There is no hiding the homophobia that continues to exist in the black community. With male entertainers furthering outdated stereotypes of the sissy or hyper-realized caricatures of the sassy black woman (hidden under the guise of the man-in-a-dress comedy routine) people see these as truths to what and who black gay men are and how black gay men behave.

While there are definitely black gay men who are extremely effeminate, it is not the whole of the community. We are just as diverse as any other community, including that from which we come. As with the recent presidential election, we’re finding more black Republicans in a culture that has been dominated in the twentieth century by the Democratic Party. Our sports heroes are leading the way on the golf courses and speed skating rinks as opposed to only the basketball courts and football fields. Our contribution to the arts continues to inspire classical ballet dancers and opera singers, as well as incredible crossover influence as is reflected by MTV’s hip hop promotions, BET’s, the WB’s and UPN’s original programming, and the myriad mutations of Gospel. Yet an internal racially-charged homophobia prohibits us as African-Americans to support and accept our gay brothers and sisters, forcing them to live lives of deception, self-hate, or exile.