PHOTO: Twitpic of Male Couple Causes Homophobic Backlash

A seemingly innocent photo of one young man holding his sleeping friend has caused a homophobic backlash across the internets ...

The image was snapped of two young men apparently on Atlanta's MARTA and the Twitpic is entitled "No Excuse: I Don't Give a F-ck How Sleepy You Are." So far, the image has 12,400+ views and has produced  three pages of mostly cruel, homophobic and hateful comments. There are dozens more comments across Twitter and the Twitpic has migrated to gay-baiting black gossip blogs. One perennial gay-baiting blogger has slammed the two young men as "homo-thugs", ranted about HIV/AIDS and complained that "it's become nearly impossible to distinguish heterosexual men from down low thugs." Are "down-low" thugs hugged up on public transit? Probably not ...

It's a very sweet and innocent photo. According to the comments, it seems the young men's primary offense, in addition to seemingly being gay, is that they are "normal looking" and apparently in love. More power to them. It's too bad more people don't have the courage to be themselves.

Oh and fwiw: WatchJ's Twitpic stream is a trifling hot ghetto mess with several "No Homo" photos. Ask him where did a straight guy find the photo of the two gay porn stars. Surely they weren't on MARTA, hon.

Thanks Alicia Banks!

Comments

[DC]

Sandra Rose is a lesbian. No joke, she has admitted it. Everyone in Atlanta knows this. And the comments by the visitors on her site are actually against the negativity she is attempting to spread. It's actually quite refreshing to see the positive responses on her site.

[DeAndre]

@ DC:

And that's the problem with our community. Sandra is a lesbian who gay baits everyone. Fred at MTO is a queen who gaybaits everyone. Gyant is another black gossip queen. We are gay or closeted and are the first to do most of the gaybaiting. That's why the black gay community will never mature.

As far as Sandra Rose is concerned, many of her comment may be supportive, but her words carry more weight and she does gaybait. And sorry but most of the comments on twitter were not positive, they were very negative.

[Derrick from Philly]

Show two black men hating and trying to kill each other and it's nothing unusual. Show two black men showing love for each other and niggas get upset all over the place. Black folks surely do make me tired. If it wasn't for Jazz, Blues and Soul Food and Sex I wouldn't have a damn thing to with them.

[ALLEGRO]

SO SAD!!! See....this has been the persistent problem among black men. Can't even be affectionate with one another without being labeled as GAY. I think if we learned how to be more affectionate and open with it it would solve a lot of emotional problems among black men today.

[Wolff]

"Ask him where did a straight guy find the photo of the two gay porn stars. Surely they weren't on MARTA, hon."

You'd better work it out Rod.
Probably another hateful closet queen trying to be funny. Just like those wedding pictures, many of the people circulating them were gay.

[Chitown Kev]

Well, the nice part about the Sandra Rose link is that most of the commenters are letting her (deservedly) have it about her rant (regardless of how they feel about the pic, it seems.)

[kirk]

This is beautiful! Young love. Affection. Thank god this has been documented.

[The Truth]

This is such a sweet people. It warmed my heart to see this image. However, the comic who twitpic'd this image clearly failed in his attempt to be funny.

As for Sandra Rose, I don't understand her...You would think, as a lesbian, she wouldnt spread the hate as she does. I'm glad to see people on her website disagreeing with her, but why do people still visit her blog. But, Bossip and mediatakeout are no better SMH.

[stephenbrown]

blk men loving blk men is a revolutionary act it goes against the grain

[AJ Terrel]

My question is why aren't more people talking about what's beautiful in this picture? we can't all be flamboyant, fashion forward, GURL-sayin, snappin gays like myself. I think it's beautiful to see two "thug" black men showing their love, whether it's straight or gay love, on a train and not giving a damn.

Obvi someone has a masculinity issue because they felt a need to snap this photo and then put it on blast. BYE GURL. closet cases will keep hating until they get over that shit.

[DWJazzlover]

Beautiful Photo!!!

[Taylor Siluwé]

Such a shame that in an age when black males are consistently winning the gold medal for incarceration, OPEN affection isn't given the accolades it so desperately deserves.

But I do love how most of the Twitpic comments were positive.

As for Sandra Rose, I tried to register to comment but it wouldn't let me. Screw 'em.

[I am Me and proud to be]

Seriously, was there a caption that said "look at these two gay brother's"? or how about this "look at these two brothers showing compassion for the other." Who really knows their truth. They might have just lost their mother and/or goin to. Isn't it alright to be compassionate? Why does this have to be about Homosexuality?

[Jersey]

I lived in Atl back in the 90's and now spend alot of time in NYC and the surrounding area (Ya Gunnerson Beach!). I have to think this wouldn't get much attention if the couple were photo'd in NY.

[Corey]

I love this picture! A random moment of tenderness between two young black men - DOCUMENTED!

I never really got into how the "black men loving black men is the revolutionary act" thing when it was never revolutionary for ME! However, I think I get it a lot more these days! On any given evening, my partner and I might go to a restaurant in the Gaslight District of Clifton in Cincinnati. Sitting by the window, we can count the number of young black lesbian couples that walk by - PROUD and hand in hand! We MIGHT "play around" with the idea of it but we'd never take it "all the way" there! Black female couples do it all the time, and when black men do it, there's hell to pay!

I'm not even going to waste my time, energy nor blow my blood pressure up by visiting those VILE sites to view three pages of
hatefulness, foolishness and ignorance! Let them stay over there and do what they do best!

Thank you for sharing!

[Jon O.]

This is a wonderful, harmless photo of young love! Thanks for sharing Rod. Let's try to counter the negativity these boys are bound to be receiving in their hometowns with some positivity on here for them!

[Sean]

Sad thing is we don't even know if they are gay. They cool just be brothers are just really cool. Folks needs to stop bothering people and let them be whatever they are

[TheRevKev]

What I adore most about this photo is that we have raised a generation of strong, self-aware and -assured young Black SGL men who are clear about their power and their strength and who will not only rest on each other in a public way but who are strong enough for each other to say so in a viral, virtual, visceral way!

BRAVO YOUNG BROTHERS! That's some RIDE OR DIE LOVE RIGHT THERE!!! AND THEY RIDE! NEXT STOP: SELF-LOVE! Do the dang thang!!!

[TheRevKev]

@STEPHENBROWN: Bravo and Amen!!!! It's revolutionary and revelationary!

[Mmmonet]

For some reason I feel the need to state that I am a heterosexual middle age white female...basically to show that I guess I have nothing in common with the two young men in the picture to bias my comment. Anyway...
I saw the picture before I read the article and the commentary. At first glance I saw two brothers (siblings), then I said hmm maybe they're comfortable friends or gay comfortable friends that aren't doing each other and then I thought maybe they are doing each other. I thought whichever scenario it may be, it's a nice picture.
I really wish that folks would put more effort into their own lives so that their BS wouldn't spill into others' business.
smdh

[Dan]

A lovely photo. Sweet affection between two men. How could such a pic create such negativity? How sad ...

[ff]

it's a cute picture. unfortunately some people will read into it or find negative connotations, but I think that simply reflects on the commentators and not the 2 guys in the picture.

...casting stones in glass houses...

[mechadude2001]

And why is some nosey ass stranger taking their pic in the first damn place? Surely, if one is in Atlanta, they've seen gay, black men.
Probably some, bitter biatch that can't get a man.

[fabian tomas]

sigh, sigh, sigh....people really have some twisted souls...it's a sweet, heartwarming pic...their sexuality is not important...for all we know they could be brothers...i salute them for being brave, bold and secure enough to some such gentleness in public

Haters step off, get a life and get some love in your soul!

[Mychaeltodd]

Atlanta is a city of choice for msm relationships, Atlanta needs to be more tolerate of the gay population. Whatever the reason or lifestyle of these young men, it's none of our business- stay out of other peoples relationship and work on your own.- Min.Mychaeltodd