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Rockmond Dunbar on Homophobia, HIV Awareness Among Black Men

A nice surprise. Rockmond Dunbar covers the latest issue of HIV Plus. The wide-ranging interview with the actor covers everything from his newest series Sons of Anarchy to homophobia in Black Hollywood.

Of note: The star of Prison Break and Soul Food says that he was "punished" for working on Patrik-Ian Polk's critically acclaimed feature PUNKS.

You had a really well-received role in the indie film Punks, a film about black gay men. What was the reaction to it? I was punished for taking that role. Equally applauded and parodied.

Did that change how you felt about the role? I still believe you do a role because it will change someone’s life. Regardless of the stones that are thrown, I did it with no regrets. I am an artist.

At the time, you told The Advocate that other actors wouldn’t take the role because of the kissing scene with another man. That was a decade ago. Is that fear still there among actors? Yes, the fear never goes away when your concern is how you will be perceived in the industry.

What kind of support have you gotten from the gay community? Tons of support. The most inspirational support was from E. Lynn Harris, a great writer and human being. I was invited to his house for dinner, and not only did he welcome me, but he was overt in his support and celebration of me as a heterosexual actor and the work I had done on-screen.

Also: There is a great section on HIV/AIDS awareness within the Black community. Dunbar is especially proud of the work that he is doing with the Black AIDS Institute's Greater Than AIDS campaign.

You played a closeted gay man with HIV on Private Practice. That was a really interesting arc. Did you empathize with the character? Yes, because being who you are and living freely is the most important thing we can do as people. His wife knew that he was sad because he was living a lie, and all she wanted for him was to embrace the truth—be who he was and she would still love him.

One of the charities you work with is the Black AIDS Institute. Why that organization in particular? The Black AIDS Institute is headed by Phill Wilson. Here is a man who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk. He’s a survivor for over 20 years with HIV. He knows what it means to be tested and receive that call. He also knows that hope can be found and full, productive lives created with the support of organizations like the Black AIDS Institute and the community at large. As they say, we are Greater Than AIDS.

Dunbar made a guest appearance on the second season of Noah's Arc, the short-lived series created by Polk on LOGO that has been critically-acclaimed and gained a cult following. The actor also played gay as the lead character in Maurice Jamal's Dirty Laundry. See our review and interview in The Advocate.

Get into the full interview HERE.

The epicenter of the domestic HIV epidemic remains in Black America. Blacks represent only 12% of the nation’s population but account for 44% of all new HIV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Controls.

There has been a soaring number of seroconversions among Black men who have sex with men.  The trend has been particularly “alarming” among Black MSM aged 13 to 19, according to the CDC. New infections have increased by 48 percent between 2006 and 2009. Black poz MSM are also least likely to be aware of their status—59 percent unaware vs.  26 percent for white MSM. The numbers for positive younger Black MSM are even more startling: 71 percent are unaware of their infection.

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Rockmond Dunbar Joins "Noah"
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VIDEO: Black Celebrities "Greater Than AIDS"
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NYT Best Selling Author E. Lynn Harris Dies at 54

UPDATE: Server problems because of traffic.

Best selling black and openly gay author Everette Lynn Harris passed away overnight. He was on a book tour of the West Coast and only 54 years old.

Harris' work dealt with black gay culture, homophobia, religion and the black community. The plots—often featured around sports or entertainment—were a huge success with black women and made him a fixture on black talk radio. Harris was a passionate University of Arkansas Razorbacks fan and returned to his alma mater a visiting professor in the English department. Harris also recently became a mentor and father figure to two college students and athletes. "He was a very loving and involved dad," adds director Patrik Ian Polk.

In January, Harris wrote his 11th novel, Basketball Jones. The plot was ripped from the headlines about a closeted professional basketball player and a blackmail scandal. The book also featured the character of a well-known black gay blogger, which Harris said was inspired by this blog. Harris told Rod 2.0 the story came to him after a call from the manager of an NBA player. "The player wanted my advice because they were being blackmailed and were thinking about coming out. I was not told his name, or what team he played for, only that he might call and was considering coming out of the closet. ... So I started thinking, 'What if there were a professional basketball player who was involved with a man and wanted to come out?'"

Reportedly the author went into cardiac arrest last night after having dinner in Beverly Hills. Harris recently complained of his health and the stress of the book tour.

The news broke this morning across Twitter, the uber-popular instant message social networking platform. Patrik Ian Polk (@PatrikIanPolk), the director and creator of Noah's Arc, was supposed to meet Harris this afternoon for lunch and Tweets the details to Rod 2.0: "I called the [Peninsula Hotel] in Beverly Hills, to confirm lunch and hopefully laugh about the erroneous reports of his death. When the operator transferred me to a hotel manager, I knew something strange was up. This is unbelievable."

Polk adds that Lynn was visiting with one of his son's frat brothers "when he went into cardiac arrest ... I'm in shock. To have just spoken to him yesterday afternoon, this is hard to believe."

Keith Boykin adds: "Cedars-Sinai Hospital told Lynn's agent that [he] died Thursday night and his body is being transferred to the coroner's office." Harris' novel I Say a Little Prayer included a cameo by Boykin, marking his first appearance in a novel. Boykin's tribute to Harris is at The Daily Voice.

The Detroit native stormed the literary scene in 1994 with Invisible Life, an originally self-published story of bisexual Raymond Tyler. That and the sequel Just As I Am were among the earliest in a new wave of black gay literature that popularized and humanized black gay and bisexual literary characters. Harris was picked up by publishing giant Doubleday and had a string of best selling novels, including Any Way the Wind Blows, Abide with Me, Not a Day Goes By, and I Say a Little Prayer. Harris also wrote a memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, another New York Times best seller. Harris ultimately had ten  New York Times best sellers. This feat has never been rivaled by any black author.

On a personal level: Lynn was a friend, a mentor and a very strong supporter of  Rod 2.0. Before meeting in Chicago in the mid 90s, we actually had friends in common for several years and his ex, also named Roderick, was a mutual friend. (The joke was "Which Rod? 'Lynn' Rod or 'Rod Rod'?") Years later, when we finally met, ELH was guarded but extremely loving and giving. Lynn was very supportive of me last year during a personal problem and offered help, which I humbly refused. More importantly: Lynn never lost the common touch. Lynn often made Rod 2.0 his first stop on interviews and many times personally responded to comments, supportive and negative, via email. Classy to the end.

Thanks @PatrikIanPolk!

You May Have Missed...
E. Lynn Harris on New Novel "Basketball Jones" [R20]
A Conversation with E. Lynn Harris [R20]
We Don't Feel Welcome Here [R20]
Say A Little Prayer: ELH Interview [R20]

Amazon Claims "Glitch" to Blame for De-Ranking LGBT Authors

Over the weekend, "hundreds of gay and lesbian books" written by authors from James Baldwin to E. Lynn Harris "simultaneously lost their sales rankings" as Amazon.com arbitrarily re-classified the titles as "adult". Author Mark R. Probst made the discovery while searching for his gay youth-themed novel The Filly. After contacting Amazon, he received this response:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude “adult” material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.

Much of the outrage spread across the internets via Twitter and by Sunday "it took just an hour for the hashtag #amazonfail to become the top trending topic on the site", Publishers Weekly reports.

LiveJournal community MetaWriter is tracking de-ranked LGBT titles. Classics such as James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain and E.M. Forster's Maurice were among those losing their sales rankings, as well as numerous contemporary titles by black gay authors such as E. Lynn Harris, Frederick Smith and Nathan James.  "I am incensed, because ALL of my books have lost their Amazon rankings," James tells Rod 2.0. "The Flesh To Flesh anthology has actually been made unavailable.  The page says "we don't know when, or if, this book will be available again."

Flesh to Flesh anthology edited by Lee Hayes, as well as some other titles, are now available.  Contrary to the explanation given to Mark R. Probst, an Amazon spokesperson tells Publishers Weekly  "a glitch had occurred in its sales ranking feature that was in the process of being fixed. The spokesperson added that there was no new adult policy." Glitch or not, making books harder to find on the basis of their content is never a good idea. And at the same time many LGBT titles were randomly de-ranked and re-classified as "adult", Amazon had "vibrators and anal plugs available in their search system with sales ranks attached."

How you can contact Amazon AFTER THE JUMP.

Rod 2.0 Exclusive: E. Lynn Harris on His New Novel "Basketball Jones"

Basketball Jones debuted yesterday and is the brand new novel from E. Lynn Harris. If it performs as well as his last three novels, the book will quickly climb the New York Times Bestseller List. The plot is ripped from the headlines and the situations will be intimately familiar with black gay audiences. The closeted professional basketball player. The secret boyfriend kept in luxury. The players who suspect their teammate and his "boy" are more than just "friends." The homophobia commonly accepted in professional sports and the black community.

The story behind Basketball Jones is eerily similar to two recent cases in the headlines involving professional basketball players who may or may not be closeted.

"The story came to me in the form of a gift," the bestselling novelist told Rod 2.0 yesterday after he appeared on The Tom Joyner Show.  "Some time ago I got a call from the representative of an NBA player. The player wanted my advice because they were being blackmailed and were thinking about coming out. I was not told his name, or what team he played for, only that he might call and was considering coming out of the closet." Harris says that phone call never came—"For about a week I carried my cell phone with me everywhere and answered it on the first ring"—so he started to consider the possibilities. What if there were a professional basketball player who was involved with a man and wanted to come out?

Harris sat down for a short interview with Rod 2.0—we're friends and this is his second interview with the blog—to discuss Basketball Jones, how he developed the characters of NBA star Dray Jones and boyfriend AJ Richardson ... oh and the truth behind the persistent rumors about Harris' real-life involvement with a closeted professional athlete.

The story behind how Dray met AJ is simple, it's very sweet and there is instant identification with many gay men, especially black gay men.
Thanks, that was my goal. Most of the athletes I've known tend to be attracted to smarter guys. Intelligent, goal-oriented, brains. Since they met in college, it didn't seem like AJ and Dray would travel in the same circles. AJ is a serious student and I could see him coming from a single family and needed to make some money. Tutoring. We've all seen football and basketball players who were tutored in calculus or chemistry. Many gay men tutored athletes in high school or college.

Their relationship grows from there ...
Absolutely. When AJ graduates and Dray is drafted, Dray basically says, "You're moving with me." After he is traded to another team Dray says, "I'm getting traded. I'm bought you another house in the same city, here are the keys." AJ doesn't complain. He has a great house, brand new car, shopping sprees, doesn't have to work ... But no one can know the real relationship so it's hush-hush.

So it's like the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Except these are boys?
(Laughing) Okay! Now that would be a "real" show!

AJ is comfortable in the supportive role and he has come out to his mother. But there are many unspoken rules. They have separate houses in the same city. They travel separately. They're supposed to be friends. Even AJ's best friend Maurice doesn't know the truth and that is a major bone of contention between them. They get into a huge argument and it strains their friendship.

This is all because Dray can't come out. Or let's be honest, he won't come out.
Dray wants to be honest about his life but coming out is not for everybody. It has a lot has to do with supportive family, station in life, income, occupation and let's not forget if you're black there is church, your extended family and your neighbors. There are a lot of people depending upon Dray. Professional athletes are often paying for the homes of several family members, college tuition, saving for when their career is over in ten years ... I can't pass judgment. If there were no homophobia in our culture, in our black community or in sports, it would be different. 

Of course there is a love triangle. With a woman.
That's the down side to this or any closeted relationship. The athletes are going to have to date women unless they want people to start to suspect. that's what happens here, Dray's teammates begin to suspect and talk, so he starts dating a woman and that explodes into a larger situation.

AJ always told himself he knew this day would come. So at first AJ didn't mind. They have a very solid relationship, so it is no big deal when I see the ball player I'm dating on Page Six with a model, it's just for show and—

Wait a minute. You said, "When I see the ball player I'm dating on Page Six with a model." Now is a good time to bring it up: There was a huge rumor last year on the black gossip blogs and on the scene that you were involved with a pro football player.

(Laughing) Well, there is some truth to any rumor. Maybe it's been more than one athlete? HaHa.

In all honesty, yes, I have some experience. But I wasn't the AJ, the kept man, so to speak. But many gay men have this experience, maybe you are involved with a businessman who can't come out, a well-respected doctor, a married man or just a man who is closeted. You learn to make compromises and appreciate other things when you can't see each other. A text message takes on significance, "I scored so and so during the game, miss you."

Dray and AJ's secret relationship, the love triangle with the woman, AJ continuing to see Dray after he marries this woman ... Your critics say you focus on these "down low" stories and love triangles with women and ignore black gay men who are out and comfortable with their sexuality.

People are not neat and tidy. We are complex and layered, and the more successful you are, the more complex your life becomes. It's harder for black gay men and many of us are closeted or know people who are. But someone will always criticize, seriously, if I wrote books about the happy black gay couple in the suburbs .... everyone would say it wasn't realistic!

Rod, I'm glad you brought that up because you have always been fair to me and that's what I came you. I love Rod 2.0 and check it every day. You've been talking a lot about sports, basketball and homophobia and your audience will probably enjoy Basketball Jones. But more importantly, I wanted to tell your readers and black gay men I haven't abandoned them. I am writing some books for women but am never leaving my roots.

Basketball Jones debuted yesterday.
Tour dates and locations at ELynn Harris.com

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A Conversation with E. Lynn Harris [R20]
We Don't Feel Welcome Here [R20]
Say A Little Prayer: ELH Interview [R20]

BlackVoices Pays Tribute to Notable Black Gay Men and Lesbians

Just in time for gay pride, AOL/Blackvoices produces a thoughtful microsite devoted to Famous Gay African-Americans. The editors went beyond the usual suspects and devoted slides and bios to 29 contemporary and historical men and women, and, some of the choices were surprising. On the historical side, there is Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, as well as women such as the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, author Octavia Butler, and singers Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. The sexuality of these women is often ignored by mainstream and black media, so their inclusion was commendable.

On the contemporary side, there are bios of Rod 2.0 faves such as Darryl Stephens, Billy Porter and Maurice Jamal, as well as producer/director Lee Daniels, Sheryl Swoopes, Angela Y. Davis, E. Lynn Harris, Kevin Aviance and many others. Several of the inclusions are questionable, such as The Wire's Felecia Snoop Pearson, who is openly lesbian and tells Jasmyne Cannick she has "no thoughts" on homophobia or anti-gay discrimination. Meanwhile, Jasmyne Cannick and Keith Boykin did not make the list.

The new gay and lesbian microsite is a welcome improvement to some of Blackvoice's more superficial recent content.

Thanks Katina and Lynne

Book Review: "Three Sides to Every Story" by Clarence Nero

Conventional wisdom says there are two sides to every story. But that's not the case in the latest novel by Clarence Nero. Three Sides to Every Story is a sizzling love story set in fabulous, pre-Katrina New Orleans that is seasoned with delightful characters and a wonderful black, gay aesthetic.

Johnny and Tonya are high school sweethearts who, like the author, grew up in the historic Ninth Ward. Tonya is a curvaceous tenderoni. Johnny is described as " a tall, chocolate specimen, six-four to be exact; lean, muscled arms with tattoos, long legs; a wide, solid chest; a nice, gorgeous ass." He is also a former football star, son of a prominent preacher and struggling with "gay feelings."

Ashford & Simpson to Debut "Invisible Life"

In a few weeks, the legendary Ashford & Simpson will open the fall season at Feinstein's with songs from their new musical, “Invisible Life.” That production is based on the novel by E. Lynn Harris and will debut later this year in Washington DC. Broadway veteran George Faison will direct and auditions took place last month in Los Angeles.

“Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: An Evening With Ashford and Simpson" will open September 12 at Feinstein's. Besides the new music, the show will feature some of their top hits, such as "I'm Every Woman," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Solid." Personally, we are sooo excited about their cabaret act. This is probably asking too much, but is there any chance in heaven they would perform the fabulous "Bourgie Bourgie"?

Previously:

E. Lynn Harris in The Advocate (Rod 2.0) A Conversation with E. Lynn Harris (Rod 2.0) "We Don't Feel Welcome There" (Rod 2.0) Say a Little Prayer: ELH Interview (Rod 2.0) Diahann! Live! (Rod 2.0)

RockaCandy interviews Raz B, who explains how B2K became ripped-up teenyboppers: "We would do that out of fun and being stupid because all of us had to look tight. In the "Uh Huh" video we were ripped; we were on low carb diets and stuff for a month."

· E. Lynn Harris on the level of disrespect within our own community; "I'm currently writing a character in his 40's who is trying to date. He's looking for a long term relationship, so I looked at all these boards on the internet. The stuff people write! No fats, no femmes, no whites, no queens. It's mean spirited! And I think we've always treated each other that way." ELH brings up a very serious issue which segues into a study that we saw at FoBrothas—Do We Treat Each Other Worst Than The Str8s? Sadly, sometimes that answer is yes.

· MSNBC reports on gay Muslims in the UK, profiling a 30 year-old man named Ubaid who is also the secretary of Imaan, Briatin's only lgbt Muslim group: "Imaan's members feel like they are targets of both a wider society that discriminates against Muslims, and a Muslim community that sees homosexuality as a Western disease. 'Now we're dealing with Islamaphobia within the gay community, and Muslims who say gays can't be Muslims' Ubaid said."

· Ann Coulter doesn't deny plagiarism charges levelled by the New York Post. Instead, she zings the tabloid: "How crappy a newspaper is the Post? Let me put it this way: It's New York's second-crappiest paper." We're assuming that the first would be the Times. BTW, Coulter's syndicator, UPI, has asked for a copy of the plagiarism report.

Danyel Smith returns to Vibe as the EIC. Danyel penned the critically-acclaimed Bliss and had been editor of Vibe from 1997 to 1999. "I have always been a strong supporter and believer in the VIBE brand, and I am thrilled to rejoin as editor-in-chief." We're thrilled that you're returning.

· Black leaders call on churches to address HIV/AIDS. About 75 black ministers in Washington DC gathered for a summit to boost awareness and encourage pastors to discuss testing and prevention with their congregations. HIV rates in the District are up to 12 times the national average and some pastors think local churches shoulder the blame. "If you bash people from the pulpit and focus on sin, you aren't doing it like Jesus did," says Rev. Christine Y. Wiley of the gay-friendly Covenant Baptist Church, which offers HIV testing and condoms. "This issue has been out here so long, and now people are realizing the church hasn't had a significant impact—and it could."

· Apparently E. Lynn Harris' story about gays and the black church has resonated with many readers. I Say a Little Prayer is still riding high on the New York Times bestseller list. "I'm very happy at the response of African American gay brothers on this book tour," E. Lynn tells Rod 2.0. "People are loving the new book and I'm relieved. I had over 900 last Thursday night in Fort Worth at Bass Hall." The book is now in its second printing after an initial press run of 250,000.

· Rock and roll bad boy Dave Navarro has admitted to sexual "experimentation over the years" but you'll never hear a similar remark from a hip-hop or R&B star. "In the African-American culture, that ain’t happening,” E. Lynn Harris says in a new interview at The Advocate. “There’ve always been rumors of people, but they would never come out. We just lost Luther [Vandross], and Luther could never, ever admit what his sexuality was. I felt sorry for him that he never had the chance to be happy." Also, there is new video of Julie Chen's recent interview with ELH at CBS News This Morning, kindly uploaded by Zaviaer Flowers at Approaching Myself.

· The critically-acclaimed anthology edited by Harris, Freedom in the Village: 25 Years of Black Gay Men's Writing, has been selected as best anthology by the Lambda Literary Awards. (Thanks Bernie and Keith!)

· The Washington Blade profiles D.C. Black Pride and interviews Clarence Fluker, the board president: “The event itself and the spirit in which it started is of utmost importance—to keep that fire burning." This year's event, "Fire 2006", boasts Vivian Green as the headliner.

· Valerie Mason-John—the iconic black lesbian novelist, performance artist and television personality in Britain—has won the Mind "Book of the Year" award for her first novel, Borrowed Body. The critically-acclaimed story is written in voice of a young black girl who grows up in white foster homes and orphanages—loosely based on the author's own childhood.