The Normalization of Sexual Orientation

The onslaught of media attention over one's sexual preference has hit a level of polarization that makes me wonder.  Why is the choice of one's sexual orientation a big to do?  Is there an agenda behind it?  Of course, I have some understanding of why, and we can run the issue from end zone to end zone.  That is not my undertaking here.   I believe it is one's right to have a preference, and I'm not opposed to that. But, to presuppose that being gay is the new Black, is extreme.  Notably, the LGBTQ community has experienced suppression in various forms, but not to the level of the Black community.  As one of my colleagues said, "There is no comparison."

African American Men wearing "Gay is the new Black" T-Shirt

If I decide to come out like radio host Rickey Smiley as "heterosexual."  Will that make the news or be written off as mere comedy?  When one decides to "come out" such as former pro athlete Michael Sam it truly is their decision, and everyone doesn't need to know.  It's the individual's business and responsibility to be comfortable with the skin their in--not mine, or anyone else's.  I am not an advocate of homophobia, and anyone who chooses to harbor ill feelings against those in the LGBTQ community must stand down.  Constructive honest dialog is the order of the day, and this is the approach I choose to take.

Theologically speaking, transgression is transgression, and the human family shares a common bond when it comes to wrong doing.  The question was raised in my theology class last night: Is being gay the sin or is the sexual act the sin?  There are strong arguments on both sides.  I don't believe being gay in "name" or "title" is a sin because gay, lesbian, etc. is one's sexual preference or orientation--not the sexual act.  According to the standard that the scriptures set biblically and quranically--the "sex act" is the sin.  Therefore, one cannot judge or condemn the LGBTQ community based on a "title."  Many hear the name or title, and automatically think sin.  At the end of the day, we all will have to present ourselves before God as one approved, and give account of our record.

Former Pro Football Player Michael Sam

The reality is, we are in a media age that puts the public into dissemination overload.  The attempt to "normalize" sexual preference and orientation makes me question the agenda.  

Do those in the LGBTQ community deserve the universal and inalienable human rights given to others?  Absolutely!  But, to normalize the obstacles the community endures as having something in common to the plight of the Black struggle is far from the crux of the matter.  Gay, being deemed as the new Black has become the new slogan... But, that is very offensive, misleading, and problematic on many levels, as being gay is not a badge of racial pride, especially when one thoroughly examines what it means to be Black and gay.  In fact, in many cases Black folk who are a part of the LGBTQ community have been alienated and marginalized because of their race, and not their sexuality.  *Originally written Feb 2014, Updated Feb 2016.

Further reading to consider:

‘No Blacks’ Is Not a Sexual Preference. It’s Racism http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/09/no-blacks-is-not-a-sexual-preference-it-s-racism.html

The People’s District: 5 Reasons Gay is Not the New Black

http://forthdistrict.com/5-reasons-gay-is-not-the-new-black/

Are Gay Men More Racist Than Straight Men?

http://new.www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-alvear/are-gay-men-more-racist-t_b_6984072.html

RACISM IN THE GAY COMMUNITY AND HOMOPHOBIA IN THE BLACK

COMMUNITY: NEGOTIATING THE GAY BLACK MALE EXPERIENCE

https://theses.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05222008-112356/unrestricted/ClarenceEBrownIII2008Thesis.pdf

‘You’re Really Nice, but I Don’t Date Black Guys’: Racism or Preference? (VIDEO)

http://new.www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-manske/youre-really-sweet-im-just-not-into-black-guys-racism-or-preference_b_6401436.html

How Far Are We Gonna Go People?

The blatantly sexually suggestive, foul language, misogynistic, and believe it or not misandrist over and undertones that permeate Hip-Hop and R&B music and video production today has run a muck! -The Brotha's Corner (Inuendo2010 v. 1997) Click link for full blog

“If you can control a man’s thinking, you don’t have to worry about his actions. If you can determine what a man thinks you do not have worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he is inferior, you don’t have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told and if you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you don’t have to order him to the back door, he will go to the back door on his own and if there is no back door, the very nature of the man will demand that you build one.”-Carter G. Wodson, Mis-Education of the Negro

Nicci Minaj at BET Awards 2011

This has gone way too far people!!! Mother Sojourner, Harriett, Lena, Betty, Dorothy, and Coretta are all turning over in their graves behind madness like this... how long are we gonna allow this degenerate behavior to continue people?  This young lady is talented indeed, but she is using the art of free and creative expression in a very deplorable and foul way.  Obviously she is aware of what she is doing beyond just being a creative marketing tool for the proverbial “shock value moment.”  A former mentor once shared with me “Many people tell you what you don’t know won’t hurt you but I’m here to tell you what you don’t know may kill you.”  The mental death of a people is now the order of the day among the African American community, or as some scholars suggest the "dumbing-down" effect.  We are no longer in the grasps of chattel slavery; we are now in the abyss of mental slavery; and it surely is not the “white man’s fault" or doing.  Mr. Willie Lynch's plan is being carried out in full effect today by-US!

92' LA Riots

I do not want to put sole responsibility on Ms. Minaj because this deplorable and disrespectful behavior has been brewing since the polarizing images of the proverbial black male went across the world through print, film, and television media in the early 90’s.  The images found in movies like Boys -N- The Hood, MenanceIISociety, television coverage of events like the OJ Simpson trial, and riots that followed the Rodney King verdict all showed black men in a negative, scary, and demon like manner.  These events scared the mess out of white America and painted young black men as predators that needed to be locked down or killed.  This is why we have seen a rise in what is now known as the prison industrial complex-MASS INCARCERATION.  It also projected an image of us across the entire world; an image not of high esteem and beauty but one of disgust and immorality that allowed our women to be called "bitches and ho's" and our men to be seen as "thugs, gang-bangers, and dope dealers."  These ills of Black urban life have been accepted as the norm and are reflective in every aspect of urban culture today.  We see young men with saggin’ pants, wearing caps indoors, young ladies practically naked on the streets, and adolescents belting out offensively foul language or reenacting the overtly suggestive sexual innuendo of the latest rap song or video.  Today, we find these kinds of antics very funny and amusing.  Our level of tolerance and acceptance today has been diminished from the high moral standards those of old once held us to.  We just do not find these kinds of artistic expressions unsettling or appalling, so we tend to just over look them versus addressing them for what they really are.  We have taken a blind eye approach to the fact and reality of the matter!

Father taking his kids to school.

We have to stand against this in every way possible.  This cannot be just written off as free or creative expression.  Yes, we that are aware can shield our young one’s ears and cover their eyes but we are not always with them.  With the flooding of mass media, it is hard to fully control what their delicate eyes and ears hear and see.  The best thing we can do is train them up in the way to go and hope they remember their training and not give in to the madness that surrounds them constantly.  We are at war and we must realize and recognize the art of war where ever it rears its ugly head.


Forever Forward, Never Backwards

-Bro. Lamon