Exploring Contemporary Queer Black Men

When we talk about the narratives surrounding queer people or the narratives surrounding Black people (specifically men), we rarely do justice for the people at the cross-section of both axes: Queer Black men. It is as though all queer people are white and all Black men are homophobic heterosexuals. Ironically (or perhaps not), when we do talk about Black queers, it is often in humiliating and dehumanizing ways–a fertile ground for colonial-era stereotypes of exotic others and tired media tropes of innate criminality, both dripping with portrayals of a hypersexed Black body.

In a storify, I’ve compiled relevant tweets (almost all) from those who have used the hashtag #NotYourPornhubCategory to share their experiences, make a stand in resistance, and affirm one another. I also contextualize its beginning and respond to well-meaning criticism while using the concept of microaggressions to further contextualize the hashtag. Read More