OK, it takes a lot to make us cry, but this clip has us a little misty-eyed…
After keeping his sexuality hidden from his father for thirty years, Black Ink Crew tattoo artist Kevin Laroy, a.k.a. Baby Face Killa, is finally telling his truth.
In last week’s episode of the hit VH1 reality series, 30-year-old Kevin asks his father, who he hasn’t seen in years, for an on-camera sit-down at his apartment.
“This very well could be the end of the relationship we do have,” he says in the moments leading up to the meeting, “and as estranged as we’ve been, I still want my dad to be a part of my life.”
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Related: “Flash” star proudly comes out as bisexual
The reunion starts off some friendly father/son banter. But things start to get tense when Kevin begins opening up about his life. He explains to his father that, over the years, he’s been trying to understand his true identity.
“Where you like it or not, I’m going to be me,” Kevin says, nervously. “The fact of the matter is… I am a gay black male.”
His father is silent. After a long pause, he asks: “Have I failed you as a father?”
OOF.
Related: Father Accidentally Discovers Son Is Gay, Handles It Like A Real Man
But his tone quickly changes.
“I cant be judgmental, not towards you, son,” he continues. “I may not agree with it, but it’s your life, not mine. What makes Kevin happy, at the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.”
“My love for you, son, is unconditional.”
Watch the touching coming out scene below (or head here if the video isn’t playing):
Jaxton
A father should guide his son down the path of heterosexuality. I knew a father who would take his 21 year old son to the beach to look at women’s boobs together. This father was guiding his son in a fatherly fasion..
Homosexuality is fine as a quality but it becomes a trap as an identity. A father should take his son by the hand and encourage it to explore the joys of heterosexuality.
pmdww2
Sexual orientation is not a choice for most people according to the American Psychological Association.
Matt1961
The father’s ‘job’ as a father is to provide for his son, give him support and guidance, and to enshrine in him the courage to live his truth, not to take him to the beach and show him boobs. That’s not how it works, that’s not how any of this works…
Deepdow
Are you a serial killer?
Xzamilloh
Dude, you are just a complete effing moron. You don’t guide a gay man down a path of heterosexuality, but a path of unrealistic “heteronormal” ideals about what a man is supposed to be and act like. That doesn’t equal straightness, but the quintessential “toxic masculinity” I hear being clamored on and on from progressives but never in a scope like this when it is valid.
You know what you get when you try to guide a gay man down that path? Repressed closet cases that bottle up their real feelings, and then you better hope you’re the one he picks up at a bar or cruises on Grindr because it might be a literal shot in the dark as to how he’ll react before, during, or afterwards.
OrchidIslander
I fervently hope that you don’t have children, and if you do, that they seek therapy as soon as they can.
girldownunder
Hahahaha….what??
You know what? I could even take this shite on-board (in a way to understand hateful people) if EVERY SINGLE STR8 PERSON was blissfully happy from day dot. Tough, it would still not work because some of us aren’t str8, but then I could at least understand where str8 people come from.
Instead: str8 raping of children (in their families, opposite sex rapes), divorce, unfaithful, child-raping priests, raping of women & wives (yes, a wife can be raped, sex against her will), str8 men killing their wives/children out of spite, porn-addicted str8 men (married especially), str8 men on Grindr…..etc, etc, etc, etc, etc…………..
I know you’re just a troll, but I decided to spend a few seconds here.
Larry
What YOU describe is a sickness. The same one Trump has and Harvey Weinstein and the list goes on. How can you not see that you are treating women on the beach as objects?
GayEGO
Jaxton, you need to know that it is not about guidance to be someone you are not. When I was a teenager back in the 1950s, knowing that I liked men, I tried a few different girls, but my willy did not respond to them as my physiological anatomy requires guys that I am attracted to. This son’s father must accept his son as who he is, not who others think he should be.
Blackceo
That was great. That is never an easy conversation to have. I’m glad that we are seeing more Black men in these coming out stories. It is important for a community in which the men often internalize this notion that being anything other a tough Black male means weakness. It prevents many Black boys from coming out. Moonlight spoke to that and thats why the film was so important.
On a completely superficial note, those gold fronts gotta go Kevin. He has such a nice smile and nice teeth but those gold fronts just ruin it IMO.
Kieran
I think negative stereotypes about gays hinders many males in general from coming out, regardless of their race.
Blackceo
@Kieran of course. My point, however, was about exposure and Black boys needing to see other Black boys and men exhibiting the courage to live their authentic lives and show that its not the end of the world.
Kieran
I absolutely agree with that. Having positive role models can make a huge difference.
SiamSam
OMG Blackceo I agree with you. And not just about the gold teeth. There’s hope for us yet. *kiss*
Kieran
I really hope that went so well because he’s a loving Dad who cares about his son and not because he came there to ask for a loan.
Bob LaBlah
Queerty please fix the video clip so that we can all see it. Thank you.
Paco
Here…
http://www.vh1.com/video-clips/qo251q/black-ink-crew-kevin-opens-up-to-his-dad-about-his-sexuality
Jaxton
You’re just adding one layer of identity politics onto another. Gay on black – it’s a recipe for de-humanization.
Identity politics may bring political power but it’s de-humanizing. You’re a human by nature – you shouldn’t be politicizing your innate natural qualities.
Blackceo
“Identity politics” is code for “I’m ignorant on intersectionality”
SiamSam
@Blackceo Intersectionality = Everyone’s a victim now! Yaaaay!
Blackceo
@SiamSam No. Intersectionality recognizes the disparities among various groups of people affected by social conditions. That is the result of the US being a salad bowl nation. You have to break down various experiences because social conditions affect various groups of people in different ways. Dismissing it as “victimhood” when there is empirical data that supports disparities in various SES issues is negligent. Its valuable information.
People talk a great deal about Trump’s support among evangelicals. Well, White evangelicals, yes. Black evangelicals not so much. Why is that? Or, Hillary winning the women’s vote. Well, yes mainly because she received over 90+ percent of the Black female vote, whereas 53% of White women voted for Trump. So it is important to recognize intersectionality. The experiences of White gay men is very different from that of a Black gay men or a Latino gay men vs that of lesbians among the same groups. You can’t just lump gays all together. That is disingenuous.
Kangol
A beautiful, moving encounter. Thanks for featuring this, Queerty!
Bob LaBlah
Took’em long enough, huh? lol lol I’m sure you also caught who the author of the article WASN’T too. lol lol
Jaxton
A lot of you lack bonds with your fathers. This has caused you to reject the example set by fathers – ie the example of heterosexuality.
All young men need fathers to guide them away from the natural homosexual impulse and toward the reproductive impulse. Fathers need to admire boobs in front of their sons and to say “go for it”.
Remember that homosexuality is the natural inclination of men and that heterosexuality has to be encouraged by the father.
girldownunder
We each are a split-second in time. Look near you, at any inanimate object in your view, & it will still exist when you’re long-gone.
I despise what humans have done with our collective ability. We have elevated the hate & the sociopaths. Allowed them to serve us distraction (you name it: patriotism, football, Star Wars, stock market) to counter our natural cognitive dissidence….and to work against one another. It’s awful.
Imagine, working to make this already hard life worse. Trolls. Just incredibly sad & shameful.
GayEGO
Congratulations and may this father and son have a loving relationship throughout their lives!