MTV has finally done it. This season of the cable network ’s Real World set in Philadelphia has a “masculine ” homosexual Black Man in its cast. Moreover, the show has two gay men of color the second of which is a more effeminate (or flamingly gay) Puerto Rican. Karamo is a former “Down Low ” brother fresh out the closet who doesn’t totally identify himself as homosexual. Willie on the other hand is an almost stereotypical snap your fingers, I like to shop, take me I’m yours, and I wish I was a girl homosexual with gay pride written on his face. There has never been a Black male homosexual main character on the Real World. The only other gay Black man was Pedro’s boyfriend on the Real World San Francisco back in the early 1990s.What's next? A Butch Black Sister with cornrows rocking timberlands and wife beater t-shirt? Or was that accomplished by casting Heather B?

This world is officially metrosexual. But, let me first define and then redefine the term metrosexual since I have a P.H.D. and we’re the only people with the authority to change definitions.

Metrosexual was first used in the mid 1990s by British journalist Mark Simpson, who coined metrosexual (and its noun, metrosexuality ) to refer to an urban heterosexual male who spent a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle which are things normally associated with women. The term was basically a politically correct way to say superficial and/or effeminate male. Mr.Simpson combined the words “metropolitan"and "heterosexual ”.This metrosexual male was the fashion-conscious target audience of men's magazines the best known of which is GQ. Not too surprising, homosexual males were eventually grouped under the metrosexual umbrella by the new millennium and almost overtook the term. Today, we have popular shows like Queer Eye For the Straight Guy. Every reality TV show has a homosexual character. It ’s become politically correct to say I have a gay cousin or friend. Having a homosexual in your family or to at least have one gay friend seems to equate with being “tolerant ” and “progressive.”

Now here is the conundrum. If metrosexual was originally used to describe heterosexual men who were “in touch ” with their feminine side, then it also applies to heterosexual women who to various degrees embrace their masculine side. More women today engage in what were traditionally male pursuits than at any time in human history. And they are not all lesbians. Increasingly woman ride motorcycles, mountain bike ,skateboard, fish, smoke cigars, are sports fanatics, dig phalocentric pornography, and drive trucks and sport utility vehicles just to name a few. And speaking of vehicles, it ’s official, SUV ’s have replaced the mini-van as the vehicle of choice for soccer moms since the introduction of third-row seating. Nearly as many woman drive trucks and SUVs as men today. And more and more women are definitely sexaholics. Or one may say they are more open with their sexuality.

I know so many women that are what I call Alpha Females in the sex department. Women who pursue men like brothers have run after women for millennia. And I ’m not talking about groupies or gold-diggers. I’m talking about independent women with good jobs and sound finances. Many are better at the playa's game than a lot of brothers out there. Far too many brothers out here today are wannabees with no talk game or sophistication. They dish out money to get and keep women.

Without a doubt, metrosexual also applies to lesbian women. I know “butch” women ((i.e. the woman that take on the male role in a lesbian relationship), or women whose code names are now “stud ” and “dom,” that look more thugged out than any "Thug Nigga Intellectual" or DAN (Dumb Ass Negro) on the block. She-males that lay more artificial pipe in more ladies or femmes (i.e. the sistas that keep the female role in a lesbian relationship), than Wilt Chamberlain. And the women they mack ain ’t the proverbial “mud-ducks ” either. I’m talkin’ dime pieces man. They got brothers hanging out with them trying to learn from them. Indeed, metrosexual is universally applicable.

So, let ’s break this portmanteau down.

Metropolitan: one who lives in a metropolis or displays metropolitan manners or customs. In this media-pimped society, everyone from Bangor, Maine to Portland, Oregon is metropolitan. This is particularly true with the Hip Hop generation. You can go to Owlick, Mississippi and the style of dress, the attitude, and speech is similar to Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, New Orleans, or Los Angeles. Hip Hop customs and manners are basically the same with some regional variation. So,in Hip Hop, we are all metropolitan.

Sexual: of, relating to, or associated with sex or the sexes

The lines of hetero-and homo-sexuality are increasingly blurred in this media-pimped world. Indeed, gender roles are getting crossed up.

So, if the saying “down low ” can change from a heterosexual meaning of keep our relationship on the hush hush or for that matter from a hustler’s meaning of  I’m “hiding out or keeping out of sight,” to a synonym for a closet bisexual black man who doesn't identify as homosexual. Then metrosexual can be an all inclusive word across gender and sexual preference.

Now ,let's get back to MTV's Real World. First off, it seems that every show has to have at least 1 homosexual out of seven people which is like saying they represent 15 percent of the general population or an even higher percentage of the networks target market,15- 25 year olds. And since MTV's programming influences pop culture, music marketing has changed. MTV's sister network VH1 had a show last year that showed how record companies were marketing their male pop music artists and “boy bands ” to homosexual male consumers. It showed how the videos of Julio Ingelsias, Justin Timberlake, 98 Degrees, Backdoor, oops I mean Backstreet Boys, and others had homoerotic overtones. One example shown was wet t-shirts being ripped off to show wet flesh in the pouring rain. They even track sales in this market.

Now as for Karamo, he represents a unique contradiction or better yet an oxymoron. He is a conscious pro-black brother who is gay. I know that the show chooses and pairs people with varying degrees of dysfunction. And with the exception of Tek on Real World Hawaii, the show always casts brothers as the “angry black male.” I also know that Hip Hop is homophobic and Karamo wants to keep it “street ” to be accepted. But, let's face it people, many blacks, including Hip Hoppers, are Christians. And many of these brothers and sisters are conservative in that respect. And conservative Christians don't accept homosexuals. They'll tolerate them to certain extent but won't accept them. Most prefer them to be invisible in line with the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. Military.

I remember Talib Kweli saying in a song that people always ask him what's wrong with Hip Hop. To paraphrase him, he says that whatever is wrong with us is wrong with Hip Hop. "If we sick, then Hip Hop's sick. If we're positive then Hip Hop's positive". And I'll add this ,if we're homophobic then Hip Hop is homophobic. Hip Hop ain't gonna change until we change. And I don't see that happening anytime soon.

And furthermore, I'll give a balanced view by stating that I know that gay brothers played a role in the Civil Rights Movement. People like Baynard Rushtin an advisor to Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights leaders. Hell, there's even some question about Kings sexual preferences. But, this brother ain't leading no black movement by participating in a pop-TV reality show. MTV casts a “me against the world ” gay Black man who has never really had white friends. A black man who can't handle an interracial relationship between black and confused Shavonda, with her Ebonic name and white middle class mannerisms, and the horny alcoholic white boy Langdon. But why try to cop an attitude about a black woman dating a white man when you don't want her and if she starting dating black men again you would be her competition??? Then he tries to save face by playing big brother and saying she shouldn't “slut herself out ” to Langdon because she already has a man (also a white boy )back at home. He literally says this shit on national TV. Negro, you just don't want to see a sister with a white boy. And I can dig it. But don't back down cause you on TV. You took it there so stand your ground, be a man and just admit. But, tread lightly. It's hypocritical to say you don't tolerate interracial dating between blacks and whites when many black people are just as intolerant about homosexual black men and don't like seeing black men dating each other. Many “pro-black” and conscious brothers and sisters don't accept you and he should know this already because he just came out of the closet.

The larger point here is that the gay community is just as de facto segregated as America as a whole. So, casting Karomo sends the message to gay white men that the gay black men are confused about their sexuality and don't like interracial relationships gay or straight. It serves to further divide that community. It also sends the message that most gay Black men try to pass themselves off as heterosexual by dressing like what the white- media has coined “Homo Thugs ”.

For black people, and women more specifically, MTV is capitalizing on sending out the message that's being overly promoted in the black community that a large percentage of Black men, perhaps a fourth, are gay or bisexual (a.k.a.switch hitters). And you should beware because they look “normal ” just like Karomo and you can't tell by the way they dress or act.

To tie this altogether, I'll quote brother Del Jones author of Culture Bandits, “Ninety percent of warfare is cultural.” And I'll add that transforming this country into a Metrosexual America is a war tactic that will have consequences we will see 10 and 20 years down the road.

Sadly, Hip Hop is being used for cultural warfare against the people who created it. If you don't think this is true, then check the history of the music the past 15 years, it's commodification and commercialization, with prison statistics for the same period. And then check out the links below. Then, you decide which came first, the chicken or the egg.

Peace from the shotgun house, -Jupiter “Gadfly ” Hammon Soul on Fire

(Please note that I've included the more benign links but there are hardcore porno websites geared specifically to the "Homo Thug." A simple internet search will yield a fairly large number of sites to illustrate my point.)

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0326,weichselbaum,45064,1.html

http://www.nyblade.com/2004/12-10/locallife/main/hiphop.cfm

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0326,king,45063,1.html

http://greatdayamerica.com/style/fitness/dragqueen-workout.shtml

Released: March 19th, 2005

The views and opinions expressed herein by the author do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of Playahata.com.