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Sunday, January 28, 2007
This past week I began to see the world, the white gay community, and the black gay community for what it really is and to be honest with you I'm mad as hell !
On January 24th the news that many of us had been waiting for was finally announced, LOGO'S hit show Noah's Arc was not being renewed but a film was being planned instead to be released in 2008. This wil not be another post venting about the cancellation of the show, there has been enough of that on several other sites. Like many other people I am a fan of the show and I'm saddened by LOGO'S decision to pull the only representation of my community from their network.
Truth be told, Noah's Arc will never be seen at your local multiplex, it'll be lucky to go straight to DVD. No matter how you felt about the creative aspect of the show, for the first time there were Black gay men of color on television in lead roles for the entire world to see. It will probably be years before we ever see this happen again.
But the more I thought about the whole ordeal the more I realized that we as a community have a much bigger problem than the cancellation of the show. Not only did LOGO axe the show, they told us that our lives and our stories didn't matter in the process and it didn't deserve to air in the same line-up as old reruns of Queer As Folk and we just accepted it.
So what happens now? Let me guess...Black gays and lesbians revert back to their invisible status and can only be found on television when a script calls for a flamboyant hairstylist or a Terry McMillan type who has been deceived by her husband on the down low. Ding...Ding...Ding...Ding...Ding! Right answer.
Not in a million years would this have ever happened to Queer As Folk or Will & Grace. The white gay community supported those shows and would've raised hell if they're privileged white gay lives were not apart of mainstream America. Visibility creates an opporunity to educate and to gain tolerance and acceptance. Why haven't we as a community learned this yet?
Oh I know why, as long as Keith Boykin is out and proud he'll speak for all of us, right? I can't count the number of times I've heard this, as if one person can speak for the multitude.
We're ignored, trampled on, emotionally and physically abused because we don't allow people to know who we are. We've bought into the bullshit lie that our DNA is a tragic mistake and what we do should be kept in the dark. That's why we're not represented on television in a positive light, becuase we've been too ashamed to object to the stereotypical images Hollywood has fed us for so many years, sadly because many of us share the same opinion of ourselves.
We have to learn to support each other, we are the ones we've been waiting for.We have to stop the ridiculous discrimination within our own community, there will always be queens, trade, thug brothers and DL wannabes and every one of these people have a story to tell. The white gay community is going to take care of their own and make sure that they have a place at the table, how are we ever going to make it to the table to affect change if we can't come out of the damn closet?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said," Our lives end the day we become silent about things that matter". Right now in this country our Black gay lives don't matter and we have allowed our family, the church, the media and a large segment of society to tell our stories for us becuase we're too afraid to tell them ourselves.
The closet is full and we're suffocating inside. Today we lost Noah's Arc, tomorrow it could be our lives.
Labels: Activism
6 Comments:
Who you are and your DNA is not a mistake. Yet, those things we do and bring ourselves in alliance with to practice that is not right defiles who you are.
Then that gift, that was once precious, holy, sacred, is now vile, filthy and dirty. God see us as His children, but despise the filth we play with on a daily basis because of the pride...pride of being gay?
January 28, 2007 11:22 PM
I LOVE YOU FOR THIS!! If I ever doubted your ability to lead and take over the activism throne the doubt has ceased! America let me introduce you to Darian! You really said it this time boyfriend. You are right on the mark. Sadly the term 'Remember Love' might turn out to mean 'Remember Noah's Arc?'
I've been with Patrik since the inception of the show and watched it grow like a baby into a full fledged adult who hopefully turns into a bigger brighter star. Lets not lose hope about the movie. You know Patrik is going to turn that out! We all know how much we love PUNKS especially the hot steamy parts. This can only be a good thing ending all the tv-14 censorship. The stories will be bolder, sexier, deeper lol LONGER! OMG did I say that? Anyway have faith guys. I really don't want to see it end. My room is filled with Noahs Arc memoriblia and it saddens me to look at it and think they are already collectors items. I still remember getting the first promotional dvds from Patrik and being lucky enough to be one of the first people to see the show come to life. Making the mpegs for the first Noahs Arc website was such an honor for me and led me into doing more for other people like Keith and Jasmyne. Patriks friendship is priceless. I've met so many wonderful people being in the Noah's Arc family. I met you Darian!! The rest as they say is history.
Lets not kill what hope is left for the show. Instead lets keep the petition going to keep noahs arc on the air and let LOGO know that you demand to be heard, seen, watched, and represented. Hell stage a protest at the LOGO office!! I dare you! ;)
January 29, 2007 3:00 AM
Hey Darian,
It is soooo funny that you wrote about this topic. I was just saying some of the same things to a few of my associates and they were just clueless about what I was saying. I felt so angry not at them but at the fact that our people have no clue or no sense of the value of our community. When I shared my thoughts about the cancelation of NOAH they seemed to agree. As they were leaving they all rushed home to watch the L Word. That's fine and all but i really don't think they got what I was trying to say. I know I will not be silenced. My voice will be heard until the Lord say "come home." Keep up the awesome work!
-Eric
Son of Destiny
January 29, 2007 12:23 PM
Thank you Darian for posting this on your site. I completely agree that we as a community need to unite and try harder to get our voices and our stories out there. We cannot have just one person (Keith Boykin), speak for all of us. I urge some of our brothers and sisters like Maurice Jamal, Angela Robinson, and others who are already in the entertainment industry to continue to produce and create more movies and tv programs that feature our lives as gay people. Also, I think we need to use the success of Noah's Arc to show the mainstream culture that we as a black gay community are a viable viewership audience that NEEDS and DESERVES to be catered to.
January 29, 2007 3:52 PM
I was just as shocked by the loss of Noah's Arc. I think that as men and women of colour this is a perfect time to voice our opinons to the networks. They must understand that there is divine reason for such shows being aired. Noah's arc has become a historical artifact, showing that the love between two black men does not have to be on the DL. A man's love for another man does not have to be a symbol of shame, embarassment or weakness.
It seems crazy to think a teenager growing up now could read about Noah's Arc. I only wish this show was around when I was in my teens looking for someone/something to validate my existence.
February 03, 2007 2:19 PM
I understood it was due to high production costs, combined with low viewership. Even the move to Vancouver with lower costs didn't save it.
Remember Logo is now a part of Het white corporate America. Many I know found also they could not relate to many of the characters, most were too queeny for their tastes. Too much of a stereotype. definitely upper scale income. An LA drug induced lifestyle that the average gay guy of any color can't relate to.
October 05, 2011 6:32 PM
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