Tank calls out homophobia but says it’s “hard to be an ally” when gay guys keep calling him gay
Holdin Court podcast. Tank, 48, a longtime LGBTQ+ ally, spoke to Big Court and his daughter/co-host Rachel Renee.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.“There’s something about Black men and the homosexual conversation that is a mess,” the singer said at one point. “The phobia as it relates to Black men is the elephant in the room.
No one will actually articulate their devastation. You have to think, for a Black man the worst thing to be called is gay. The first thing somebody’s gonna allude to whether you are gay or not, when they’re trying to assassinate your character or get off the highest joke imaginable, they’re going gay first.”He went on to question the idea of there being any sort of “gay agenda” to feminize Black gay men and turn them gay.“Something within our culture has created this stigma that that is the… Somehow there’s a program to make Black men gay.
There’s an attack on strong Black men. But who’s the attack coming from?”Big Court suggested it was, “Through media, through fashion, through what’s acceptable.”However, his daughter highlighted music stars such as Prince and Rick James: No one questioned their sexuality despite the way they dressed.“That was in the context of entertainment, it’s showmanship,” Big Court reflected. “Whereas we didn’t see anyone like that in real life.
We only saw people on TV who looked like that. It’s so funny because my gaydar is so messed up because I wasn’t exposed.”Tank agreed. “That meant you were in, it didn’t mean you were gay.” Entertainers back then “celebrated that!
