Maybe you saw Tika Milan from MTV’s I’m From Rolling Stone where contestants vied for a job with the famous rock publication. These days, Tika works as an HIV prevention counselor and editor-in-chief for the LGBT publication IKONS. Milan sat down with Black Enterprise magazine to discuss how his family reacted to his transition, how he relates his sexuality to others, and the intersection between trans-identity and his career.
Black Enterprise‘s latest issue addresses a huge range of black queer issues. We’ll be featuring some of the highlights from it in the days to come.
J. bocca
lmao “attracted to non trans-woman” hahahha get in line asshole. Im only attracted to straight men. gees. what an idiot. Try meeting people who understand you and develop relationships with them. (other transexuals) Then you wouldn’t have to worry about people not accepting you.
majorboobage69
what if he was a transexual satan worshipper abducted by aliens and forced into a weightloss program and forced to sing disney tunes. then would his life be easier?? hee hee
Mike
@majorboobage69 ??? A whole new world…???
gherkin
Are there any actual gay people out there anymore?
JayKay
Aw what a precious, unique, little snowflake.
@gherkin:
No. Being a gay man isn’t very inclusive to the whole of the QTBIALBBQG community. We’re all queer, anti-heteronormative, gender warriors now.
Didn’t you get the memo?
me
Um, I believe you mean cis-womyn. /s
me
In addition–where are all of the trannies with their panties in a bunch (well, the MTF’s with their panties in a bunch) over the fact that this person is only attracted to genetic females??? They bitch at everyone else for being transphobic/cisphilic for not wanting to date a tranny, but is it okay as long as the ‘trans hater’ is a fellow tranny?
gordonB
Why is it that cisgendered gay men and women feel threatened by the existence of Trans* people?
Like it’s some tragic loss to you, like it’s even about you.
gordonB
@me: Do you really need to use the word “Tranny”?
j
@gordonB: This.
laughriotgirl
@me: People are attracted to who they are attracted to… if you are attracted to women and you would not date a post-op trans woman, there may be an underlying prejudice at play, but in the grad scheme of things… meh?
I’m not sure why homos can’t respect the sexual orientation of men who DO date trans women though. It’s like they bitch at straight men who date trans women for being homophobes/h8rz for not wanting to date a homo. *shrug*
laughriotgirl
To the video… um yeah… straight guys have it really hard in life. Compared to a trans lesbians of color I know, his professionally employed self will have me weeping for minutes tonight.
QJ201
Those testosterone shots sure to kick in the male privilege. Kinda reminds me of a gay trans man recently bitching that gay men don’t want him. Uh, duh, no penis.
Regardless, being trans is a hard existence which is why folks thinking about it should have thorough counseling before transitioning. He clearly was not prepared for the realities of dating as a trans man.
Anyway, my suggestion is to find a nice bi-girl. They are usually more accepting of trans men.
Ganondorf
This is all wrong or right. See, it should be a two spirited (I don’t know what that is), lesbian gay transgender male to casserole of nonsense down there handicapped poor person of many colors squaring off against someone of similar “diversity” for the title of most oppressed person on earth. Seeing that they’re evenly matched physically and in relevantly intersected oppression (staring at each other briefly), they’ll be forced to hurl themselves from their wheelchairs and crawl on their bellies to the finish line (incidentally, the finish line has been renamed “a possible shape of no particular cultural or ethnic implication”). Unfortunately for our unwitting contestants, it’s impossible to win this game, even when one does (for the loser places first, and so on). “winning” sets up an unhealthy hierarchy that oppresses people who are incapable of winning, or as they prefer, differently winning peoples.
Afro Boricua
I can telll you, being black and gay is a double curse. I say to all white gay men, stop comparing your plight to the black ‘Civil Rights’ movement. You are not a minority in the United States. You belong to the 220 million white majority in the United States. White gay men, try being black for one day. The gay community is racist and black gay men are treated as invisible by the white gay media.
Dr. Dick
@JayKay: that really should be a memo.
Marcus
@Afro Boricua: I totally agree
J. Bocca
Afro Boricua STFU, How do you know what its like to be white? Have you been white for a day? It’s not all roses and lollipops, if anyones statements are racists and ignorant its yours. White people this, white people that, bla bla bla bla bla. Guess what everytime I turn on the TV and see a person fighting for gay rights (the same ones you enjoy) always seem to be white males. Hmmmm. You know the evil white gay males you hate so much.
xande65
You guys really give me no hope at all of acceptance by the gay community for being a gay trans-man. Most of you seem to think that people like me are just trying to be a “special snowflake”, and that because I don’t have real junk, I’m not worth your time. Well, thanks a lot for invalidating mine and other trans* people’s genders. And saying that we should stay away from the cisgender gay community and stick to dating other trans* people? That’s just as stupid as saying mixed race people should only date other mixed race people. Seriously, the cissexism in some of these comments disgusts me.
Afro Boricua
@J. Bocca: @J. Bocca: Queen, did I hurt you feelings. I can tell you, being a white homosexual is better than being a black homosexual or heterosexual. Your being white in America gives your white ass priviledge. White homoseuxals faggots aren’t fighting for gay rights for myself or other blacks. These selfish serving mostly white gay rednecks like you are serving yourselves.
Afro Boricua
Correction:
J. Bocca, did I hurt you feelings? I can tell you, being a white homosexual is better than being a black homosexual or heterosexual. If any white gay man had a choice to be white or black, the majority will choose white. Your being white in America gives your white ass privilege. White homosexuals aren’t fighting for gay rights for myself and other blacks. The majority of self serving white gay rednecks like you, are serving yourselves. During slavery and Jim Crowism in America, white gay men participated in the atrocities of treating blacks as being non human.
Mike in Asheville
@Afro Boricua: Not “all”; most, possibly; many, certainly. But for this white boy (well I was when, as a Cal freshman, 30+ years ago) “[Your] my being white in America [gives] gave [your] my white ass [sic] priviledge(s)” = chiefly, my white ass drew the attention of many black men (and whites, Asians, Hispanics, native Americans). And I never, not one time, did I not have great fun irrespective of my partners’ race.
Several years ago I was stopped by some crazy woman while walking through MacCarthur Park in LA screaming “A man, a fucking white man. Oh thank god cause there are only niggers and Spics here. Want some fun?” As I kept walking, she kept following shouting her rants about all the blacks and Hispanics and how she never finds a white man. So annoyed, I finally shouted back “Well its your loss you hate blacks and Hispanics. My experience has been that black men are great kissers and they do have larger cocks and know how to use them…” Interrupted by “Oh great a fucking faggot!” I went on, “And those Hispanics you hate, well they have always made great love to me.” Of course I heard a few more “fucking faggot” comments as I went on my way.
I find it truly annoying that each of us struggle through understanding the confusion we experience about our own unique sexuality and yet fail so miserably at understanding the each and every other person should have the exact same right to be who they are too!
Yes gay men, some men are sincerely bi; yes bi men, some men are strictly gay (me); men/women/trans we are all humans with unique desires. Its quite similar to challenging the notion of how can two men/two women ruin someone else’s straight marriage. Why can’t we each enjoy our sexuality and allow others, without snark and judgement, to enjoy their sexuality?
J. Bocca
Afro Boricua, No you didn’t hurt my feeling at all, because you make absolutly no sense. Lol. What white prvileges do I have that you don’t have? The United Negro fund? Nope. Black television entertainment? Nope. Affirmitavie action? Nope. During slavery in America white gay men participated in treating blacks as non humans? LMAO. Ok yea because you lived during that time period. Lets not forget who freed the slaves. A white man, also lets not forget our country had a civil war over it, where thousands of white people died fighting for blacks. But I can see you live in a bitter racist mind frame just by the way you talk. Sad. Real sad. I pity you.
majorboobage69
@Afro Boricua:
“afro boricua”?????
boy i bet the republicans love you
Aiden
@J. Bocca: This comment is so full of shit. I’ll take white privileged over affirmative action any day.
J. Bocca
WTF is white privilege? huh? Answer the question, because no white person I know has ever been born and handed everything they need or want. They work for it. Just like a black person does. There is no privilege it’s called hard work. I’ve had to work for everything I own and have in life, and it’s a really big insult to say I somehow was handed anything for free based on the color of my skin instead of earning it. So stop with the bullshit. You sound ridiculous.
Afro Boricua
@J. Bocca: You are in denial fool. You white ass have had more privilege than I’ve had as being a black man in America. When you go into Bloomingdales and other upscale stores, your white ass is followed, as if you are going to steal something. As I state, try being a black man for one day in America and come back and tell me your experience. People don’t hate you because based on your race or not fitting into the so called all American look. Go to hell, J. Bocca, you are not a minority. You belong to the 220 majority whites in America. The white gay community isn’t inclusive of black gays and lesbians. We are still seen as being an inferior race in a large portion of whites in America minds.
Afro Boricua
@J. Bocca; when you go into Bloomingdales or other upscale stores, your white ass isn’t followed, as if you are going to steal something. Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthest women in the world, but she was denied entrance into an upscale Euorpean store because the white cleaks didn’t recognize her at first. No matter how hard blacks work or how much education and success they acheive in this country, racism will still be alive and practiced by many whites. Go fuck yourself J. Bocca.
Afro Boricua
J. Bocca, your racist comment about affirmative action shows how many whites think, whether they are gay or straight. Most of you will always think, the white race is the superior race. I guess, Hilter was one of your distant relatives?
J. Bocca
LMAO ok afro boricua you are totally full of shit and just an FYI I had surgery on my arm about 3 months ago and a week after I had my cast taken off I was walking in a cvs store with a sweater on my arm was slightly bent due to it being used to being in that position for so long, and guess what a woman who worked there stopped me and asked me what was in my sleeve and accused me of stealing. until I took out my arm and showed her my scars and that I just had surgery. But wait I ain’t black how did that happen, because things happen to everyone NOT just black people, see that is wrong with a lot of African Americans they think that anything that’s bad in their life is due to the color of their skin no its not it’s called life. Stop blaming white people it shows your laziness. And if anyone is racists here it’s you with your white this and white that talk you sound really uneducated.
Afro Boricua
@J. Bocca: You shouldn’t be in a cast, but a casket.
LaNeshe
Am I wrong in feeling that his position isn’t as difficult as it is being made out to be? He is now a man, and he likes women…