Queer Kid of Color

Breaking grounds once again on television, LOGO will unveil a new dating show starring Transgender actress/activist Calpernia Addams entitled Transamerican Love Story. The series will debut in Feburary and is hosted by gay fav Alec Mapa and will be set in Los Angeles.

How nice.

So I’m reading an anthology entitled Troubling Intersections of Race and Sexuality. In one of the essays, the essayist writes about a young same gender loving man he interviewed who viewed the word ‘gay’ as a white term. Instead the young man used the words same gender loving. Which made me question, is the terminology we use as different races create another racial divide within the queer community?

Lets face it: the queer community is divided in the respects of sexual identity and race. When it comes to the terms we use, I see that queers of color tend to want to create their own identities and detach themselves from both the gay culture and whiteness. I use the term queer. I’m attracted to spirit and energy. Whether that comes from a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender individual, my love does not exempt anyone. My gender and sexuality is very fluid and I feel that using the term queer helps create that structure for me.

There’s a Black same gender loving female {I love you girl!} who attends my school; who calls herself a dyke. Before meeting her I would never use the word dyke, because I looked at it as a derogatory term. Then, I found out there’s something called a dyke march! So lesbians liked being called this word? I guess it’s in the context you use it in. Minorities have the ability to rise above the hate, the spite and claim things. The N word was used to demean us; now I hear that word at every street corner in Brooklyn! The word queer too was used to demean us. I know Black gay people who hate being called queer, because they look at it as a white term. Unlike, these Black gay people I am not stuck on identity. There’s more to me than that. We need to look above this construct of race. We’re already divided by the color of our skin, do we really need to be divided by labels we use. The question, do the terminology we use as different races create another racial divide in the queer community? Is probably a question best left to the individual themselves.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is, stop labeling yourselves according to your race.

BY THE WAY: Although, I am attracted to all genders, I prefer men.  And I can only see a future with them. Sounds like a contradiction, I know.

Check out his blog. It’s fabulous. He’s thought provoking and even encouraging. Just because he’s a marxists doesn’t mean he’s dumb!

The Blog: Joey Bahamas

Check out this wonderful piece written about the new tv series based on the lives of queer young adults of color, which I am producing.

It’s hot!

Check it out HERE

I rarely endorse bloggers, unless I know they have “it”. And “it” means, you’ll be the blog everyone is going to be talking about in a few weeks. Well, this new blogger, he has “it” all.

 http://rocafella07.blogspot.com

I found this on Harmonica Sunbeam’s Blog:

 ”…THE SECOND SHADY INCIDENT CAME THIS WEEK AS WELL. I WAS INTERVIEWED FOR FLAVALIFE MAGAZINE SOMETIME BACK. AFTER RESPONDING TO NUMEROUS PERSONAL QUESTIONS, I NEVER HEARD FROM THE INTERVIEWER AGAIN(QUEER KID OF COLOR). MONTHS LATER HE HITS ME UP ASKING FOR PICS FOR THE ARTICLE ASAP. I DIDN’T LIKE HIS TONE AT ALL OR THE FACT THAT HE HAD BEEN MIA. I THEN ASKED HIM COULD I AT LEAST SEE THE ARTICLE B4 IT GOES TO PRINT AND I HAVENT HEARD FROM HIM SINCE. I ASSUME THE INTERVIEW WILL STILL BE PUBLISHED JUST PICTURELESS. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR IT AND I WILL TOO. THESE TWO INCIDENTS ONLY SERVE TO MAKE ME A STRONGER PERSON AND I WILL JUST PUT IT DOWN AS ONE OF LIFE’S LESSION.BE WELL AND I SHALL WRITE AGAIN REAL SOON.”

I just want to clarify this: I have nothing but respect and admiration for Harmonica Sunbeam. And I can truly say, I love her. She doesn’t know what influences she has had on me both in my personal and my life as an advocate. I am not in anyway upset, mad, or humored by this. There was just miscommunication and misunderstanding. I’ve tried to explain to her in our emails that things are not going to sound the same. While I never meant to have a bad tone, it came off that way in the email. Emails are subjective and it is up to the reader to clarify its tone.

Harmonica Sunbeam if you are in anyway offended, I apologize again.

This is in regards to the blog that Darryl Stephens posted on his myspace page in response to his outing {?}

While I admire Darryl Stephens, whom by the way is one of my fav interviewees, I don’t think he quite understands celebridom.

Darryl Stephens:

“i had planned to share with you all my inclusion in this year’s OUT 100… but something strange (although not totally unexpected) happened.  some folks in the gay blogosphere picked up on the story of my “coming out” and somehow managed to twist the whole situation into yet another criticism of how i’m handling myself.  rather than draw attention to the bitterness, and indirectly send all of you running to my defense, i chose to just let the story run it’s course and not give the situation any real credence.  i’ve already expressed how i feel about people who talk shit from the invisible safety of their computer chairs.  it really wasn’t that big a deal.  i was honestly surprised that so many people cared to talk about me at all…”

Darryl it is that big of a deal. When you have people who admire you, the most visible Black Gay Man {aside from RuPaul}, everything you do becomes a big deal. Because people listen to you. When you came out, you exercised a bit of your power. I guarantee you, you’ve inspired others to reevalute themselves and gave them that extra push.

I have 6 sisters. Four of whom I grew up with. I have three brothers. 1 of whom I grew up with. I sometimes wonder if I had a father in my life, maybe I wouldn’t have turned out queer. But then again, lots of men grow up with fathers and still turn out to be gay. Maybe my sisters had a lot to do with my queerness? Maybe they some how influenced me?

I just want to know why I’m a queer.
 

 The Star of Noah’s Arc, and arguably one of the finest Black actors has come out of the closet .

Darryl Stephens is gay? That’s cute for him.