the young people's professor

...so I guess I'm wondering: does the fact that no one seems to care about (or is at least ignoring) Bow Wow and Omarion's queer relationship suggest that pop culture is redefining what counts as respectable black male kinship-behavior, or is this just another example of straight folks not knowing a "queer" (relationship) when one is starring them right in the face?

I think it's probably a little of both. WE get it and the non-homophobic straight folks get it or are ignoring it. Homophobes are hoping what they see isn't what they think or they are oblivious.

But I agree that they are redefining male relationships only if they are willing to own it or at least not run from it. If some daring interviewer asks them a point blank question, what will they say? There is already a YouTube clip of them talking about looking for girlfriends. Are they or aren't they? Is the closet door half open or half closed?

This blog is very astute and undoubtedly attention-grabbing. I never saw O and B in such light until you brought attention to it. It can be truly viewed as a secretive homosexual relationship but openly homosocial relationship according to Eve Sedqwick’s Epistemology of the Closet Theory. I realized there was a budding chemistry between the two but never thought much of it until now. Very Interesting…

I think this "Face Off" engagement of theirs just comes down to good old fashion showbiz/marketing. They are both "grown" now, but still hold on to a mid-to-late teen/young adult female market, looking to spend money on a kinder, gentler black male image. I think older straight folks, from within and outside of the industry, are letting them off the hook due to their "youth."

Further, their relationship is perhaps less post-DL than it is a throwback to less cynical, pre-hip hop hetero black male bonding/interaction.

Personally, I don't think they're "bumping pocketbooks" nor have they exhibited truly "suspect" behavior to date.

I have to agree with Jason. Although I am not a gay black male I just don't see suspect behavior here. What are the c(l)ues? What should I be looking for? To me they seem to be small-boned, somewhat pretty, almost grown black males. If this were Bow Wow and Raz-B (or Raz-B and any other male actually), I'd think something was up but Omarion and Bow Wow? Not seeing it at this time.

Fetishistic Black Masculine Culture

Frank asserts that we (black men? gay black men? straight black men, perhaps?) have approached a milestone. Bow Wow and Omarion, two young black men, have disavowed themselves of violent hypermasculinty while propagating a “seemingly” nonchalant demeanor about their “aberrant” behavior, two men who have somehow managed to pique our interests and our imaginations. As a writer and poet, it is our imaginations I am most concerned about.

Ultimately, their relationship bespeaks of one or two things—freeplay or foreplay. All of the brouhaha about their affinity and affection for one another is incessant. I suppose in some ways, it is groundbreaking. I cannot remember the last time I’ve seen two men, indeed two black men, publically embrace such closeness. For sure, for some of us, it transgresses and subverts our “traditional” notion of fraternal relationships. Everyone has a reading of what’s going on between Bow Wow and Omarion. Why does this relationship inspire interpretations of what seems to be a “normal” occurrence? why are the freepaly, the endless interpretation of things and structures? (Thanks Jacques.) There has to be something more to this; accordingly, I believe Bow Wow and Omarion stimulate our most erogenous zone—the mind. For me their relationship engages in a form of foreplay. It teases and titillates, caresses and lubricates something deeper within us. We see in them all that we can be or how the world could be. Essentially, to paraphrase Essex Hemphil, they confirm the new world coming.

I see where Frank’s coming from when he says that “some folks would say that Bow Wow and Omarion are in a homosocial rather than a homosexual relationship. I would disagree. I think these boys are just good old fashioned gay.” However, there is a distant strain between what something should be and what it is, and even what it could be. Definitely, it’s a homosocial relationship, but homosexual? Perhaps. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think there is anything “aberrant” about their relationship. Men are meant to be fraternal whether we are straight, bi, gay, or transgendered. Proximity, an embrace, a kind word, a kiss, a lilting familiarity. It’s all natural to me.

yall are fuckin dumb... did you ever stop to think something simple as two young artists in the music are friends and want to do an album together?? is that too far out there?? or do we have to create stupid things like homo-sociality?? stop reading too much into it, of course it looks gay but if they werent artists theyd just be friends hanging out and no one would have a problem

I think the problem is that black culture has a problem with male closness. It is as if two black males can not be close and have an intimate friendship (note that intimacy does not also equate sex but rather emotional clossness, trust and a established bond)without being tagged as gay. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon can work, vacation, create wealth, and even raise their children together and be looked at as ultimately desirable straight men. It is sad that black men must go through life without a relationship such as this in order to protect their masculinity. I am not saying that they are or are not gay, eventhough they never struck me as gay but I do believe that if they were not black they would be seen as two young men who are close best friends that are traveling through a ruthless buisiness who are making a smart move by combining their star power in an effort to capatilize off of their talents let's say like um I don't know Ben and Matt maybe?

i dont think they are gay if they is then ill love to be wit both of them

Who cares? Why are Black people always so concerned about who is or isn't gay? We should be concerned about more impirtant things in our communities. What about the huge number of single mothers? The larg numbers of highschool drop outs? Once again who cares about Bow wows or Omarions sexuality? I don't...

Who cares? Why are Black people always so concerned about who is or isn't gay? We should be concerned about more impirtant things in our communities. What about the huge number of single mothers? The large numbers of highschool drop outs? Once again who cares about Bow wow's or Omarion's sexuality? I don't...

r u bein stupid jus cuz dey iz gd mates dnt mean nuffin so shut up u dnt even no da ppls so jus shut ur mouths u cant jus say dat dey iz gay cuz of der friendship. u aint no dem so dnt chat bout dem.

i agree with those who say they are just friends. their close like brothers yall just pushin it to spark and ignite gossip that may or may not be true. ill believe it when i see it. give my hard evidence of them being truly homosexual in relations then maybe ill believe it.

Well I would say the reason we have so many single black mothers is because of the rise in gay black men and down low brothers. There are very few straight black men left out here!!