The Super Bowl and Stereotypes of Gay Black Men

I visited the blog Joe.My.God as I often do on a daily basis for gay news and came across a post that featured a video from In Living Color and their Men On... skit with a Super Bowl Theme.  One on hand, I must admit that when watching this skit as a young child, I never thought twice about it.  The skits made me uncomfortable as a gay young man (although I couldn't yet articulate that I was gay) but I thought nothing of the depiction the show constructed of gay black men.



My problems with the skit originated much later in life when I began to study representations of minority groups on television. Some people, on the rare occasion that I post comments on blogs, dismiss me as being overly analytical and in the case of this video assumed that no one looked to In Living Color to provide role models. And while that may be true that no one is actively seeking a role model from the show, the reinforcement of negative stereotypes about gay men (and black gay men specifically) cannot be brushed aside.

Noted cultural scholar and sociologist Herman Gray in his fantastic book Watching Race says, "This sketch and others features Antoine and Blaine activate and engage crucial debates about identity, sexuality, and desire within the discourse of blackness. Although the sketches are not specifically about gay black men, the body, dress, language and gestures are deliberately organized to construct and covey something about the characters' identities. Moreover, and perhaps this helps to account for their resonance, these parodies and the strategies of representations on which they depend join historical contemporary debates and representations in the black community about homophobia, black men, masculinity, sexuality and drag queens."

I believe that whether we want to believe it or not, television is a major socialization factor for us. It teaches us how to be and how not to be. Representations like those found in the Men On... sketches from In Living Color help to underscore why gay men and women are (and should remain) second-class citizens. Men On... makes gay men effeminate (in both demeanor and dress) and lecherous and helps some in the show's largely black audience reinforce their hatred for all things gay.