"Sin" + Sexuality + Support | Go Tell It On The Mountain |

Ciao~

 The James Baldwin story of Go Tell It On The Mountain manages to touch on pretty much every controversial topic in US society. It delves into racism, both in New York City and the Jim Crow South. It explores the poverty and anger that racism fostered. It gives us a peek at the homosexual desire of the main character and the conflict this raises with his family and faith.

The protagonist, John, struggles with being a young homosexual African American male, it is also possible that they are John's emerging feelings of homosexuality, a subtle subtext that is never directly confronted but that is woven into the story. Baldwin does not state directly that John is gay, but there are many instances which suggest that he may be. Take, for instance, his emotions towards Elisha, John respects and admires the older boy but at romantic feelings about him. In the 1950-60s, many male narrators recalled being so disturbed by their attractions to other men that they sought psychological help. Mental health professionals, as well as the general public, considered homosexuality to be a mental illness at the time.

 In modern day there is still homophobia in the African American community, and in general, for instance, the media is a grand for portraying homosexuality in the present. Fox’s Empire is a large representation of black and LGBT stories in media. The show, which unabashedly confronts homophobia in hip-hop, has become a rating sensation. The musical drama has broken barriers on network television by presenting one of its central characters, the gay musician Jamal Lyon (played by out actor Jussie Smollett), kiss and make love to other men of color. The opposite of a stereotype, Jamal is shown as talented, brave, and arguably the most virtuous member of his family. Empire also shows the ugliness of homophobia, Jamal’s father, Lucious Lyon, is blinded to his son’s talents by deep-seated bias. This is underscored throughout the season by a heart-wrenching flashback, where Lucious throws a young Jamal into a trashcan after the child walks down the stairs in a pair of heels. A prominent public figure to hit this nerve was Kerry Washington. In a speech delivered at the 2015 GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, she stressed the importance of intersectionality in achieving success for minority rights. Those who are not straight white men, she said, "have been pitted against each other and made to feel like there are limited seats at the table." Washington singled out antigay voices from the black community as an example.

 Social media has become a great tool to use for advocating for those who are apart of the LGBT community, which is how I’m able to support this personally. There are many ways to hearten the acceptance towards equal gay rights such as getting in touch and supporting those who are apart of the LGBT community around you, make sure not to use derogatory terms (gay - as an offensive saying/insult, faggot, etc.) Become a part of petitions and protests to actively aid the movement, no matter what your sexuality or race is there should be support on this subject. There are simple ways of helping others, being there for them, making a presentation to your classmates in order for more people can understand and join the movement.

Thanks for reading >< Always Aya

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