Wonderful News: It Is Official CNN Journalist Don Lemon Declares He Is Gay In His Memoir!!!
According to the New York Times, CNN reporter Don Lemon has come out of the closet. The rumours that CNN anchor Don Lemon is gay are true. I am very proud of Don’s decision to come out of the closet and declares he is gay!
In the mainstream North America, whiteness is the norm and being gay is considered a part of whiteness. Gay people of colour are invisible or on the margins of queer cultures in North America due to gay racism. White gay people still have white skin privilege and some queers of colour we experience abjection.
Some black queers experience abjection from the black community because some heterosexual blacks believe we are traitors to our race. We are left on the borders of the private sphere of black society.
CNN is a very popular cable network in the United States so Don’s decision to come out is huge.
Millions of people across the world watch CNN and television viewers are familiar with Don Lemon.
I sincerely hope CNN does not treat Don Lemon the same way they treated the gay reporter Thomas Roberts.
A few years ago, Thomas Roberts came out of the closet yet he was quietly let go by CNN.
I think Don Lemon’s decision to come out will promote discussion in the black community about homosexuality.
Most of the celebrities coming out of the closet in pop culture are white people.
In the mainstream white culture, homosexuality is a palatable topic to discuss. Meanwhile, in communities of colour homosexuality is still considered a private issue.
There is also racism in the white gay community and for some black gay men it is safer for them to live in the closet in the black culture.
However, black culture is different from white culture and I commend Don Lemon for having the strength to come out of the closet!
There is a lot of homophobia in the hip hop culture. A lot of the rap lyrics are anti gay.
The discourse in the black community is real black men are heterosexual and not homosexual. The ideology is a real black man is supposed to be masculine, strong, and of course straight. Some blacks believe homosexuality is a form of decadent behaviour that black gays are copying from white people.
In the black community, there is still the don’t ask don’t tell policy about homosexuality. Black people we know who the high profile black queers are but there is so much silence. I believe silence equals shame there is nothing to be ashamed about being gay.
However, some people will say Don Lemon’s decision to come out is not a big deal. For me it is wonderful news that Don Lemon decided to come out.
One argument is that, a journalist is supposed to be neutral in relation to social issues. However, being gay is a part of a person’s identity. I am guessing Don probably struggled with deciding whether to come out of the closet.
Another point to consider, how many high profile black people are out of the closet? Why are a paucity of black gay celebrities out of the closet?
It is very sad in the black community that very few black celebrities are out of the closet compared to our white counterparts.
I also want to point out Don Lemon is a successful journalist. I think Don Lemon’s decision to come out will shatters some negative stereotypes some people have about black gay men.
Don has written a memoir called Transparent and I think this is wonderful news. In the black community, homosexuality is still viewed as a taboo subject so credit to Don for having the courage to come out.
Since Don is a very successful CNN anchor man he definitely took a risk coming out. I wonder how the African American community will react? I hope black people support Don Lemon’s decision to come out I know I do!
Link to New York Times Article:
It Is Official I Graduated York University With A B.A. Degree With Honours In Sexuality Studies!!!
It is official, I graduated York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in Sexuality Studies! I am very happy because I already have a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
I decided to study Sexuality Studies because I am very interested in human sexuality.
I am not attending the graduation ceremony on June 14th 2011. Last time I graduated, the convocation was very boring and dry. I remember sitting on a hot stage with fluorescent lights beaming on my face for three hours. The graduation gown costs $60 dollars. Why should I waste my money for a ceremony that is three hours long? My first degree was a three-year degree. Now this Bachelor of Arts degree in Sexuality is a four-year degree. In Canada, an honours degree is a higher level of academic achievement. I completed a full course load which is thirty-six credits. I am thinking about applying to graduate school but I want to make the right decision. Of course, getting into a Masters program isn’t easy because the competition is fierce. I have a more positive attitude now. I feel I can achieve when I am focused.
Why Are Lesbian Athletes Not Given The Respect They Deserve For Supporting Gay Rights In Professional Sports?
Although, the NHL Star Sean Avery has received a lot of positive press for declaring his support for same-sex marriage, there is still a barrier that exists. No top male athlete in North America has come out of the closet and declared his homosexuality while he was still a professional athlete. No NHL, NBA, baseball, basketball, NFL, PGA, or tennis star has come out.
The mainstream media have consistently pointed out that since Sean Avery is a young, white heterosexual man, his vocal support for gay rights is a form of social progress.
An explosion has occurred in the sports media since Sean Avery’s heterosexuality and white male skin privilege has created a veracity that gays deserve equal human rights as heterosexuals.
Sean Avery does deserves credit for speaking out and supporting same-sex marriage. However, the real pioneers for promoting the discussion about gay rights in the sports arena are the lesbian athletes and not heterosexual men.
Due to heterosexism, misogyny and patriarchy, Sean Avery is receiving a lot of praise by the mainstream media because he is a straight white man. Since Sean Avery is a white heterosexual man he words have more social value and power than white lesbian athletes or gay athletes of colour.
Many lesbian athletes have been very vocal in their support for gay rights for decades. However, due to heterosexism and misogyny lesbian athletes that dare to speak out for gay rights are treated like an afterthought.
Some people will argue that society is more accepting of lesbian athletes than gay male athletes. However, the lesbian athletes deserve society’s respect because these brave women had the courage to come out. Where are the courageous gay male athletes? If society is more progressive than the 1980s why are so many gay male athletes in professional sports still in the closet? If sexuality doesn’t matter why is homosexuality in professional sports this an issue?
I argue that due to feminism lesbian athletes have a stronger awareness about human rights issues than gay or heterosexual athletes. The feminist movement empowered women to understand the interlocking systems of male oppression in society. Professional sports are still controlled by the mythical norm which is the white heterosexual man. The lesbian athletes have always lead society by being pioneers and promoting the discussion about gay athletes in professional sports.
For instance, in professional basketball the African American WBNA star Sheryl Swoopes declared she was a lesbian in 2005.
The negativity Swoopes received by the heterosexual male reporters was a total lack of respect. Despite Sheryl Swoopes bravery for coming out as a lesbian she was dismissed as unimportant.
In professional golf the lesbian golfers Patty Sheehan and Rosie Jones declared their lesbianism yet no male pro golfer is out of the closet. In women’s tennis, some of the greatest women’s tennis champions of the last thirty years are lesbians. Martina Navratilova, Amelie Mauresmo, Conchita Martinez, Billie Jean King, Renee Stubbs, and Lisa Raymond are all lesbian tennis champions. Now on the WTA Tour it is safe for female lesbian tennis players to be comfortable coming out of the closet. However, the only gay male tennis champion that was openly gay was the 1920s tennis star Bill Tilden. By contrast, on the ATP Tour no gay male tennis star in the modern era is out. Professional tennis is an individual sport yet no gay male tennis player has the courage to come out of the closet.
In the 1990s, Amelie Mauresmo came out of the closet and she lost no endorsements. Since Martina and Billie Jean were outspoken feminists fighting for women’s rights and equality the tennis fans accepted them.
I believe if a high-profile gay male athlete did come out he would probably face some backlash. However, I think sports fans would eventually support and respect a gay male superstar athlete that had the courage to come out.
However, beneath the surface, the truth is, in the psyche of the heterosexual man there is still the belief that to be gay means to be less than a man. Masculinity and sports are conflated issues for heterosexual male sports fans. I am not suggesting all straight male sports fans are homophobic. I am arguing that heterosexism is so entrenched in male sports despite the obvious homoeroticism.
Straight male sports fans pay a lot of money to debate, watch, and analyze the movement of attractive, fit, male athletes. Homoeroticism has always been a part of male sports. It will take an extremely brave gay male superstar to come out of the closet in the professional sports arena. Society needs to give respect to the lesbian professional athletes that opened the door for gay athletes to come out in professional sports.
NPR Interview: Anti Gay Bigot David Bahati Talks To Michel Martin About Uganda’s Controversial Anti Gay Bill!!
Here is two links to today’s NPR interview the host Michel Martin talks to the Ugandan politician David Bahati. According to media reports, the Ugandan government is under immense international pressure to remove the incendiary bill. Uganda is a very conservative African nation and many Ugandans believe homosexuality is foreign to African cultures. Some African people believe homosexuality is a form of imperialism being imposed on Ugandan culture. Of course, the discourse that homosexuality is from the west is not new.
However, anthropologists have proven that homosexuality has existed on the African continent prior to colonialism. Some African dictators utilize the anti gay agenda as a smoke screen to ignore serious social issues such as poverty, AIDS, famine, and unemployment.
Links: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/12/136241587/author-of-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill-gives-defense
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/12/136241591/professor-traces-history-of-ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill
Interesting Video Clip: A Young Black Woman Slams The Media For Promoting Patriarchy.
I love this video clip because a young black woman is challenging the racism and sexism of the mainstream media. Of course, black women can find a husband. The fact is, black culture is different from white culture.
According to statistics, only 42% of black women are married but so what? The problem I have with statistics is any statistic can be manipulated to create an agenda. The question I have is, who is defining the importance of marriage? The divorce rate is exploding about 50% of all marriages end in divorce. I also want to point out, just because someone gets married doesn’t mean it is going to be a happy marriage.
The nuclear, heterosexual, family unit is still being promoted as the ideal by the North American media. The definition of the family needs to be expanded to include multiple variations. There isn’t just one form of the family anymore. For instance, there are gay and lesbian families, blended families, people who are not related can live together and form a family.
The feminist writer Jasbir Puar argues in her book Terrorist Assemblages there is a discourse called the ascendency towards whiteness. Puar states that, the white heterosexual image is presented as the ideal for people of colour. The problem is, it is unfair for the media to attempt to force Eurocentric ideologies on to different cultures.
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