I wasn't sure if I wanted to delve into the mess that comedian Tracy Morgan created, but then I read John McWhorter's thoughts on the subject. Here is the link. I have to say that there is little to improve upon here. McWhorter does an excellent job of encapsulating pretty much all of my feelings on both the Morgan incident, and the issue of homophobia in the Black community. I agree that both the history of Black American subjugation and the history of the Black American church are particularly salient in explaining both the nature and the depth of homophobia here. Misogyny also plays a role.
I've been lucky, in that I lost no friends or family members following my coming out. I also took the step of being out professionally, and I think that because I embraced honesty I've experienced little homophobia, particularly among Black men (though I think my overall size helps a little there too). Now, I have no idea what people say about me after I've left the room, but nothing has ever been said to my face; that's fine with me. I really think that much of this discussion would change if more Black folks simply came out of the closet. It's easy to castigate those you don't know, but when someone is actually in your family or among your friends, it becomes significantly more difficult.
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