I had both the honor and pleasure of being a guest on Talking Liberally With Stephanie Miller with my friend and one of my favorite comedians(and one of the smartest people I know) John Fugelsang. If you missed it, it aired on Current TV and is a weekly show Monday through Friday from 6a-9a and can be heard on KTLK 1150.
For all that watched and listened thank you and you can go here for a clip from the show discussing the Affordable Healthcare Act.
Follow @Travon
Christopher Francis Ocean, wherever you are…I’m starting to think we’re a lot alike. You see, It was only two short years ago that I myself passed through the threshold of bravery’s doorstep to free my soul of a parasitic burden, shouldered by this human being spinning in blackness, that had yet to be spoken to the world from a man who has built and is still building a life on saying so much. This man being myself of course.
The plight of the non-hetero American is still in many ways a heavy burden to carry and when you paint it Black or Brown, the amount of weight increases to a level that would cause Atlas himself to buckle at the knees. After I read Frank’s beautiful and poetic letter, for a brief moment, my world stood still. Immediately I recognized that space within myself. Anyone whose ever been in or wanted love should have. Because as a Black gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender person, there are very few examples of public success, acceptance or mainstream adoration, let alone in the hip hop community where “fag” is the end all be all of insults one can deliver. In part, this is why the Black pop culture world goes back and forth in debate about the sexuality of a certain “Queen”. Continue reading
Dear Trayvon,
I am a 6’7, 250 pound, Black serial hoodie wearer. There is almost never a time that I leave home without wearing one, aside from any formal occasion. It’s often a favorite choice of mine to wear and you’ll find me wearing one in many photos. But in light of recent events I have to wonder if my love for a very common fashion accessory coupled with my brown skin could one day lead to my untimely death the way it has for you.
For weeks I’ve sat with the knowledge of your story without speaking publicly about it like I have with many other issues on many other occasions. A part of me was reluctant to fully digest the story and process what I was told to believe as truth. Because then I would have to face the grim reality of the world I still live in and the challenges myself and other young Black men still face today. I’m ready to face it. Continue reading
Follow @Travon“Our lives begin to end when we remain silent about things that matter” – Martin Luther King Jr.
The last few days have been quite interesting. And by interesting I mean I’ve had quite a few conversations addressing people’s ignorance as it relates to sexuality. To sum up the flurry of emotions I’ve felt in the last five hours let alone the last five days would be as complicated as teaching a toddler the Pythagorean method. So this being my forum for venting, here I go.
For those who STILL don’t know, yes I am a bisexual Black man from Compton California. Proud of it. Quite frankly I don’t care what you think of me, it’s none of my business. It has been well known and documented for the last two years but some people are apparently still unaware and decided to voice their opinion(albeit an uneducated and ignorant one) on the matter. I actually plan to address the concerns of the aforementioned individual in a separate piece later so I won’t go into detail. My focus here is aimed elsewhere.
It’s Black History Month. A time to celebrate and rejoice for all things Black and the rich culture and history Black people have woven into the fabric of this supposed great nation. However, I recently saw a video of a young Black man exiting a store in Atlanta Georgia only to be brutally attacked by a mob of several more young Black men from a gang known as the Pittsburg Jack City Gang, who repeatedly shouted “No faggots in Jack City.” This heinous attack (seen below) was based on the young man’s “Perceived” sexual orientation. Continue reading
Five years ago I met an auditioned for one of the biggest managers in Hollywood. Before the audition we talked about the industry as it relates to Black actors and actresses and Hollywood’s production(or lack thereof) of Black films. What he said vastly opened my eyes about Black entertainment. And after hearing George Lucas talk about the struggle to get his new film Red Tails made last night on The Daily Show(watch the interview!) because there wasn’t enough white people in it , it brought back to life for me, that five year old conversation and the agony of knowing that certain perceptions and problems still exist when making Black movies.
During the time I was meeting with the aforementioned manager (who shall remain nameless), it was 2007 and the movie The Great Debaters was on it’s way into theaters on Christmas weekend. For those who don’t recall, The Great Debaters set in 1935, was a film directed by and starring Denzel Washington that was based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College in Texas. He inspires the students to form the school’s first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. I asked him, “Why won’t studios make more Black films like this to give more Black actors like myself a chance to work in mainstream film?” His answer? “Don’t take this the wrong way, but Black people don’t want to see those kind of movies. The proof is in the ticket sales.” Continue reading
The years since graduating college have been slowly getting better for me. But 2011 was a hell of a year. And it was a hell of a year because of some amazing people I have now formed friendships(hopefully life long for some of you) with and for that I want to thank some of them individually. Some people chose to compile their favorite tweets and twitter people but I think this is more of my speed.
These are in no particular order of importance and there is no ranking system but feel free to assess your place on the list if you’re so neurotic that you must do so. You’re like my children, I cant pick a favorite(I’m totally my mom’s favorite). This is a little longer than my usual posts but it’s the end of the year and it’s worth it, read it. So without further adieu here we go… Continue reading
Dear United World Citizens of Homophobia,
I’ve addressed you before in the past but it seems the need has risen again. For the last year or so, I’ve listened closely to your banter, be it from American GOP presidential hopefuls(emphasis on the hopeful) or from a number of other politicians in various parts of Africa. Not only did I hear and read some of the most heinous things about LGBT(Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) people, but you even go as far as to continue to push for legislation to take rights away from us(I say “us” in case you missed it). In some cases they are even attempting to have gay people put to death.
To my own surprise, things like this still have to be written in 2011. Because it is evident that homophobia is still one of the last known widely accepted and open prejudices still standing in the world today. From Rick Perry’s promise to force gay and lesbian service members back into the closet from which they proud broke free from, to the people of Uganda proposing a “Kill The Gays” bill and posting names, photos, and addresses of suspected LGBT people in their local papers to ensure that they be terrorized. And most recently, Newt Gingrich(friend of the blog) expressed his disdain for gays so much that he’d rather gay people(including gay Republicans) just vote for Obama. Continue reading
