Are Black Male Celebs and Athletes More Homophobic?

PHOTO: GETTY

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said that he would "absolutely not" have an issue with a gay teammate ... but you may not have heard this or other recent pro-gay statements made by several Black athletes and celebrities. My latest for The Black AIDS Institute: "Black Male Celebs and Homophobia: One Stereotype, Yet Many Perspective"

The perception of pervasive homophobia within the Black community, especially among Black men, has evolved into a media narrative. Yet while Chris Culliver's remarks created a firestorm, other Black athletes and entertainers made pro-gay statements around the same time frame that received nowhere near the amount of attention as Culliver's comments. Those comments paint a more nuanced story about homophobia among prominent Black men, as well as within Black America.

Read it HERE.

Comments

[MAHAKALA]

toxic black masculinity is a problem-dead kids in Chicago = 68% black male unemployment; white supremacist prison industrial complex = black private colleges are broke; we need Black Jesus.

[Chitown Kev]

only in the minds of racist white gays.

Not to say that some black male athletes and celebs aren't.

I don't see any of these white gays pointing to the homophobia of lesbian looking white women because of Michelle Schocked's statements.

[Quinton]

>>> only in the minds of racist white gays.

You'd better preach, Chitown!
Michelle Shocked says something outrageously homophobic and it is rightly attributed to one ex-gay who is off of her meds. If she were black, the entire narrative would be "black people are soooo homophobic." It seems like black people are always judged as an entire group for the actions of one or two random black people.

[Derrick from Philly]

Thanks for the article, Rod.

I absolutley agree, Quinton and Chitown Kev and Mahakala.

Over and over again we've seen Black folks targeted as a whole race for the behavior of some Black homophobes. It's not fair. But it's a tactic that some White Gays use over and over again.

"You Blacks ought to know better than to discriminate against another minority," that's what they say. But as you pointed out, Rod, they rarely acknowledge those Blacks who support civil rights for Gay folks.

The Black folks who are not for civil rights for Gays seem to delight them and get most of the attention.

But how many White Gays dislike and discriminate against Blacks? A lot.

Yes, ChiTown Kev and I have dealt with this unfairness many times on Towleroad. Why do we keep trying on that blog? I can't speak for ChiTown Kev, but every time I think I've weaned myself from commenting on Andy's blog somebody will write something that I just HAVE to respond to. But I'm not ashamed of being a regular there for 8 years. At age fifty-five, I don't care what they (Black or White) think of me. If you're not hunting for dingdong anymore--well, you don't care.

[Jim J]

I read Outsports, the gay sports blog, and it is replete with stories about straight allies.

http://www.outsports.com/2013/3/8/4080284/rashad-evans-ufc-gay-marriage-supreme-court

http://www.outsports.com/2012/12/27/4054120/2012-outsports-year-in-review-the-rise-of-the-straight-ally

http://www.outsports.com/2013/2/4/4054274/14-more-nfl-players-who-would-be-supportive-of-a-gay-teammate

Just for a few. THE NEWS IS MOSTLY GOOD ON THIS TOPIC.