On Hip-Hop, Homophobia and Basketball

Eminem says it, wins a Grammy... Kobe says it, gets fined $100K... Mister Cee (allegedly) does it, and catches shade from all sides... You be the judge...

You... Yes, you. All of you. Ask yourself this: Are you a homophobe? My guess is most of you will say something like this:

NOOOO! I've got gay friends!!

or

That's not me. I let everybody live!

or

It's 2011. Homophobia? #weoffthat

Open up that filing cabinet of a brain of yours, and take a peek through it. I'll wait. Try to remember the last slur you used. Any slur. Racist, sexist, age-ist, whatever prefix you can add, pull that instance up. Good. Now think about how you would feel if the world got a taste of that slur coming straight from your mouth. *waits some more* See the problem here?

Upon news of the great DJ Mister Cee being involved in a supposedly homosexual tryst with a drag queen (forgive me if my terminology is incorrect), most of the world took the liberty of coming up with the wittiest, 'ha-ha he's a homo!' comment you could think of and tweeting it, while others took to defending the Hot 97 jockey. At the same time, when Kobe Bryant was caught on national television mouthing off at a referee and calling him a 'f*cking faggot', most rushed to his defense, citing a bad call, while others bashed the Lakers superstar for his suspected homophobia. Why is that? I'll tell you why. It's the constant straddling of a line that no one is willing to cross. It's a line that's marked by criticism from all angles except from those whose opinions should matter. It's a line that everyone is content to talk about after an incident, but unwavering when everything seems all peachy.

These two incidents are merely indicative of a very closed-off rhetoric in the black community. As a generally homophobic society, there is little room for a grey area. Either you're for or against the 'gay' debate (for lack of better words). One can't be accepting of alternative sexual lifestyles while straight, without being called out for it. Yet when someone uses what's accepted as a 'homophobic slur' they automatically get crucified for it. It's a sick double standard. Rather than open up the lines of communication where people can express their misconceptions, we lambast those who take the negative and positive sides of the spectrum. We make it impossible for someone to have an opinion, much less act naturally.

Think back to the John Amaechi saga in 2007, where Amaechi became the first NBA player (former or active) to come clean with his status as a homosexual. From that day forth, every NBA player sounded off. Some like Tim Hardaway, made mincemeat of Amaechi, claiming he 'hates gay people'. Others like LeBron James, shied away from criticism on sexuality, and commented merely on the trustworthiness of a closeted gay player. Why can't people just be 'okay' with it? Why, instead of a soundboard of who's who all taking sides, can't someone just say 'Oh' when confronted with an openly gay person? Why is the revelation of homosexuality treated as an indictment on the person being told's opinion, rather than the particular person or issue at hand?

Maybe I'm just content to sit on the sidelines while others fling mud. Maybe the plight of Mister Cee, his homosexual accomplice, and Kobe Bryant's potty mouth have no link aside from being cases of sexual opinion on a grand stage. Maybe we're all homophobes phobic of being homophobes. At the end of the day, it's up to us to not be so black and white in dealing with one's sexual preference. We can't decry the tendencies of one of the most heralded DJ's on the planet, while espousing foul play when an NBA superstar gets called out for his use of a gay slur. Whereas Mister Cee can disavow all knowledge and doing linked to his case and be cleared by putting together a great Throwback at Noon last week, Kobe has to pay a fine and get the gauntlet from GLAAD. Are we sending a consistent message here? Does it depend on one's economic status or celebrity how one's stance on sexual preference is taken? Or does the realm of professional sports (with an unknown amount of closeted participants) hold more weight in denouncing homosexuality than that of music (rife with homosexual references)?

Weigh in here, people. I'm anxious to see if anybody cares enough to point out their stance on both situations and whether homophobia is an issue that should be addressed in multiple mediums. Dear Whoever's been on hiatus for a few weeks, and I think this is a great place to pick back up. In other words, COMMENT!!!