, also without response, is a thread about "Deconstructing Tyrone," a book taking a look at Black masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation.

Finally, I want every one to take a look at "The X Men - Gay Issues." It's another that has been eye-balled to death, but there is only one reply from "yours truly." It isn't just about X-Men, it also takes a stab at deconstructing the meanings in a lot of science fiction that we might find empowering as LGBT/SGL people struggling to find our place in this world.

Well, if you don't have a busy holiday planned, there's plenty of reading and writing you can do here on the message board. Whatever you have planned, have a fulfilling, enriching, safe and healthy holiday season!

Kenneth Winfrey is a freelance wrtiter and graphics/web designer living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Comments (7) reveal