Reflections On Why I Write for FlavaLife Magazine.
Last night I realized something. It began with conversation with my mentor, close friend, and "gay father" Michael Roberson, the Director of Services at Brooklyn's P.O.C.C. about the type of groundlevel advocacy i've been able to do in the house-ball scene because of my work with Flavalife Magazine. What I realized was this: thanks to Flavalife Magazine, this summer I basically went on a national tour to cover the house-ball community from state to state. Over three months I went to five different black gay prides and covered the house-ball scene in Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C. and of course here in New York City. My round-trip air travel, luxury hotel accomodations, per diem and entrance fees into the ball were completely covered. And I got a $500 camera.
I wanted to reflect of this for a minute. I sometimes get emails from people who question my decision to continue to write for Flavalife Magazine after the controversies that arose earlier this summer regarding some of pornographic video material produced by Flavaworks, the parent company of the magazine. My two-fold response has always been the same. First, as someone that is deeply invested in bringing national exposure to the house-ball community, I find that black SGL publications do not geniunely support this community. While some folks may be willing to use the creativity of the ballroom scene to help "liven" up their publication, very few of the few magazines that target black and/or queer communities are interested in investing time and money into hiring someone to cover the house-ball scene on a regular basis and from an "insider's" perspective. Flavalife Magazine is the only publication that has done this. I have stuck with them because first of all, the work that I have been able to do with the house-ball community through FlavaLife has been more valuable and substantive than any grant I have ever applied for or received from community based organization or public service venue.
Secondly, I would have never stayed with Flavalife unless I did not witness with my own eyes the sincere and tremendous changes the company has made to correct its former mismanagements. They have reached out to the prevention field and hired an on-staff community health specialist, hired a black gay man as its chief operating officer, and begun a new national safer-sex campaign (which will be the first of its kind between an adult entertainment company and a community based HIV/AIDS agency). If we are going to shout real loud and point stern fingers when people fuck up, then we need to shout real loud and point stern fingers when people make important interventions.
Flavalife was the only magazine that took seriously my interest in utilizing the resources of a SGL publication to do fieldwork in various house-ball communities across the country. Its funny how so many of the flashier, supposedly ballroom-friendly publications which have popped up within the last year are often unwilling to put money back into the ballroom scene, or actually hire members of the community to represent themselves in their own voices. This was and is important to me, and as a "ballroom kid" and someone who considers himself to be an "activist" this experience has actually helped me to do advocacy while also highlighting a multiply marginalized community. I plan on continuing my colloboration with Flavalife as I help them and they help me, and the house-ball scene gets to be represented in all of its complexitity rather than simply as caricature.
Congratulations and good luck doctor! You're a real asset to the community.
Posted by
Morisset |
9/08/2006
hey, life is grey... communication is light. no one that genuinely loves the black gay community would still fault you after this explanation.
Posted by
afrohomo |
9/11/2006
just stumbled across your page...and i am glad that i did...you have a very interesting research focus...yout work is needed...i look 4ward to reading the rest of your posts...good luck in your studies...
Posted by
Sir-real |
9/13/2006
i noticed you didn't say anything about willie ninja/mmmmh
Posted by
Anonymous |
9/16/2006