Fall Reading: Authors Of Color In Modern Gay Lit

As we go from a too-short summer into the transition of autumn, it's a good time to pause and take a look at some of the black gay literary voices which are shaping American literature today. SGL men of color have always been a powerful force in American writing, in every genre and style. The richness of their words and the passion of their stories defines us as a culture. The writings of such giants as James Baldwin and Langston Hughes awakened the world to the struggles of people of color in the mid-to-late 20th century. They found expression through their words, as gay men, people of color, and as artists enriching the American experience.


Writers like Baldwin, Hughes, Robeson and Rustin also set the stage for later gay writers, who revolutionized the gay-lit genre. The first modern black gay author to gain widespread acclaim was Everette Lynn Harris, whose first book, Invisible Life, taught American publishers about the possibilities of gay literature. Harris created plausible, human gay characters, and raised awareness in "Mainstream America" about some of the issues gay men face in their lives and relationships. Following the runaway success of Invisible Life, Harris went on to author eleven more novels, eight of which made the New York Times bestseller list. At the time of his unfortunate death this past summer, Mr. Harris was about to option his first novel with Tracy Edmonds as a Hollywood movie. He is widely considered to be one of the "gateway authors" of modern gay literature.


Another "gateway author" in the company of E. Lynn Harris, is James Earl Hardy, well-known as the man behind the phenomenal B-Boy Blues series of novels. Hardy is an unabashed proponent of the edgy, uncompromising prose style so familiar in gay literature today. With this groundbreaking body of work, Hardy explored in depth the dynamics of relationships among gays of color. His writings continue to enjoy accolades from readers all over the country, who often credit Hardy with giving a voice to their feelings. Gay lit often finds an intersection between sexuality, life, and social commentary. The myriad issues of gay life, social conflict, and the challenges peculiar to gay men of color has given rise to the works of prominent individuals who have helped shape the ongoing discourse on gay life in the 21st century.

Where real-life issues and gay black men meet, you'll often find writers like Keith Boykin, who served in President Clinton's cabinet, and currently comments on items of the day for both MSNBC and CNN. In his current-affairs book, Beyond The Down Low, Boykin took a hard look at closted gay men who live double lives, for fear their sexuality will result in their ostracism from society. During the years Boykin was an active, vocal advocate for the LGBT community, his writings challenged people to re-examine their attitudes towards gays and lesbians with sober, fearless prose. Courage is almost a prerequisite for gay authors, and this is especially true when you're a gay pastor. The division between gays, lesbians and their churches is a long, sad litany of hatred and bigotry perpetrated in the name of God. Reverend Kevin E. Taylor, pastor of the Unity Fellowship Church of New Brunswick (UFCNB), is such a courageous man. With his works, Jaded and Uncluttered, Rev. Taylor comes upon us to let the world know that God does not hate His chikdren, gay or lesbian though they might be. Without apology, Rev. Taylor shows us that we are all welcome under God's roof, statements to the contrary from less enlightened churches and clergy notwithstanding. Taylor teaches us to accept ourselves and our fellows, even in matters at the heart of the gay experience, the way we express love and sexuality.




Gay love and sexuality are the defining attributes of our community, and it is to these concepts that our literature most often speaks. We live, we love, and we share our intense passions in our stories. Bringing our sexuality to life is the province of authors who write gay erotica, one of the most challenging areas of the gay genre. Erotica deals with, as its name implies, the sexual aspect of relationships between people. Sexuality is inextricably linked to gay life, and erotica in gay literature is an important expression of who we, as a community, are. Explorers of gay erotica, such as Taylor Siluwe (Dancing With The Devil, Best Gay Erotica '08), Lee Hayes(Passion Marks, A Deeper Blue, The Messiah, Flesh To Flesh Anthology), and Stanley Bennett Clay (Looker, In Search Of Pretty Young Black Men), each bring out the beauty, wonder, and delight of our love lives in fine form and substance.



Sometimes, social issues find their way into erotic writing, as Nathan James reminds us in The Devil's Details, which combines the unbridled passions of its characters with a strong statement on the absurdity of hatred.





In every way, all of our contemporary gay writers of color describe our world with joy and clarity. Modern American literature is enhanced by the addition of the gay genre, and all who set pen to paper today stand on the shoulders of giants, and strive to reach even higher levels of expression tomorrow. Get to know them as autumn becomes winter, and the time to curl up with a few good books draws nigh.

A "Down Low" Detective Gives His Perspective

Over the years, much has been written, said, and debated about the "down low", men who are outwardly straight, but secretly have sex with other men. Widely reported as a destructive double-life deception, the "down low phenomenon has gained plenty of currency in "mainstream" straight media as a hidden cause of HIV/AIDS, a despicable, cowardly way to live one's life, and the subject of numerous books, such as those written by J.L. King and news commentator Keith Boykin. These are "expose"-type books that do try to shed some light, albeit critically, on the "down low" phenomenon.

Well, while returning from a meeting today, I ran into someone I know, who has been on the "down low" for many years now. We had a fascinating discussion about this as he drove me back home from Manhattan, and it certainly got me thinking about the whole evolution of the "down low" subculture amongst gay and/or bisexual men. A little background on my friend should begin to shed some light on the reasons why he insists--with some real justification, I might add--that the "down low" is a monster created by society, and that prudence, not cowardice, keeps him (and countless others like him) in the closet. My friend "Deion" is a man of color in his late thirties, married, three kids, house on Long Island, and a detective specialist with the NYPD. He was raised right here in Queens, in a middle-class home by a well-educated, professional couple. Discovering his attraction to other men during his high school years, he says he needed absolutely no prompting in deciding to stay in the closet. His lifelong ambition was to become a member of the NYPD's Emergency Services Unit (ESU), and he understood clearly that the letters "G-A-Y" and "E-S-U" did not, and probably never would, go together.

"Deion" stayed on the "down low" all through college and into the Police academy. Following the strict, homophobic culture of New York's Finest, "Deion" maintained a very straight "public" appearance. He was keenly aware of the professional and societal pressures bearing on him to conform to accepted "norms of sexual orientation", on his quest to win a coveted detective's gold shield. He professed to a life that would meet with the approval of his parents, siblings, and NYPD colleagues and supervisors. A cop's life is closely watched, especially when the officer is known to be seeking advancement to higher levels within the department, and homosexuality is not to be tolerated. Openly gay cops have been investigated, brought up on false charges, and fired by the department, as gay former policeman Jai Aiken discovered not too long ago.

To succeed in this homophobic environment, "Deion" made a veru conscious decision to try to balance his professional life with the need to satsfy his attraction to other men. This extended to marrying and fathering children, whom he admittedly loves, but also confesses they help to cement his image as a "normal, straight husband and father". He is absolutely convinced that this facade helped him to eventually get promoted to detective. In the NYPD, there are two types of detectives. Detective Investigators are exactly what the name implies; they go out and do the traditional gumshoe work, like Briscoe and Green in Law & Order. Then there are Detective Specialists, like "Deion", who possess some critical, special, or unique skill that makes them suitable for one of the many specialized units of the NYPD. The overarching fact, is that regardless of whether you're an investigator or a specialist, the promotion to detective rank is an appointment. Unlike the management careeer ladder, in which you can earn higher rank and pay by taking a series of civil-service exams, to become a world-famous New York City Detective, you must be appointed by the Police Commisioner. As my friend notes with irony, "you can have questionable shootings in your jacket, and get by, but being gay will cause you problems." Of course, these reflect themselves as "substandard performance", rather than "gay cop".

Hence, the decision "Deion" made to stay on the "down low". While there is no shortage of people--gay, straight, and bi--who might say that "Deion" is little more than a coward living a lie, I am of the opinion that his choice is--wait for it--prudent. Now, before you start stuffing my comments with flame attacks, think about it: Given the overwhelming evidence that "Deion's" chosen profession was rife with homophobia, and that his life outside the NYPD would have been equally precarious as an out, gay, man of color, his reasoning seems understandable to me. "But what of his wife, his kids," people will point out, "Don't they deserve better than to live with someone whose life with them is a sham?" Yes, they do, but consider: the "down-low", again, is a monster we as a society created, by teaching the "wrongness" of homosexuaity to people starting at an early age. We teach it at home, in our schools, most definitely in our churches, and at our places of business. We hammer into everyone's head that gays and lesbians are "socially unacceptable", but yet we complain when someone like "Deion" copes with this onslaught of hatred by hiding what he really is?

If we'd embraced understanding and realized that gays and lesbians are contributing members of our society who deserve the respect and value every person should be accorded, and were finally awarded fundamental human rights like marriage, then maybe the "Deions" of this world could wear their gold shields and their sexuality prouldly. Let the debate begin!