In Search of GBM
Dear Dad, Letters from Same Gender Loving Sons
Often times when I am considering what will be the lead post or perhaps an item that should be a focal point. I make that decision based on what I believe will have the greatest impact or the attention grabber that will keep those elusive eyeballs on the page for more than a blink. Of course, sometimes I throw all of that out of the window and just go for it.
Among my many irons in the fire, I've had a chance to check in on various focus groups dealing with an array of issues especially those around gay black men because I take the position that as a proud Black man who happens to be gay that we need to continue to be about the business of "us healing us." I refute the thought that somehow our lives don't matter and we should just accept that while moving on without resolve.
Yet with that rebuff, I encourage men both young and whatever, to take a stand on being responsible for their lives. I believe that I have done what I could to adhere to the "each one, teach one" mindset all the while being a positive role that I don't encourage individuals to mimic but to improve upon. In short, I'm doing me, you do you, but if you need a hand up, holla!
Furthermore, in those meet up's I discovered a common theme that I found disturbing, yet revealing to the importance of having a relationship with one's dad in a gay man's or any young man's life . Fortunately I revered the experience of having my father all through my life until his death at 91. It was not always ideal, but we worked through the rough patches, allowed each other to grow and consequently he was my hero because he lived to be proud of the man I had become and not the man that he though I was suppose to be.
Unfortunately, these sessions revealed to me just how vital this patriarchal component was to those participants and how those in this video presentation deeply echo that sentiment. Featured on southern4life.blogspot.com and on Vimeo.com, I was delighted to discover this project produced by Eight Piece Productions. This is distinctly more evidence to the impact that having dad's in the development of their sons no matter the orientation, economic level or geographical area.
On the backdrop of this dilemma, we can not be shortsighted of the situation in which our critical needs are often being used as opportunity to "check boxes" or pimped by any means necessary. We must continue to rebuke that many whom claim to have our best interest but simply do not. Let us not continued to be fooled by smiling faces with empty promises, token gifts and other crumbs from the social justice table. Our live are worth more than this!
I highly encourage my brothers to come to the realizations that our role models need not be bickering housewives or over paid divas with marginal talents. Although popular in culture, none of images should be embraced as reality based or attainable. Consequently we should be about the following:
'Empowering Black men to reach their full potential is the most serious economic and civil rights challenge we face today. Ensuring their future is critical, not just for the African American community, but for the prosperity, health, and well-being of the entire American family.'
National Urban League President, Marc H. Morial
Let us not allow our existence be assessed to death without any results or policies that we move toward us increasing our economic justice while decreasing disease infections among us! ?Share your thoughts, observations and stories in our comment section.
Dear Dad, Letters from Same Gender Loving Sons
Often times when I am considering what will be the lead post or perhaps an item that should be a focal point. I make that decision based on what I believe will have the greatest impact or the attention grabber that will keep those elusive eyeballs on the page for more than a blink. Of course, sometimes I throw all of that out of the window and just go for it. Among my many irons in the fire, I've had a chance to check in on various focus groups dealing with an array of issues especially those around gay black men because I take the position that as a proud Black man who happens to be gay that we need to continue to be about the business of "us healing us." I refute the thought that somehow our lives don't matter and we should just accept that while moving on without resolve.
Yet with that rebuff, I encourage men both young and whatever, to take a stand on being responsible for their lives. I believe that I have done what I could to adhere to the "each one, teach one" mindset all the while being a positive role that I don't encourage individuals to mimic but to improve upon. In short, I'm doing me, you do you, but if you need a hand up, holla!
Furthermore, in those meet up's I discovered a common theme that I found disturbing, yet revealing to the importance of having a relationship with one's dad in a gay man's or any young man's life . Fortunately I revered the experience of having my father all through my life until his death at 91. It was not always ideal, but we worked through the rough patches, allowed each other to grow and consequently he was my hero because he lived to be proud of the man I had become and not the man that he though I was suppose to be.
Unfortunately, these sessions revealed to me just how vital this patriarchal component was to those participants and how those in this video presentation deeply echo that sentiment. Featured on southern4life.blogspot.com and on Vimeo.com, I was delighted to discover this project produced by Eight Piece Productions. This is distinctly more evidence to the impact that having dad's in the development of their sons no matter the orientation, economic level or geographical area.
On the backdrop of this dilemma, we can not be shortsighted of the situation in which our critical needs are often being used as opportunity to "check boxes" or pimped by any means necessary. We must continue to rebuke that many whom claim to have our best interest but simply do not. Let us not continued to be fooled by smiling faces with empty promises, token gifts and other crumbs from the social justice table. Our live are worth more than this!
I highly encourage my brothers to come to the realizations that our role models need not be bickering housewives or over paid divas with marginal talents. Although popular in culture, none of images should be embraced as reality based or attainable. Consequently we should be about the following:
'Empowering Black men to reach their full potential is the most serious economic and civil rights challenge we face today. Ensuring their future is critical, not just for the African American community, but for the prosperity, health, and well-being of the entire American family.'
National Urban League President, Marc H. Morial
Let us not allow our existence be assessed to death without any results or policies that we move toward us increasing our economic justice while decreasing disease infections among us! ?Share your thoughts, observations and stories in our comment section.
"Dear Dad: Letters from Same Gender Loving Sons" from Eight Peace Productions on Vimeo.
1 comment:
Cornelius,
As a friend and co-worker, I want to say thank you. I don't think I have read a blog from you that has been so heart wrenching. It may be because I get the reports on how these meetings go so there is extra insight; I don't know. But this time I felt your pain in this and I felt helpless to help. I don't go to the meetings because I am not a Black gay man and I can't be a father to anyone. How can I be of service? - DL
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