Liminality and Black Male Bisexuality in America

by Cordero Vigil

The troublesome experience of the Black male bisexual lingers like no other. Not that I’m a statistician, but the identity of a Black male who says that he likes both sexes is always being called into question. Is this one of the influences of American dichotomies?

Bisexuality in the Black community differs from other ethnic groups because of stigmas associated with masculinity. I have personally met with more men outside of the Black race having mates comfortable with them “testing the waters” in comparison to many of my own Black friends and acquaintances. When a Black male fulfills the curiosity of intimacy with the same sex, he is crossing the point of no return.

A Black man’s masculinity suddenly disappears when he states that he’s slept with a man. Whether it is curiosity or not, the intermingling of heterosexuality and homosexuality can only be taboo, which sadly forces a Black man to choose one or the other. However, the idea of two women engaging in intercourse is often eroticized by society, thus the subject of curiosity and bisexuality ceases. The image of a woman on a woman suddenly becomes a spectacle.

What happens next? The transcendent issue of the “down low” appears. This horrid, haunting term seems to surface whenever a Black man discusses the issue of same-sex interaction. Having the desire of engaging in intercourse with the same sex—for the Black male—leads to some affinity with betrayal. Some women may ask “Are you gay?” or “Are you trying to play with my emotions?” And within a moments notice, a Black man is being accused of passing the HIV virus to a woman.

What is the result of this problem? Alienation. Men who desire to “fix” this problem without the knowledge of the female “other” are forced to venture into clubs, looking for what American society knows as a “hookup.” If a Black man wants to hold on to the trivial idea of masculinity given to him by American society, he has to keep curiosity in the shadows. Outwardly demonstrating the desire to explore same-sex sexuality and enacting it only brings more problems than many can bear.

What does the Black man have to choose? An identity? Masculinity? Happiness?

A Fierce Cat on the Prowl

by Kemi James

“What?!”

“Are you serious? Are you kidding me?”

“No way. No. Way. Absolutely freakin’ no way!”

“Dude, Nick Faldo all the way.”

“Justin Leonard.”

“Jon Daly.”

“No. Davis Love III, guys!”

“It’s gotta be [Phil] Mickelson’s turn.”

“He has a slim chance, but maybe he’ll turn up in the top 10 on the leaderboard.”

And on and on it went.

On Thursday, April 10, 1997, before history class began at Gonzaga College High School, Mr. Favret, my fascinating, sports fanatic teacher, asked a simple question: “Who will win the Masters? From the discussion above, the “He” in question was Tiger Woods, and the majority of the students in the predominantly-white classroom grew restless—shifting taciturn natures into a collective, animated frenzy.

Different opinions had come up—why it would be hard for Tiger to win, why Tiger’s too “green,” why the other pro golfers had better chances due to experience, why the competition was too stiff.

Why, why, why.

My classmates’ theories were not racist or ignorant. In fact, their rebuttals were somewhat valid. My fellow classmates had more opportunities and fortunes, especially in their overall knowledge of golf, which I couldn’t even fathom as a wide-eyed black teen, who witnessed some of the horrors of the crack epidemic on the doorsteps of my junior high school. They interned as caddies for semi-pro and pro-am players; they set foot on beautiful golf courses around the world; they mingled, wined, and dined several times at galas and other occasions in elite country clubs; and as much of a sports fanatic myself, it was they who really knew the difference in relation to a four-iron, a three-wood, and a wedge.

At that the same time, I had followed some of Tiger’s budding career on TV, long before the courtesy of YouTube, watching replays of his now-famous appearance as a two-year-old on The Mike Douglas Show in the late 1970s on ESPN, and later catching highlights of his dominance in the USGA (United States Golf Association) Amateur Championship three straight times in the 1990s on The George Michael Sports Machine on Channel 4.

Mr. Favret asked other students if they had any favorites, if they thought Tiger could gnaw through the competition. There were few students of color in Mr. Favret’s World History class, but I raised my hand meekly. So did my friends Matt and Jason. Greg wasn’t into sports, just astrophysics and roller coasters, so he kept his uninterested comments to himself—to avoid joining the bawdy banter. And the guy named Other Matt? Well, let’s just say that if Tiger Woods were to run for president today, he’d vote for the Other Guy…

It was clear that Mr. Favret was interested in hearing “other” perspectives, so that he could hear positions based on compassion, add a counter-balance to the student’s heated debate, or just out of plain, old curiosity. It was interesting that we brothers, let alone the Asian and Latino kids, could voice an “authoritarian” point of view with the rest of the students, since we three (or on good days, four of us) never really viewed this vanilla sport of white-bread players hitting an alabaster-colored ball amongst the trees and amid galleries into a tiny hole for 18 rounds everyday for four days.

School and early afternoon broadcasts made it difficult to keep up-to-date and see which predictions would come true. But on Saturday and Sunday, halfway through the Masters tournament, it was evident that this “cat” came to play. For the first time in my life, I focused on a man so intriguing with the cool nickname of “Tiger” and his geriatric caddy named “Fluff.” My eyes were glued to them as they ambled down Amen Corner and other landmarks on the famed Augusta golf course.

Like those who saw Jesse Owens crush the competition in Berlin’s 1936 Olympics and thumb his nose to the belief of Aryan supremacy; or cheer Muhammad Ali in 1961, as he stunned the world by beating Sonny Liston, after his imprisonment for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War; or saw Michael Jordan wag his tongue, soar high and cheat gravity (more than the standard 9.8 meters per second squared) with the Chicago Bulls, I captured the moment of a new legend in the making.

Tiger Woods set many unheard-of records that day, including an outstanding 12-stroke win. His fundamentally sound technique was regarded as something only imaginable in a video game. His ferocious swing on every tee, on a total of 72 holes, consistently created a sonic boom heard from Georgia to the Himalayas and back.

More importantly, it is true that he would not have been as triumphant and successful were it not for the black golfers before him like Pete Brown, Lee Elder and Charlie Sifford, to whom Woods gave credence. For these soldiers, as well as Tiger’s own father Earl—who became the first black student athlete to play baseball at Kansas State University in 1951, shunned by bigotry and discrimination, overcoming racial barriers—paved the way so that the African-American superstar athletes of today, like Woods, could flourish.

On Monday, April 14, 1997, after the whole debacle cleared and the weekend passed—Matt, Jason, and I strutted proudly into that Forte Hall classroom like peacocks. None of our classmates mustered enough courage or care to go into the details of Tiger’s phenomenal win. My boys and I didn’t mention it either. We didn’t need to. The results said it all. We—and the whole sporting world—saw our generation’s Owens, our Ali, our Jordan that day. Our Tiger. I, along with my brothers, smiled, because that Sunday, a tall black man wearing red and a plush tiger head on his driver, clawed his way down the path of the pantheon of sports gods.

There are those who question Tiger’s tepid response to fellow golfer Fuzzy Zoeller’s racist remarks as to what type of food (“fried chicken and collard greens”) would be served at the Masters champion reception in 1997; those who question his “caublinasian” ethnicity, a phrase he coined on The Oprah Winfrey Show; and those who question his marriage to a Swedish au pair. There is no need to address these thorny issues, however, because they detract attention from his talents and did not surface until his killer instinct, competitiveness and drive for excellence dove into the public atmosphere a decade ago.

Now he’s famous; but back then, he wasn’t a household name. Back then, both optimists and skeptics didn’t know—no way, no freakin’ way—that Eldrick “Tiger” Woods would swing us, with his mighty grip, into his illustrious lair of a stellar career.

Additional Resources

Cole, Cam. (2007, April 4). Decade of Dominance. Vancouver Sun.

On This Day | April 13, 1997: Tiger Woods wins Masters at 21. BBC News.

Can You Hear Me Now?

by Zacch Estrada-Petersen

“If I treat you kindly, does it mean that I’m weak? You hear me speak and think I won’t take it to the streets.” ~ Lauryn Hill

The way I talk has always been a matter of concern for some. Partially due to the fact that I grew up in three diverse regions (the North, the South and the Caribbean) with three distinct accents, I’ve learned to tailor the way I speak to the audience at hand.

When I’m with my friends, I talk as they talk. When I’m in class, I’m as professional and as studious-sounding as the best of them. When I’m with my family, you would think I was still on the beaches of St. Thomas, where I spent a number of my earlier years.

In that regard, I consider myself a social chameleon. What some people might deem as being fake or selling out, I see simply as an ability to adapt to any given situation and make it a comfortable experience for all parties involved.

The person I am doesn’t change; just the way I communicate. If I flew today to the backwoods of Indonesia (or somewhere), I can’t speak pure, freshwater American English and expect to get my point across. I would have to speak their language. My current situation is no different. The same “What it is, homie?” that I use with my best friend would probably win me a blank stare from my college professor. The same “Good morning, how might I be of assistance?” would probably fly better with my clients than it would with my roommate.

Taking the time to find the most effective way to communicate with different groups is something you could assume would be met with praise and gratitude. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Especially when I use complicated terms and I’m extra careful about pronouncing all my words, I’m accused of “forgetting” who I am.

I’ve noticed in the Black community that being educated and speaking professionally is seen as elitist. Among Black men especially, you’re viewed as soft. You’re accused of “talking white” and being an Uncle Tom – a derogatory term used to describe “an African-American who is perceived by others as behaving in a subservient manner to White American authority figures.”

If you ask me, having a lack of proper grammar is an educational deficiency that knows no racial boundary. Whereas popular Black figures like Nelly glorify “country grammar” as a way of life, I see it as having its own time and place to be spoken, if at all.

There is a debilitating stigma among some Blacks in regards to education and professionalism that isn’t as prevalent among Whites and other groups. In other communities, education is applauded. It’s rewarded not only with respect, but often with well-paid jobs and quick promotions.

In some Black circles, formal education comes second to street-smarts, and might even be seen as non-essential; maybe even counter-productive. I can still recall watching “Dangerous Minds” in middle school, and my confusion when the Black mother pulled her kids out of school and cursed out the White teacher for teaching them poetry.

Having a sense of professionalism and an awareness of the appropriateness of time and place is more about finding a middle ground than it is about switching sides. If my speech changes when talking to White people, it’s not because I want to “be White,” it’s because I want to be understood, whether my audience is White, Black or purple.

Ultimately, the whole purpose of speech is to effectively communicate. Regardless of what color my skin may be, the question is… can you hear me now?

Movie Review: Silence - In Search of Black Female Sexuality

by Esther Coleman

Silence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality is a no holds barred documentary aiming to tear down myths and reveal the truth about black female sexuality. I had the opportunity to screen this dynamic film a few weeks ago at which the director, Mya B. addressed why she wanted to spark a dialogue about what some consider to be a taboo subject. Mya B. disclosed that she, as many other black women, had been raised in a home in which sex was not discussed and she wanted to create a work that would facilitate more discussion and lead to more healthy ideas about sex for future generations.

This movie is a melding of interviews with notables such as Dr. Tricia Rose, Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, Dr. Llaila O. Afrika, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Jessica Holder of the Punany Poets; black women of various ages; clips from Jacopetti and Prosperi’s film Farewell to Uncle Tom and historical images to convey the story of sexuality, the path to sexual normalcy, sexual health and address issues of sexual repression in today’s society.

In one of the early scenes of the movie, the director asks her mother when was the first time she had sex and the mother quickly dismisses her and refuses to answer. This response is indicative of how many parents, particularly mothers, deal with the discussion of sex with their daughters. In the interviews with the various women, several expressed getting similar responses when they asked questions about sex, most being warned not to have sex until marriage and even more not being told anything at all and having to learn what they know through friends, television and experience.

Many women cite religious teachings as a reason for remaining silent on the topic of sexuality. In a scene in which the director approaches a number of parishioners on their way into church, she posed the question of what the church was doing to address the issue of sexuality. Some of them said that they didn’t know what the church was doing as far as having discussions about sex, others said that the church was addressing issues with sexuality in their youth ministries, while others answered with contempt that sex wasn’t something that should be discussed at church.

Violence and exploitation of black women has been an issue since America was colonized and in present day sexual stereotypes are being disseminated on our airwaves and used to sell everything from cars to music. Combating the stereotypes of the Jemima and the Jezebel, black women have tended to either be depicted as asexual caregivers or hypersexual temptresses. Video directors Little X and Nzingha Stewart contribute to this film by contributing to the dialogue by discussing the aesthetic of the “video girl.” They both laud the progress that society has made in seeing the black woman as beautiful, but both also agreed that there should be less objectification of the black woman’s body and more depictions of whole black relationships.

Although many of the images within the film were difficult to stomach, as they portrayed the way that black women have been objectified down through the ages, this film gives voice to a topic that needs to be discussed, but many still consider forbidden. The movie left me with the notion that through having open discussions about sexuality, black women would be able to take more control over how they are portrayed in the media, destroy antiquated notions of what sexuality is, protect themselves and their partners from infections and disease, connect to the spiritual aspect of their sexuality, develop and nurture fulfilling relationships and be empowered to heal themselves.

Additional Resources

Mya B.’s Official Website

Nguyen, Natalie Brewster. Movie Review: Silence - In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America. Clamor Magazine (Issue 37 | Summer 2006).

Johnson, Yolanda M. (2005, June 25). Interview: Mya B. Awareness Magazine.

JuicyCampus.com Faces Growing Opposition

by Tyree Barnette

It's like bits of pornography blogged on a screen. Mix that in with obscene messages you'd see scribbled on public bathroom walls. Now match that with the human instinct to form cliques and further a sense of belongings. Now you've created the destructive force known as JuicyCampus.com: an abysmal college gossip site that's spreading like wildfire.

The home page claims to offer "Always Anonymous, Always Juicy” gossip. And that's why I came across countless unashamed claims, questions, and inquiries from unregistered and anonymous bloggers.

The dirt at my own alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, ranged from the sexuality of some star basketball players to "Hottest Granville Girls” and one simply called "Sluts.” Need I say more?

This collegiate forum was the brainchild of Duke graduate Matt Ivester. He launched the site late last year. It hasn't even reached its first birthday.

But what struck me were the schools on the growing list of those registered on JuicyCampus.com. I'm talking the Ivy League bastions of education like Cornell, Brown, Harvard, and Yale. But, I didn't come across a single historically black college or university. Not one.

But the absence is probably a good thing. The website isn't only spreading hot, damaging gossip, but it's also ripping further into the fabric of an already warped college social life. And perhaps it's breaking the law according to one state attorney general.

A Raleigh newspaper, The News and Observer, says the attorney general of New Jersey unleashed a consumer fraud investigation into the web site. Anne Milgram slapped a subpoena on the company that now owns JuicyCampus. She said the website may be violating the state's Consumer Fraud Act by suggesting that it doesn't allow offensive material about citizens, but not enforcing that same policy against JuicyCampus. The Garden State has to put its money where its mouth is.

Other states are lining up. The News and Observer went on to say the Connecticut attorney general launched a fraud investigation on the company and its owner also. A California lawmaker urged his state attorney general to do the same.

Many college students have also taken issue with the website. It seems they're now crying out for help to save them from themselves. A CNN article says Pepperdine University asked for a ban of JuicyCampus back in February. Other schools have taken a similar approach. Popular social networking site "The Facebook” now has a few groups totaling a few hundred members who are against JuicyCampus.

Now, many bloggers are taking the attack straight to the site. Recent posts include one about possible lawsuits and how anonymous bloggers would respond if they were subpoenaed. Whether it could actually happen is beside the point: many of these posts show that many have some sort of conscience about what they post online.

But perhaps by writing this article, I'm helping to spread the word about the site and attract new viewers. Maybe I'm softening the blows to the beast a bit. But once you navigate from this page, you've got your own mind to make up. So go ahead. Satisfy your curiosity. Form your own opinion of the site.

And for all the bloggers keep in mind that with the posted gossip, you're slandering someone's daughter, son, sister or brother. We've all seen politicians toppled over one questionable photo on the internet, or one inappropriate email to a co-worker. So before you start that new thread about so and so, think about the lasting implications of what you'll say. Your harmless gossip could be a major setback or extreme embarrassment for someone else… or worse.

I'll leave you with this haunting and prophetic thread: one that I can unfortunately see coming to fruition.

"Unfortunately, the site will probably only get shut down when something truly horrible happens as a direct result (suicide, etc.) and it makes the national news. I never post, but I had to throw my two cents in. Shut this site down.”

Additional Resources

www.juicycampus.com

Haynes, Brad. (2008, March 28). Gossip Website Denies Wrongdoing. The News and Observer.

Wolfe, Gregory. (2008, February 5). Too Juicy for Campus. The Cornell Daily Sun.

Young, Jeffrey R. (2008, February 18). Website Promising Juicy Gossip Faces Backlash. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

If Rap is Dead, Are Blacks Too?

by Seke Ballard

Living in a foreign country I seldom get the chance to update myself on today's pop-culture. When the opportunity presents itself, however, my reactions have ranged from being hurt (by the death of James Brown) and amused (by media fascination over Britney Spears) to being absolutely baffled (by Soulja Boy's "Crank That"). In particular, it was the lyrical brilliance of Soulja Boy that left me wanting, not so much for his harmonious tones, but instead for an explanation. If the reader accepts it as generally true that pop-culture is a reflection of societal values and, in the words of Spike Lee, rap is indeed dead, then my question is have the ‘souls of black folk' met a similar fate?

When talking to my ole school friends and relatives about music, nostalgia for the days when rap was about something is an unavoidable topic. The differentiation, as they see it, is that rap had its origins in describing the plight of black people while, counter to that, today's rap is more about glorifying the plight of black people. Accordingly, it's no coincidence that rap culture thrived during the tale-end of the Civil Rights movement. Like most art forms, it was a creation by the rebellious among us who found current modes of expression inadequate, poor in quality or simply unacceptable. It emerged as an avant-garde reflection of the values of blacks during the time. The issue, however, is how this art form has evolved into what it is now.

The uncomfortable truth about rap today is that it's just as much a reflection of the values of people at present as it was 30 years ago; only now, the dissenters among us have a more outspoken disdain for a portrayal of our people that leaves no hint of moral deprivation uncovered. Rap today is an audio-visual manifestation of a sickness that has taken hold of blacks; one, in fact, that may only be described as counter-productive and exploitive, both of which, unfortunately, are very much consistent with some statistics that we, as a people, must come to terms with.

Up until the 1950-1960s, the US Census counted around 80% of black families as being nuclear families; between 1960 and 2000 that number dropped by more than half. Given the fact that this precipitous drop occurred after the 1960s, slavery and general oppression may be dubious sources of blame. The focus, therefore, should be on blacks specifically.

My conclusion, albeit a reluctant one, is that we as a people are deeply troubled and pop-culture's unabated way of demonstrating such should serve as a warning. Paradoxically, a revolution seems imminent, but unlikely. In some circles, at least those that have always and will continue to be the catalyst for change, the anger is beginning to over-boil. This, of course, is happening while rap music is taking the world by storm and sales have never been higher.

On January 4, 2008, Flo-Rida's "Low" set a single-week digital sales record—moving 470,000 copies and beating out Fergie's previous record of 294,000 with Fergalicious. The situation boldly states that there is an urgent need for change and a swift removal of the current regime if you will. In a word… REBEL!