Gay for Play: Sing Out, But Don’t Be Out

Gay for Play: Sing Out, But Don’t Be Out

It seems that the black community accepts gay men under specialized circumstances. Black comedies and television shoes are riddled with the stereotypical hairdressers, church choir directors, dancers, and fashion designers. Even within these specified roles, people operate under the assumption that these men are indeed homosexual.

Gay men can be heard singing and playing instruments at black churches all around the world under one condition. You may not openly discuss your sexuality. It is commonly known that you engage in same-sex behavior but once you choose to embrace your identity, you become exiled. Gospel star Tonex received a lot of negative attention when he announced his sexuality. Scandals with Kevin Terry and Terrell Carter adversely influenced sales and respect within the gospel community. Now I know you’re thinking well…its gospel, which is linked to the church, we know their stance. There is a close correlation between patrons of Gospel and patrons of R&B. The same musicians playing for your leading gospel artists share the stages with the biggest Pop & R&B acts.

Many R&B stars started their careers in the church and in gospel music eventually leaving the genre for more commercial endeavors. The stigma around homosexuality in the black church is a microcosm of the larger consumer base. If an artist is gay, the sex appeal seems to diminish. This makes him less marketable to heterosexual women. Expressions of disgust closely follow.

The bottom line is there is still a system of homophobia that prevents gay black men from living truly honest lives without risk of unemployment.  If sexual orientation impacts sales and sales dictate my ability to make income, this is an issue.  Frank Ocean is often applauded for coming out as bisexual. I respect his tenacity and courage. However, he already was achieving mainstream success before coming out and can’t be the face of Black LGBT celebrities.

The sad reality is that gay artists will not be able to climb the ranks until there is a general shift in perspective.