Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Oh Lawd, not again!

No this column isn't about Ken Hutcherson.

Some may think that in light of the election primaries, what I am about to say is trite, but I disagree.

This Friday, there will a movie starring rapper Ice Cube and comedian Tracy Morgan entitled First Sunday.

It is a comedy about two men who decide to rob a church. It looked interesting.

And that is saying a lot from a person who has seen his share of African-American comedies.

But then comes the "required scene."

Not too many folks are aware of this but there seems to be an ugly standard of operation in many African-American oriented comedies to make fun of lgbts.

If the character is a gay man, then he is usually an oversexed man with a name like "Flame" or "Peaches" and he is portrayed as a nonthreatening flamboyant entity who is a part of the congregation of women gathered at either the hair saloon or other places that black women hang out.

If the character is a lesbian, she is portrayed a threatening figure who cannot figure out that she is a woman and therefore is required to wear something flimsy that highlights her tits or ass. In other words, she is a "threat" to "true black men."

But the worse stereotypes are reserved for our transgender sisters.

They are portrayed as deceivers who are always trying to "trick" black men into being intimate with them. The joke is that when the "luckless victim" discovers the ruse, he rushes out in disgust, eliciting extreme laughter from the audience.

This last degree of disrespect features prominently in the previews of First Sunday.

Now I could say something that is long, thoughtful, but I am too tired.

I am too tired from work and am especially tired of being asked to support movies that make fun of my orientation.

I don't care if the screenplay writer is black, the director is black, the majority of stars is black, etc. etc.

As I am concerned, First Sunday will never be on my menu.

And I sincerely hope that one day, more lgbts of color will feel the same way I do.