I know about homophobia in the music industry - not just in hip-hop. Obviously, we're dealing with homophobia in hip-hop; we're dealing with homophobia in the black community.
I just think gay men are looked at much less favorably than gay women. If you look at the overall stereotype, lesbians are sexy, and gay men are disgusting. Girl and girl is fine, and guy and guy seems to just be something completely different.
The marginalization of African-Americans within their own community based on sexuality is a construct that is more complex than the idea that 'blacks just hate gays.'
My own experience of dating cis-hetero men has really been a challenge, because of the stigma they have to endure for attempting to love us.
People have always said, are you gay? I've had a lot of that. But it's just not in me. I really like women a lot; I'm repulsed by men sexually.
No one knew I was gay growing up but I was bullied. I was a cheerleader, fairly popular and considered straight.
There's entrenched homophobia behind the scenes at all levels of the music industry.
I feel like one thing that messed me up was living in a homophobic and transphobic society, and just being the object of mockery and disgust in your average sitcom or movie or person at school.
A huge part of what animates homophobia among young people is paranoia and fear of their own capacity to be gay themselves.
So much of male heterosexual comedy can be steeped in a gay panic. A lot of juvenile comedy is predicated on that.
When I am at a straight club, which is like once a year, if a man even looks in my direction, I verbally attack him.
A lot of queer relationships on television and in films are met with extreme tragedy.
I think that when you're queer, you grow up with these kinds of men who might have made you feel small because of who you are. They could be part of your family, or somebody on the street, or a teacher.
