Four YouTubers-Being Black And Gay

“It controls the minds of the masses” Malcom X once wisely said. Connecting social, political and cultural issues, the media is a power of its own. Mainstream media touches everyone in one way or another and it helps shape ones belief and values. The media creates meanings of gender, race and sexuality and plays a significant role on how we understand sexuality, sexual orientation and race. This often leads to stereotypes and prejudices amongst certain groups of people, propelled by mainstream media.

In the recent years, people are finally noticing the lack of representation and the poor portrayal of gay men in mainstream media. Alternatively, people of the LGBT community have turned to online and social media to vent and connect with other members of the LGBT community. Tired of being stereotyped and not having their voices heard, four friends took to Youtube to share the experiences and struggles they face as Black gay men living in London.

Kevin Kwame, Damilola Adejonwo, Junior Joye and Tochi Nwozuzu believe their lives are not portrayed accurately in mainstream media. They say, stereotypes of gay men representing them only as “camp” and “feminine” and lack of prominent, black gay role models in British media are few of the ways mainstream media inaccurately portrays their lives. In recent months, hashtags such as #GayMediaSoWhite have been used to highlight the lack of black and minority ethnic LGBT people in the gay press.

Adejonwo, Joye, and Nwozuzu told Buzzfeed News:

“There are role models for white gay people, like Elton John and Sam Smith,” Nwozuzu, 20, said.

“The media need to portray all the many types of gay men, from gay scientists to people like us.”

Nwozuzu said the poor portrayal of gay men has affected his personal life: When he came out to his family, they struggled to believe him because they didn’t deem him a “stereotypical” gay person.

“People think that when you come out, you’re being emasculated,” he said.

The four friends decided enough is enough, that they need to take matters into their own hands. Setting up a YouTube channel, they shot their first video on February 9th, titled “Gay Issues in London”. The video became so popular that they turned it into a series, including other videos such as “Coming Out – Gay Africans Telling Their Truth” and “Homophobia in London”, in which they discussed the negative experiences they face being black and gay in London. They didn’t expect their videos to go viral, but the video series gained thousands of views and positive feedback that it turned the four friends into YouTube stars.

Earlier this year, a man named Akinnifesi Olumide Olubunmi, was reportedly beaten to death in Nigeria by a mob for being gay. Olubunmi’s death hit a nerve with Nwozuzu, and made a video in response, called “Justice for All Nigerians”. This incident has drove all the friends to keep making videos for black, gay men.

“There are laws here that protect us,” Nwozuzu said. He especially wants young people to know they have support from their community. “When you’re younger, you’re trying to fight it to please friends and family. Be honest with yourself.”

https://www.buzzfeed.com/victoriasanusi/these-four-friends-are-sharing-t...

Brian Bell