by Thug Scholar Let me tell you this from the jump. I’m not a fan of Empire—corny dialogue, weak story lines, not to mention this joint is basically a rip-off of the show Platinum that used to come on UPN back in the day when I was a shorty (only watching that show was much more interesting)….but this ain’t about that. I’m beyond tired of the trope that Black people are ultra-homophobic, as if the heterosexism in our community exists in a vacuum, and that we are monstrously more discriminatory of LGBTQ folks more than any other group in society. Lee Daniel’s main character, Lucius, is uncomfortable that his son, Jamal, is gay. Jamal’s mother, Cookie, is aware that Jamal is gay at a young age, and is rather accepting of it, but her son still feels the need to hide his sexuality when his she comes to visit. Cookie later takes Jamal under her wing, promising him stardom—and wants to drop the bomb that he’s a gay to the public. The show also shows Lucius accepting of a lesbian relationship, but remains estranged from his son. Lee Daniels says he wants to “blow the lid off homophobia”, but in no way is it groundbreaking or creative—it simply reinforces stereotypes and further stigmatizes an entire group of people without much depth. One also wonders why Lee Daniels chooses to continually discuss how homophobic Black people are when the majority of the country's LGBTQ population are Black (4%) and 59% of Black folks say that they support gay marriage in the United States.
There is a great political advantage to posturing Black people as the most homophobic community—less mobilization against white politicians and policy makers who have a vested interest in making sure queers haven’t obtained full socio-economic equality. It’s not the Black community who have been in Congress refusing to enact laws that will eradicate discrimination. The posturing of Black folks as ultra-homophobic has also taken away from the discussion of anti-Black racism that exists in the white LGBTQ community. A better, more creative show would have explored all of these problems, and not simply fell back on stereotypes that isolate an entire community for prime time TV.
1 Comment
Kristyn B.
2/10/2015 03:19:12 pm
Personally, I watch the show for entertainment purposes and now out of habit (I want to see what happens). When I used to see the trailers, I was super excited about it because 1) It looked like it was going to be the bomb and 2) It has a majority black cast. But I have to agree with you, the story line is lackluster at best and I have the same issue with the homophobia aspects of the show; it's too much of a focal point and not in a good way. I think they are trying to demonstrate how it is in the "hip-hop"/ black community but they're doing it in a way that is cringe worthy and unproductive. If they wanted to make this "issue" a dominate part of the show, I definitely think they should have handled it in a different way.
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ATS MagAgainst the Stream Magazine is an urban platform. We edify our readers by finding noble, pure, and true talent and giving it a stage to flourish. While we love bragging about the folks around us, we also tackle urban issues by giving real world solutions. Archives
October 2015
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