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The foll
owing is a response I made to a friend via email because of a a link he sent me initially from Dr. Hill's blog entry about Malcolm X and his alleged sexuality. It's just my own musings or thoughts on the matter.
For reference purposes, one should read the original blog entry link first: Malcolm X Was Gay? | Dr. Marc Lamont Hill
owing is a response I made to a friend via email because of a a link he sent me initially from Dr. Hill's blog entry about Malcolm X and his alleged sexuality. It's just my own musings or thoughts on the matter.For reference purposes, one should read the original blog entry link first: Malcolm X Was Gay? | Dr. Marc Lamont Hill
Hey SonSebek,
I finally got around to reading your email link about Malcolm.
When I first read the subject line, I remembered receiving an email a few years ago about Malcolm being "gay" and here it is surfacing again. In fact, though I don't remember, that old email may have referred this blog entry which is 4 years old. Who knows, it was a while ago.
It was an interesting read, SonSebek, but I'm not sure how this information, if true will help us who are in the now and in the living for those of us that are same gender loving (SGL) folks of African descent or not. Unless there's indisputable physical evidence (besides other people's accounts or remembrances, which are subjective and non-tangible to examine), it will all be supposition on an individual's part. And the larger Black community is still not ready to do the work around our diversified sexualities along the continuum. A large part of our community thinks heterosexuality is the only right and proper way of living, which in part, is driven by that good ol' sacred and divisive Christianity bible of theirs.
Though I was intrigued by the blog entry when Dr. Hill referenced in his blog entry how Malcolm and the other boys in his neighborhood were allegedly experimenting (aka stroking each other, sucking each other, etc.) with each other. It's intriguing to me because I think at a young age it is natural to explore one's body and coming into one's sexuality (whatever that might be) and gender identity, too! I HAVE NO DOUBT in my mind that a lot of boys (and girls, but particularly boys for the sake of talking about manhood identity in this conversation) that are now men, played around with other boys sexually, BUT WILL NEVER ADMIT to it because of stigma, shame and judgment from the Black community and because of this country's pathological idea of what it is to be a "man". A "man" being strong; masculine; non-feminine; king of the castle; providing for a woman; taking care of the stock market portfolios; etc., etc., etc., which means "real" men or "niggas" (from the projects, etc.) don't suck another man's dick or get fucked and whatever, whatever, whatever which brings out, among other things, misogyny and de-valuing others and not being real with oneself.
The larger Black community in my estimation would see Malcolm's alleged homosexuality or bisexuality as a castration of his memory. And IF it was TOTALLY TRUE beyond a reasonable doubt with concrete evidence, a lot of Black folks still wouldn't embrace that part of Malcolm into the greater sum of his whole being simply because of this heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, trans gender, hermaphrodite, man, woman, etc., etc. etc. and ultimately demeaning hierarchical totem pole we live under in our minds.
Considering Malcolm's humanitarian stature to and within the Black community, the notion that Malcolm's sexual persuasion may have been many things would bring a sense of self-worth I think for so many same gender loving (SGL) Black people to look up to (if it were totally true, but alas, we sometimes drown in "ifs") because he simply was more than the sum of his parts. And though the issues will rage on with people taking sides, the truth of the matter is that people, including myself, look for positive and affirming role models that reflect the physical tangibles and the intangibles in us in real live and multi-media. Is that so much to ask for? At the same time, and it is no cliche for me, because I'm seeing more and more why Gandhi said "Be the change (leader) you want to see."
I finally got around to reading your email link about Malcolm.
When I first read the subject line, I remembered receiving an email a few years ago about Malcolm being "gay" and here it is surfacing again. In fact, though I don't remember, that old email may have referred this blog entry which is 4 years old. Who knows, it was a while ago.
It was an interesting read, SonSebek, but I'm not sure how this information, if true will help us who are in the now and in the living for those of us that are same gender loving (SGL) folks of African descent or not. Unless there's indisputable physical evidence (besides other people's accounts or remembrances, which are subjective and non-tangible to examine), it will all be supposition on an individual's part. And the larger Black community is still not ready to do the work around our diversified sexualities along the continuum. A large part of our community thinks heterosexuality is the only right and proper way of living, which in part, is driven by that good ol' sacred and divisive Christianity bible of theirs.
Though I was intrigued by the blog entry when Dr. Hill referenced in his blog entry how Malcolm and the other boys in his neighborhood were allegedly experimenting (aka stroking each other, sucking each other, etc.) with each other. It's intriguing to me because I think at a young age it is natural to explore one's body and coming into one's sexuality (whatever that might be) and gender identity, too! I HAVE NO DOUBT in my mind that a lot of boys (and girls, but particularly boys for the sake of talking about manhood identity in this conversation) that are now men, played around with other boys sexually, BUT WILL NEVER ADMIT to it because of stigma, shame and judgment from the Black community and because of this country's pathological idea of what it is to be a "man". A "man" being strong; masculine; non-feminine; king of the castle; providing for a woman; taking care of the stock market portfolios; etc., etc., etc., which means "real" men or "niggas" (from the projects, etc.) don't suck another man's dick or get fucked and whatever, whatever, whatever which brings out, among other things, misogyny and de-valuing others and not being real with oneself.
The larger Black community in my estimation would see Malcolm's alleged homosexuality or bisexuality as a castration of his memory. And IF it was TOTALLY TRUE beyond a reasonable doubt with concrete evidence, a lot of Black folks still wouldn't embrace that part of Malcolm into the greater sum of his whole being simply because of this heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, trans gender, hermaphrodite, man, woman, etc., etc. etc. and ultimately demeaning hierarchical totem pole we live under in our minds.
Considering Malcolm's humanitarian stature to and within the Black community, the notion that Malcolm's sexual persuasion may have been many things would bring a sense of self-worth I think for so many same gender loving (SGL) Black people to look up to (if it were totally true, but alas, we sometimes drown in "ifs") because he simply was more than the sum of his parts. And though the issues will rage on with people taking sides, the truth of the matter is that people, including myself, look for positive and affirming role models that reflect the physical tangibles and the intangibles in us in real live and multi-media. Is that so much to ask for? At the same time, and it is no cliche for me, because I'm seeing more and more why Gandhi said "Be the change (leader) you want to see."
--
ROD (aka BIG ROD)
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