Growing Pains

My video explores the intersection of race, sexuality, and masculinity among young gay men of color (specifically Blacks and Latinos living in urban areas).  It is imperative to highlight the struggles of these men because gay men of color suffer in silence due to their invisibility in a white patriarchal society.  Moreover, the white gay community is overwhelmingly represented while the Blacktino gay community is underrepresented not only in mainstream media but also within gay-generated culture as well.  As a gay man of color, I feel very strongly about this topic because it is essentially autobiographical; my experiences growing up and the need for men like me to talk about our issues are the fuel behind this project.

The title of this short documentary is Growing Pains, and it will highlight the experiences of several different gay men of color. Jason, a gay Chicano from Los Angeles, CA; Matthew, a genderqueer Latin@ from Weehawken, NJ; Karron, an African-American gay male currently living in Providence, Rhode Island will be the primary focus of the documentary. In addition to them, several other males will be speaking about their experiences (including myself). 

The main inspirations for this documentary were a collection of poems by Essex Hemphill entitled Ceremonies, an anthology called For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Still Isn’t Enough, and the independent documentary Paris is Burning.  Hemphill is the voice of every gay boy from the hood who’s ever dreamt of flying; his poetry is naked, raw, and honest and unabashedly proud in it’s message of Black gay power.  Boykin’s anthology tells the stories of dozens of gay men who have been scarred by rape, religion, and repression. Lastly, Paris is Burning is a living memory of the ball scene of the late 80s and early 90s where gay men of color lived out fairy tales for a night. These are all important aspects of gay culture unique to gay people of color that have contributed to the mainstream mosaic of American media. Many scenes from Paris are included in the documentary to give historical context to queer identities.

The crux of this documentary is to empower gay men of color to speak out about their lives, to advance in the identity and expression of the urban gay experience, and to demonstrate the lack of representation in the media. Although catered to gay men of color, this documentary will be educate people of all creeds and colors.

I present to you a trailer of what I want my documentary to look like.

REFERENCES

Paris is Burning
For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Still Isn’t Enough
Ceremonies
CNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer