Greetings Everyone!
In addition to my regular job and my community activism, I
am a sociologist. My work focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and
sexual orientation. During my time at Texas A&M University, I worked on a
project called Effemiphobia in the Gay Community. Effemiphobia is defined as the “fear of effeminacy by gay
men towards other gay men”. I don’t like using the fear aspect of the
definition. I prefer to focus on it as the treatment of effeminacy by gay men
towards other gay men. I illustrated the way that effemiphobia manifests itself
within the gay community through online profiles such as Adam 4 Adam, Grindr,
and Jackd. When you see statements such as “No Fats, No Fems” or “Straight
Acting only” or “Must be Masc or Masculine” these are statements that promote a
negative treatment of effeminacy. My argument is that the large-scale usage of
these terms demonstrates that the cisgendered gay male community has an issue
with effeminacy and it in terms impacts how we interact with each other but
also how effeminate individuals see themselves within the gay community. I was
going to continue on to the Ph.D. level with my work but I chose not too
because I do not like the publish or parish nature of academia and I also don’t
like how academia wants to keep research within the Ivory Tower and not bring
it out to the community. I am very much a community minded Sociologist and I
want my work to be used and discussed within the community so that we are aware
of the social constructs and social issues that impact our community and come
up with ways to address those issues. I also want my work to reflect the lived
experiences of the people who are directly impacted by my work instead of
speaking about them simply from a theoretical standpoint.
My work has been featured in the GLADD Media Award winning
article, “Why Can’t You Just Butch Up? Gay Men, Effeminacy, and Our War With
Ourselves?” Check out the article here. I have presented on this topic at the
National LGBTQ Task Force: Creating Change Conference twice and have received
high evaluations. I have presented at Rice University, Texas A&M
University, the University of Houston, and other institutions of higher
education on the topic. I have been profiled for my work by publications and
other blogs.
I mention all this to say that I know what I am talking
about when it comes to discussing the intersections of sexual orientation,
gender presentations, masculinities, and race. However, my work has not been
appreciated or widely accepted by members of my own community, specifically the
Black Gay/SGL Community. Often, I will see other presentations and discussions
facilitated in my own city from people who know that I do this work, and they
won’t even ask for my participation or contributions. When I present at
colleges, universities, and conferences the attendance is often devoid of my
fellow Black Gay/SGL men. I have submitted applications and abstracts in order
to present at conferences specifically geared towards Black Gay Men/Same Gender
Loving and to date I have not been accepted or invited to speak at any of these
conferences.
For me this shows where the support of my work is coming
from. It shows who is ready to have these conversations in a deeper way, rather
than maintaining it at a general and surface level. I'm not gonna lie that it pisses me off that my work can be supported by others who are not like me but those who are like me don't value my work in a substantive way. I'm pissed about it but make no mistake, I don't NEED your validation. I know my worth and I know the significance of my work.
I am going to continue to do this work and I thank everyone
who has supported my efforts in a substantive way by coming to my
presentations, by encouraging my work, and by offering me the space to be able
to effectively facilitate these conversations. However, to those who claim they support me in the
background, please read the following message.
When you are ready to have the conversation, I am here. If
you would like for me to facilitate a discussion on effemiphobia, or the
intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation, you can email me at bgmseeks@gmail.com.
Yours always,
The B.G.M.
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