Writer and blogger Robert Jones, Jr. (AKA Son of Baldwin) gets Facebook trolls freaking out about the perceived “gayness” of the above photo of Michael B. Jordan and his Creed director Ryan Coogler all the way together in a piece for The Grio.
The two men posed together for a recent Vanity Fair profile that lit social media afire when Jones, Jr. posted it on the Son of Baldwin Facebook page. In the words of Jones, the photo “portrays a kind of intimacy between the two men — the two black men — that seemingly betrays the rules of patriarchal masculinity.”
Apparently, the pic is “a lil gay.”
…and taking a photo like that is “selling your soul.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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sigh
Heterosexual black male masculinity remains such a fragile thing for very complex reasons, and this “controversy” certainly isn’t helping (note: hold off with the pitchforks, this writer is black).
We’re not huge fans of this new trend of creating stories based on what a few idiots think on social media, but this deserves to be checked, and boy does Jones, Jr. check it:
This is nonsense, of course; a careless, cherry-picked understanding of human existence designed to give certain segments of our communities an inflated sense of self-importance. Human sexuality is much more complex than they will ever admit, and the ranges of genders and sexualities expressed in humankind pre-date any attempt at supposed sociopolitical manipulation.
But I’ve been told that it’s natural for black men, in particular, to panic about their manhood and masculinity given America’s perennial violence against us. Perhaps there’s some truth to and justification for that. But I wonder if we’re allowed to interrogate that idea a little more. What I’m interested in knowing is whose notions of manhood and masculinity we’re trying to emulate.
He goes even deeper in the piece, which is really worth a read.
It will be nice when a photo of two black men can just be a photo or, better yet, when black men can playfully poke fun at gender norms and homoeroticism with the glee of Channing Tatum or Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Until then, black male sexuality will continue to be heavily policed, but at least voices like Son of Baldwin exist to start a much delayed conversation.
Brian
Actually, I think this is a great male bonding pose. It shows strength and power in manhood. Black men have forgotten about the power of male bonding.
I suspect that it makes black women jealous because, like most women, they fear the power of male bonding. Girly black men might also be opposed to such a picture of strength and manhood.
Robothedestroyer
@Brian: nah dude. An African American woman would rip into these guys for the same reason an African American man would: to reinforce outdated stereotypes men are forced to follow. Women don’t give a fuck about masculinity, only when it’s used as a tool to opress them. Serioulsy, I highly doubt most modern woman would have any problem with male bonding, aka, having close personal platonic friends. When partners have insecurities about friends of their lovers it speaks to their faults as a person, not a gender.
Brian
@Robothedestroyer: I don’t agree with you at all. You have to remember that women in general tend to fear male bonding. Male bonding represents male power. Nothing scares women more than male power.
Male bonding can take different forms. It can be platonic or sexual. If male bonding becomes sexual, it disempowers women because it means that a man’s sexual devotion to his wife or girlfriend is not contractual. A man’s ability to turn to men after being refused sexual consent by a woman is a very powerful and threatening thing to a woman.
Arthur Silverstein
Give it a rest already
Wilson W Wong
Some people….
Carlos Zuniga
Insecure much?
Kangol
So closet homophobes can’t deal with male affection? That’s their loss and problem. There are psychologists out there willing to help, because no one has to remain a homophobe for life.
dean089
This fellow needs to talk to a therapist, preferably one who deals with ‘coming out’ issues.
Dave Downunder
Straight guys see a still photo like this and comment on how gay it looks because one guy is touching the others head in a moment of solidarity yet when those same guys play sports they will grab each other and hug each other all be it just for a second or two. If those same moments were caught in a photograph those moments would look a little gay too I guess. They need a little perspective here I think.
martinbakman
^
All that aside, what a great photo! I really love it.
Michael B. Jordan is so easy on the eyes. And over at the Vanity Fair link, A$AP Rocky is made up pretty!. Yum.
Juan Torred
And if it was isn’t none of our business.
Wayne Noss
I would love to see those lips together..
olfwob
Because of all this comments, straight guys will think twice of doing photographs like this. I can`t understand, why there is a instantaneous response ” are they gay?” “oh they must be gay” everytime a man shows another side of him. I wish some day it will be “normal” and everybody think “oh ok, what a great picture… what`s next?”.
Boricuaex
…and who cares?
AtticusBennett
anyone who is secure in themselves would take no issue with the photo. like, at all.
also, CREED is freaking amazing.
Phillip Bernal
Some people need to get a life: one of their own..
Michael1500
Gawd, who are these “queer police” who are always on a never-ending search for even the slightest hint of gayness? It is tiring and extremely irritating. This picture is quite obviously two men in an affectionate pose, a picture that communicates a simple closeness between these hetero men. I can just get a clear picture of a bunch of silly, swishy journalistic queens covering their mouths, simply AGHAST at this “shocking development” in their nitpicking world.
CCTR
Great photo and sexy men!
Neonegro
Nothing gay about this picture.