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Friday, May 23, 2008
My inbox was flooded yesterday with links to BET's new website geared towards the black LGBT community.
The special feature section, promoted on the main page of the web site, includes a section on "who's who" in the Black LGBT community, a list of common myths and misconceptions, information on HIV, a history quiz, a list of black gay pride events, and information on Terrance Dean's new memoir Hiding in Hip-Hop.(The Daily Voice)
My initial reaction was shock and disbelief, but the good kind. Finally, somebody at BET realized that black gays and lesbians are apart of the community and should be represented in their content. But as I perused the site, keeping true to form, the BET that we've come to know in the past that fueled the down low phenomenon and gave Terry McMillan a platform to lash out at Jonathan Plummer and gay men everywhere returned to its exploitive roots.
There is also a section for black women that lists signs to look for if you suspect your man is gay. "Ladies if your man spends more time in the bathroom than you do, then he might be gay." If he has an obsession with Whitney, Mariah, Diana, Celine or Cher, then you could have a diva on your hands." If he's always quoting Oprah or talking about something amazing she did, then he might be gay". And my favorite, "One of the most definitive signs that your boyfriend is gay is that there are some male strangers in his MySpace list of friends or contacts."
Wow. Black women everywhere should be so grateful, Thanks BET! (*Darian rolls his eyes, a clear sign that I might be gay*)
Overlooking that misstep the site does attempt to debunk myths about the gay community and I'm particularly proud to see influential black gays and lesbians profiled who contribute greatly to society.
I want to be able to give BET credit for diversity, but I'm holding out on complimenting their efforts because well...it's BET.
7 Comments:
"There is also a section for black women that lists signs to look for if you suspect your man is gay".
One of the things we black gays can do is let BET know that this is definitely a step in the right direction BUT we are displeased with the section telling black women what signs to look for if you think your man is gay.
We need to let them know how homophobic this is. As if a black man who is truly on the down-low is going to be flaunting those particular "signs" in front of a black woman anyway!
May 23, 2008 11:09 AM
The decision of BET to add this section for women to tell if their man is gay taints the entire site. It just endorses unwarranted stereotypes of black gay men. (Closeted or not).
They get NO kudos from me. They just put a nice face on hate otherwise that section would not be there.
Its time for this DL stigma to die and that section is a sideways boost to that old argument. An argument that many in the medical field DISAGREE with.
Another pointless site.
May 25, 2008 9:15 AM
An e-mail has already been sent to BET expressing many of the concerns we all have since the LGBT site has been launched. Now I'm waiting to see how and if they will respond.
Darian
May 25, 2008 9:20 AM
"Its time for this DL stigma to die and that section is a sideways boost to that old argument. An argument that many in the medical field DISAGREE with".
I want to comment on the last sentence in anon's 5-25-08, 5:45 PM comment BET.
As a black gay man, my reading of straight black women today is that even if there was a cure for HIV/AIDS, they would STILL find a bisexual man completely unacceptable as a romantic/sex partner. To black women, any degree of homosexuality (leaving HIV/AIDS out of the equation) is inherently unmasculine and WEAK. A disgrace to the race.
May 25, 2008 2:05 PM
I too am reserving comments until I see how BET addresses our concerns about that lists of signs.
I applaud the willingness to have a LGBT section, but someone wasn't thinking when thay added that particular offensive section.
Oh by the way, I apologize for Captain using my site as away to passively speak about you. However, I think your response to him was quite direct and appropriate. I don't think he ever thought you'd read his comments.
Casptain's attempts to work through his own issues of internalized homophobia by posting on our blogs is wearing a little thin on all of us.
May 26, 2008 1:55 PM
Oh great. Now BET has decided to extend it's chitlin' eating' treatment of black people to black gays.
Since I haven't watched BET since the early seasons of Teen Summit and Our Voices, I don't really care abot what it is they do. I just know that ANYTHING they do is never good for the black community.
Bob Johnson, Reggie Hudlin, and Debra Lee can be sure to kiss my ass with their latest attempt to exploit another segment of the black community.
Darian,
Your email was wasted. You should try to contact the sponsors associated with the Gay BET site and express your concerns to THEM. BET NEVER reponds to direct criticsm. If you want their attention target the sponsors.
May 27, 2008 6:55 PM
I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out...Especially since its run by BET...Who of which cant seem to do ANYTHING right in the 21st century!
;-)
June 01, 2008 1:51 AM
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