A few weeks ago I penned an article reacting to VH1’s Hollywood edition of their hit show "Love & Hip Hop." In the article I expressed my reservations regarding the gay male couple they were featuring on the show. It was a historic moment for the series, as it had previously featured gay bashing on its sister shows involving one of the male cast members.
I said I’d give the show a chance to prove to me that they weren’t exploiting these men who had very real issues and I have to say that last week’s hour-long special on being out in the hip hop community exceeded my expectations.
The fact that VH1 even took time to reach out to so many voices in the black LGBTQ community really shows that they weren’t going to sit back and alienate an entire group of people. There were so many point of views represented in the special. Honestly the LGBTQ community was fully present in the studio that night. Miles, the man who was closeted on the show came out to his ex-girlfriend Amber in the last episode as well as his sisters who at first we’re not supportive and asked him what God would think. TJ Holmes of ABC News hosted the special and talked to a variety of people including leaders of the black church. Many said that they accept homosexuality in their church and that it was not a sin and they focused on the charitable supportive aspect of the bible. One pastor who was Skyped in said he did not feel that way and thought they were lost sick souls.
Highlights of the special would definitely be the interaction between LGBTQ and straight members of the hip hop community. Big Freedia, one of the biggest artists in bounce music who has their own TV show spoke about the lack of queer musicians of color in the industry overall. There are plenty of them as seen by this special that are shut out of the industry based on their sexuality and their race.
Daryl McDaniels of Run DMC has been in the industry for years and makes the important point that everyone’s okay with homosexuality, as long as it’s not the rapper. The designers, makeup artists, photographers, and directors have been gay but not the artist themselves. The panel also touches on homophobia within the community in terms of the language they use in their songs. For many years words like “faggot” were tossed around and used as insults towards other artists as put downs.
Another issue that is brought specifically affects Miles, his bisexuality. A panelist draws attention to the fact that a woman can be bisexual and no one will bat and eye, but a man must choose one or the other. Many see Miles’ bisexuality as a farce, that he is really 100 percent gay, as if his relationship with his boyfriend Milan waters down his love for women.
What’s really important here is that a major cable network took time out of their regular programming to offer support and exposure to a group of people that are usually marginalized. That alone brings them closer to the mainstream and is a strong show of progress being made in the industry.
