VIDEO: Are Black Gay Men Included in the "Gay Agenda"?

The answer is "no", says Watu Jackson.

"If you look at the 'gay agenda', they have been fighting for years to get to where there are and they haven't included Blacks but there have been a few notable exceptions. But they have fought for years ... to get their images on the screen, like the gay couple on Scandal, Glee and on the bigger screen. ... Until we come to together to support one another to have a combine voice, which is much stronger than one voice, [Black men] we remain where there are today. Struggling."

Watu also takes issues with the lack of minorities in How to Survive a Plague, the Academy Award-nominated documentary about the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Black and Latino communities have been hard hit by the epidemic since the late 1980s. The epicenter of the domestic epidemic is Black America. The latest surveillance data reports young Black gay and bisexual men have been more affected by HIV/AIDS than any "other population in the world."

Watch the video AFTER THE JUMP ...

Watu Jackson hosts WA2TV.

Comments

[Gee Gee]

So very true!! When the entire agenda of "Gay Equalization" is ever discussed, it does not include black and latino (unless they appear white washed)gay men.

[iama{GAY}tekeeper known as thegaytekeeper]

TOO TRUE!

[Jim Steele]

He's right. We have to be No.1 on our OWN agenda. If you look at the independent films, Web shows and the dead but not forgotten best series of all times (in my opinion) "Noah's Arc," LGBT people of color are in charge. I learned long ago to quit looking at THEIR list/agenda/favorites/spokespeople and look at OUR folks, a long time ago.

[Evan]

What does the "gay agenda" have to do with fictional television programs?

[Jim Steele]

It's all about storytelling. Within those fictional stories true issues are explained/exposed/examined from our point of view.

[Black Pegasus]

The Black Gay Agenda (for the moment) appears to be the propagation of flamboyant buffoons on television and mass ignorance about sex safe practices.

[elg]

During a conversation years ago, a white gay activist/friend told me something I have never forgotten. He said that the only thing that "gay people" have in common is their sexual orientation (I do not recall the context in which this was said).

My take on what my white gay activist friend said (not saying this is what he meant) is that white gay men are typically not interested in black gay men unless they are attracted to black men sexually. This does not mean that white gay men are bad people, it just means that they are human like you and me. I mean are any of you interested in the well-being of gay men you don't know and/or have no personal interest in?

White gay activists are not going to change their "agenda" because some black LGBT people don't like it. Especially since what they are doing is working right now!

If a critical mass of black gay men have a "black gay agenda", they should get together and put it out there. It's not hard. Just do it.

In the meantime, it's every black gay man for himself - meaning it's up to each black gay man to work diligently on his personal/professional development and build strategic alliances and "connections" with productive people. Of course, in order to build connections with productive people you have to be a productive person yourself. This seems obvious, but I'll say it anyway: people who are connected to you are much more likely to be interested in your concerns and problems then people who are not connected to you.

[Black Pegasus]

@ elg

Thank you for that comment. It brings a different perspective worth examining.

[TheRevKev]

Just like this BEAUTIFUL BROTHER, it is about US taking control of our own imagery, images and image-making. The powerful thing about social media AND our collective access to media is that WE need to support our own books, internet shows, radio podcasts and such! IT IS ON US! I am on Rod2.0 and watching this brother's video BECAUSE I SUPPORT US!

They said that people at the networks aren't supporting us enough and that's TRUE! We are NOT doing the WORK to buy a book or download a cd OR show up for each other. When we do that, collectively, and simply support, we show up IN AND AS NUMBERS!

I don't care anything about the white gay culture as it relates to HOW I do what I do, but I look at ALL of Black Gay Male couples whom I know who deserve love and support. I look at young POC SGL brothers who are struggling and striving to find their own way and they are looking AT US, the older Black gay male community, for role models and imagery.

IT

IS

ON

US.

We have the cameras and the pens and the scripts and the abilities to write OUR OWN AGENDA! We have got to say that and see that and realize that WE --BLACK AND BROWN GAY MEN--are responsible for taking our lives by the balls and FIGHT!

We can't talk about GLEE or FASHION QUEENS or RHOblank until we come together. The greater point is that WE MUST BE A COLLECTIVE! We need to CHANNEL our efforts and energies into a collective voice!

THANK YOU WATU.

THANK YOU ROD.

THANK YOU BROTHERS...#NOWWHAT!