Would It Bother You If Toni Morrison Were A Straight White Male?
Of course that question is both hypothetical and rhetorical. I’m posting it because there’s been a great deal of discussion in the m/m romance community about authors coming from places of privilege masquerading as gay men.
If you are straight and white, male or female, you’re still coming from a place of privilege *compared* to anyone in the LGBTI community. I didn’t say women don’t have it harder than men. They do and I’ve always supported them. I said “compared” to anyone in the LGBTI community. Before you get into that debate with anyone, remember we were just allowed to legally marry a few months ago and that controversy is still happening. They are still kicking us out of restaurants and bars.
Toni Morrison is one of the most prominent, respected authors in the African American community and the entire literary community. I’ve read all her books more than once. She’s really who she says she is. She’s not a fake. People have seen her.
I’m not talking about a straight white male writer using the pen name, Toni Morrison. I’m not talking about a straight female author openly using a pen name in the m/m romance genre. There are many authors using pen names and they’re doing a fine job at it, especially the women writing gay romances.
This is not about pen names.
I’m talking about what if a straight white male used the fictitious name and fictitious identity of an African American woman to portray himself to the public for praise and monetary gain?
I’m not talking about his writing, or whether or not his books are good. Clearly, Toni Morrison’s books are wonderful.
Hypothetically, I’m talking about how you would feel if you found out Toni Morrison were really a straight white male after all this time.
Would you be thrilled with him?
Sexy Hot Guys Over 50
This is great article because it diminishes that ridiculous stigma all gay men face about getting older, and it does it with excellent examples. Personally, I’ve always been more attracted to men over 40…even when I was in my twenties. Of course there’s nothing wrong with twinks either.
The “Men Over 50 Project” celebrates hot everyday guys who have made it past the big 5-0. The project features both photos of the men as well as accompanying one to two minute audio clips.
You can check out the photos of hot guys here.
Don’t forget, hot guys over 50 take you out to nice places in nice cars, not to the flea market or Walmart. And unless you’re doing something wrong, they usually pay.
Stonewall Riots 1969
Here’s an article about the Stonewall riots and about what life was like for gays back then. I think it’s significant, given the huge discussion that’s been sparked by the new film release, Stonewall. We have fought long and hard and I think we’re just beginning to realize that. In other words, many are saying don’t screw around with our history or our culture through your appropriation for monetary gain. Give us the respect we deserve just as you’d give any other minority.
This alone is gutting:
Forty-five years ago here is what you could expect as an LGBT person in the United States :
- Your name (along with all of your friends and family members) would be put on a list by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, because as a homosexual you were ?prone? to blackmail and “overt acts of perversion”
- The United States Post Office also kept your name on a list to monitor any homosexual “paraphernalia” you were receiving so they could tip off the police and have you arrested
You can read the rest here.
I’m going to continue to post about Stonewall in gay history as I see more information. I honestly don’t know much about it, or what things were like back then, but I never take anything for granted.
Hillary Clinton’s Discomfort With Gays
Now this I do know about. As a registered Democrat, I’ve been watching it for many years. I’ve watched Clinton turn from a silent non-supporter of gays to a huge supporter when the time and opportunity suited her. She’s a politician and I expect that.
The quotes date back to 2000, when Hillary was running for the senate in NY. Allegedly, a historian did tons of interviews with Bill Clinton about the Clinton White House and this all allegedly came out during the discussions.
Bill Clinton warned a close friend in 2000 that Hillary’s New York Senate run could suffer because she was not “comfortable around gay people who were kind of acting out, or pushing her to the limit,” and that she had a “general discomfort” around gay rights issues.
And then this quote:
“[Bill] came in and he said, ‘You know I’ve had much more contact in my life with gay people than Hillary has,’” Branch says in the audio recording. “He said, ‘I think she’s really a little put off by some of this stuff.’”
Here’s the source. It’s a long article that gets a little annoying in the end, considering the source. But the comments are interesting. As one person pointed out, virtually no one supported gay marriage in the late nineties. The saddest part of all this is when I realize that straight people, human beings, actually had to “evolve” to a point in time for when they thought I was ready to deserve the same equal rights as everyone else.
So, you had to “evolve.” Well, thanks for that. But I don’t think you get extra points for “evolving” on an issue that I should have had all along. The same equal rights as everyone else. I’m just not that gay guy who is going to praise you for “evolving” so well. I think a few apologies are in order, not pats on the back for evolving.
New Release
