The following intact and verbatim quote was taken from The African American Male, Writing, and Difference: A Polycentric Approach to African American Literature, Criticism, and History, by W. Lawrence Hogue. It can be found in the notes section for chapter 9 of the book.
[James Earl] Hardy, in an interview, discusses why the white press supports novels written by African American writers who deal with interracial gay themes rather than with black men loving black men. He states: " It is very easy for a white editor, regardless of sexual orientation, to digest a story in which a Black character [who] is going through a trial or tribulation is caught up in some pathology and is naturally saved by some white person. And most of those books [novels dealing with interracial themes] fell into one of those categories." Therefore, to write a novel about black men loving black men or "where Black folk not only love each other, but themselves" is to "challenge the white gay status quo."
Michel in B-Boy Blues echoes this same representation of white/black gay relationships. He feels that white gays are looking for "Mr. Mandingo," or a black "fetish or flavor of the night," and that white gays have a "patronizing, paternalistic attitude" that "spills over into the world of activism be it political, social, or cultural." What is always missing in this representation, he argues, is brothers loving brothers. In the white gay media, he:
could count on one hand the number of images of brothers loving brothers....We....are often depicted in some passionate embrace with a white man, particularly in safe sex ads. This message is insidious, insulting, and very clear, we don't f--- each another.
Image: African American Men, WWII
Other Readings: Boy Culture: Just Another Routine Stereotype of Black Gay Desire
Brother to Brother & Looking for Langston
Black, Get Back
Noah's Arc in Dry Dock
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2 comments:
Hear, hear.
In general, whites like to be heroes and saviors. It's almost like they are socialized to be that way. Blacks are often portrayed as vulnerable and needy, and many of us, unfortunately, are socialized to be that way.
Add the two, and it transfers over to the gay community, which is only a microcosm of the larger society.
Unfortunately, way too many people buy into these behaviors to the detriment of the other. It's disturbing to say the least.
In my writing the black folks are proud, know who they are, aren't neurotic, and defintely aren't defined by their association with white folk,especially gay white men. Then, my writing reflects the no holds barred sense of entitlement of taking no mess from certain white folk.
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