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I pose this question because as love and happiness are shared

human desires, I have essentially always heard black gay and queer

men say that they want a “masculine” man. Their presentation

notwithstanding, a large number of black gay men have made

masculinity their standard for love; and thereby, have attached much

of their happiness to something that – many would say – is largely

external and performative. That begs the question what is invaluable

or superior about masculinity? What gives masculinity its privilege?

And importantly from what power structure or binding source have so

many of us gotten that perception of masculinity from?

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I pose this question because I wonder if black gay men have allowed heteronormative expectations to standardize how we define ourselves. By various means America deemed gay and queer identity as partly synonymous with femininity. Have some black gay men unknowingly allowed that standard to seep into their thinking? For example:

• The traditional image of gay or queer black men in tv, film, music, etc. has usually been a more feminine-based presentation or spectacle
• Commonly used lingo of gay black men (sis, girl, bitch, read, yasss, the tea, Judy, the gods, etc.) present as feminine-based
• Those popularly referred to as “gay icons” are usually women (e.g. Cher, Patti Labelle, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Beyonce, etc.)
• Presenting with flamboyant or feminine-based mannerisms is seemingly expected by some black gay men
• Black gay men have often prefer dating “masculine” men

Therefore, I ask Do Some Black Gay Men See Themselves Through a Feminine-based Lens? To help us navigate this sensitive and complex topic, I am joined by (intro the guests)

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I pose this question because President Donald Trump’s second term has been a

manic cycle of corruption, greed, and cruelty. So much so, that many Americans

have been shocked into thinking that this is unlike any presidency in US history.

But I am reminded of the wisdom of James Baldwin in Notes of a Native Son. Mr

Baldwin said that “the past is all that makes the present coherent”, and America’s

past makes clear that President Trump’s anti-black racism and nativism –

animosity aimed at perceptions of alien contamination by minority and immigrant

groups – are well known to American history. Said differently, Donald Trump’s ilk

of white man is not new to the presidency. So please take a brief walk with me as

America’s past makes our present coherent.

To understand why Trump’s hate is on-brand for the presidency we will briefly look

at race through the eyes of Presidential giants George Washington, Thomas

Jefferson, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald

Reagan. Then, we’ll see racism in public policy by looking at the immigration

policies of, again, President’s Jefferson and Lincoln and Herbert Hoover and

Dwight Eisenhower.

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I pose this question because in 2021, the city of Santa Clarita – the 3rd largest city in LA County and its last traditional republican stronghold – was sued for violating the CA Voting Rights Act. The CVRA lawsuit alleged that due to electing its City Council on an at-large basis, Santa Clarita“dilutes the votes of Latino citizens, suppresses the ability of their communities to recruit and support candidates for public office, and prevents them from aggregating their votes to elect those candidates in single-member districts.” The result is, the lawsuit continued, that “large geographic areas with minority communities are chronically underrepresented.” In 2022, Santa Clarita agreed to settle the Voting Rights Act lawsuit. It agreed to transition from at-large to district-based City Council elections with one district being a majority-minority district where the majority of the eligible voters in that district are 45% Latino with another 15% being African-American and Asian-American.

The question becomes why did it take the threat of litigation to persuade Santa Clarita’s leadership to become serious inclusion? Did Santa Clarita want inclusive city leadership? My guest today was one of the plaintiffs in the CVRA lawsuit.

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Today, I welcome Valerie Bradford to Thought and Opinion. She is the founding President of the Santa Clarita chapter of the NAACP and a candidate for Santa Clarita City Council. Her candidacy is historic. She is only the 2nd black women to run for City Council in Santa Clarita’s 38 yr history as a city. If she wins, she would be only the 3nd newly elected woman to the Council since 2008, and the first black City Council member in Santa Clarita’s history.

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Part 2 of Black, Gay and Modern

I pose this topic because the identity markers of black and gay have always been exploited as barriers to equality and self-determination in America. Yet despite racism, classism, and homophobia black gay men are openly flourishing in ways not seen even 20 years ago. What has caused this triumph? Let's hear thriving gay black men talk about how they define themselves, navigate intersectional trauma, and what their triumph is made of.

• Dr Ed Rice is an accomplished educator, author, and journalist. After having taught at the elementary through postsecondary levels and holding various professorships for 20 yrs, Dr. Rice published his first children's book in 2023 called "Cosmic Granny, In a Score to Settle." Prior to Cosmic Granny, In a Score to Settle, Dr. Rice was a distinguished journalist. His work appeared in The Orange County Register, The Source and Vibe Magazines. And, he served as Contributing Editor for the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper.

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I pose this topic because the identity markers of black and gay have always been exploited as barriers to equality and self-determination in America. Yet despite racism, classism, and homophobia black gay men are openly flourishing in ways not seen even 20 years ago. What has caused this triumph? Let's hear thriving gay black men talk about how they define themselves, navigate intersectional trauma, and what their triumph is made of.

• Martel Okonji is the Executive Partner and Founder of Developing Communities Together LLC. He is also a faculty member of Cal State University Northridge and serves as the leader of CSUN's Pride Center. He has served as a Commissioner with the LA County Dept of Mental Health and will soon be Dr. Okonji as he is completing his PhD in Leadership and Change, where his focus is leadership, equity, and community development.

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