“Black Gay Man: Essays” by Robert F. Reid-Pharr
"If there is one thing that marks us as queer... it is undoubtedly our relationship to the body," writes Reid-Pharr in this startling and provocative collection of essays detailing his intellectual (and erotic) life as a black, gay man living in a racist, heterosexual, postmodern world. Covering a wide range of topics black anti-Semitism, the Million Man March, interracial sex, the black family, gay male identity and lesbianism Reid-Pharr presents a cogent analysis that combines the personal with the political, the intellectual with the emotional and the erotic.
By: A Careful Reader
…TO NONACADEMIC READERS: Be forewarned! Don't let the title deceive you. This is not a cute, accessible anthology with writings that would interest the average gay, black man. This is not "Brother to Brother" or "Fighting Words." This is a series of musings from a professor that is clearly trying to impress a tenure review board. TO ACADEMIC READERS: Reid-Pharr gives nine chapters which deal with theoretical questions on race, sexuality, and gender. The title is supposed to scare you in its seeming essentialism. The book is divided into three sections: black, gay, and man; but these are arbitrary. Reid-Pharr's project is to critique obtuse, overly "socially-constructed" academic hyperbabble without returning to played-out identity politics.
By: A Black Gay Man
…Although Reid-Pharr's book is marred by an odd, initial instance of racism and classicism where he pejoratively depicts a white lover as ugly, lower classed and pitiable (warning: if such an instance of objectification was levied by a white man for a black man in an academic publication we would surely take far more issue), these essays, while not original in scope or argumentation, go a long way towards solidifying the issues that many liberal wealthy, nicely turned-out black gay intellectuals may face.
One is quite saddened with the way that these essays represent a dangerous trend to publish a book of previously printed essays as a book without sufficient thematic coherency. There is, after all, no truly focused tie for all of these disparate arguments besides the weak ad hominems of framing these thoughts under a headline that is so often seen in personal ads (BGM).
“Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies and Denial in Black America” by Keith Boykin
Bolstered by national television exposure on Oprah and a cover story in the New York Times Magazine, the "down low"—a term used to refer to closeted black men who have sex with men—was thrust out into the open last year. Keith Boykin, a former Clinton White House aide, syndicated columnist, and AIDS activist, breaks new ground by going beyond the media hype with the first responsible, eye-opening look at the down low sensation. Unlike all previous accounts on the topic, Beyond the Down Low refreshingly presents the DL not merely as a problem of gay and bisexual men living in the shadows and endangering women with HIV, but more broadly as a telling example of the African-American community’s overall failure to engage in critical but uncomfortable conversations about sexuality. Chief among those blacks who have lagged behind in leadership have been the black church, the African-American news media, and the black civil rights establishment, including the NAACP. Beyond the Down Low is a provocative, timely, and well-researched answer to the question "Why are so many black men on the DL?" More importantly, the book is a prescriptive solution to ending the closet in black America.
By: Robin Orlowski “Political Activist”
Keith Boykin clarifies that America is still hung up on the intersection of sex, sexuality, and ethnicity. He also argues the hang-up prevents black men and communities from having a needed dialogue about sexuality and civil rights. Black people who find themselves outside the heterosexual binary are being attacked by the dominant society, but also face resistance from within their own communities. Some black churches who easily grasp (and were in the forefront for) racial equality are silent on sexuality, or worse---promote hatred.
Boykin also takes on the recent inroads which white conservatives are making to black churches to downplay their past support for segregation. Because these same people have attacked and/or are attacking civil rights, Boykin is skeptical of their motives. He believes that the white conservatives are only trying to divide black communities and thus prevent real equality for all communities from being realized. Boykin argues that Black churches should not support movements which argue on behalf of discrimination.
By: D. Horan “Franciscan Friar”
I knew very little about the term "Down Low" and the ramifications it presents. After hearing about this book during a dinner conversation, I decided to give it a try with the goals of learning something new while expanding my cultural vision. Both came to fruition. I learned something new - primarily the backlog of information regarding the debates on DL and its impact, particularly on the Black community in the United States. I also learned that it is not a standardized term that explains the ambiguity that often shadows discussions on the issue.
All said, this is a great primer on a timely issue. I would recommend it for anyone who has heard of the Down Low and is interested in learning more with facts.
