“Homophobia is rampant in the African American community, and men are on the DL. They don’t come out, because your priest says, your pastor says, mama says, your next-door neighbor says, your homie says, your brother says, your boss says [that homosexuality is wrong]. And they are killing African American women. They are killing our women. So I wanted to blow the lid off more on homophobia in my community.”While I'm a fan of his work, I disagree with Lee.
First of all, I'm delivered. And when I was a homosexual, I never looked at an old man. I would never touch an old man. Like I said, I dated a couple of football players, I dated church people. So I would never ever date an old person. That's not my type. That's nasty. If folks want to know if I'm sleeping around right now and stuff, let me tell you something, I have no tastes for those desires. You know how people were smoking and they stop smoking for years? God took the taste out of my mouth. Trust me, I would NOT ever, ever in my life, touch an old man. Because you know why? If you could see me when I was a homosexual, I was a very attractive person. I would never touch - what do I see in an old person? I am delivered, I am set free.
“The nasty things they say about me online are nothing but bullying plain and simple,” Jones stated. “I cannot believe they allow anyone to post these vial things online. No one knows my story or what I have gone through. They talked about my voice, my appearance, and even tried to deny my deliverance. They can say what they want, but I am redeemed and my bowtie is cute. My pride and self-worth have been shattered into a million pieces, and each one of those pieces deserve $50.”
In the video, which has now gone viral, Smith is seen giving a testimony about being healed of homosexuality. Marquis Jones revealed the video was filmed at a recent C.O.G.I.C. (Church of God In Christ) Holy Convocation Convention. The 32-year-old says he was indeed cured and is currently engaged to be married.
“I look forward to a new life with my soon-to-be-wife. We are planning to have 5 or 6 children,” stated Jones.I'm confused with this report. In the video, he said he was 21, but here, he's 32. And he also claimed to be in college, trying to be a doctor. Either this report is off, or this Andrew/Marquis is a con artist.
Bros Before Hos isn’t a black story or a gay story – it’s a family story about three brothers, who happen to be black, and one who happens to be gay. I do have a particular interest in stories about the black male experience because I want to tell stories that reflect how I walk through the world. There seem to be more stories that deal with the interior lives of black women, but it’s hard to find stories that deal with the interior lives of black men. We’re either thugs or athletes, but there’s so much more to who we are that falls in between that spectrum. It’s ironic that in 2014, and even with a black president, one of the hardest things to be in this country right now is a young black man. So, yes, I am voracious about presenting images of black men that reflect our everyday humanity. Plus, I went to Morehouse, and I don’t want them to take back my degree if I’m not moving the needle forward.Here's a sneak peak of the pilot
"I would send a tremendous message to have a black gay man, the first, elected to the Atlanta City Council in the city ...,"Jon has a list of things he would like to do for the people and the city. I wish him luck and I hope he makes history.
"Black men can't come out. Why? Because you simply can't do it. Your family says it. Your church says it. Your teachers say it. Your parents say it. Your friends say it. Your work says it. So you're living on this 'DL' thing and you're infecting black women. And its killing us. The black culture and the hispanic culture have a thing about [homosexuality]."source
Role models give kids tangible examples of possibilities. And as cultural critic bell hooks has noted, "oppression means the absence of choices." LGBT representation on television has come a long way since "Will and Grace," but everybody isn't going to identify with Chris Colfer or Neil Patrick Harris. The "It Gets Better" videos are great, but have you noticed how few black men appear in them? The fewer choices queer youth have for role models, the more vulnerable they are to the idea that being a successful and proud black, gay male is not a possibility.
We all need and deserve diverse examples of people who have already stared down the darkness. We need to see out gay people of all colors, creeds, and classes thriving on the basketball courts and football fields; we need to see them delivering closing arguments in landmark legal cases and announcing breakthroughs in scientific discoveries; we need to see black gay men on stage, on television, and movie screens, behind the lectern, in the spotlight, and everywhere else a queer kid might hope to end up one day.
