New bio reveals Malcolm X had a male lover

[FreeState]

Nice to see more documentation on this. We truly are everywhere.

http://www.365gay.com/blog/040411-monday-watercooler/

Malcolm was X bisexual. Marable’s new biography Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, has some stunning revelations of the former Nation of Islam minister. One is that he had an early sexual relationship with a white businessman. For those who have kept up with their Malcolm X studies, the news of this not complete straightness has been handled before. Bruce Perry’s Malcolm: The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America, chronicles Malcolm’s early life as a sometimes rent-boy—the book was published in 1992. It’s doubtful the news of a bisexual/gay Malcolm will add or diminish his reputation. Anyway if Storm Thurmond can have a black child, Detroit Red is allowed to have a white male lovah!

Edit to add direct link to the biography: http://www.amazon.com/Malcolm-X-Reinvention-Manning-Marable/dp/0670022209

[Myrina]

1. Oh please, last week it was Mahatma Ghandi who was outed ...

:eyes: Enough already.

[FreeState]

2. ? Did you read the book - I think our history is important

The more it comes out the better.

[Smarmie Doofus]

10. +1. And the reverse is true: the more history is whitewashed...

... and turned into a heterosexual wet dream fantasy the worse for EVERYONE.

[roguevalley]

11. I can handle the truth. I can't handle lies or distortions. That is why

our country is fucked up. Lies everywhere. Malcolm X was a worthy and formidable man and this doesn't change a thing.

[yardwork]

17. You're right. Let's just pretend that everybody is exactly the same.

Let's just stop all this boring pointing out of differences among people. It's so tedious. Instead, from now on we are all going to be exactly the same. Let's see. We can all be straight white Protestant men from Iowa. No more Black History Month. No more women's history. No need for any of that anymore because it's too silly and boring and tedious to have to mention ways in which people are different.

[closeupready]

3. Interesting. Makes me like him that much more.

:)

[RZM]

4. If true, this is certainly intriguing

Although I'm not sure I would support giving him a pass.

From what I know, his movement tended to frown upon black Americans marrying/having lovers outside of their own race and I don't get the sense that the NOI and other groups have a history of friendly rhetoric regarding homosexuality. So for him to have a white male lover is interesting, to say the least. That's assuming the information is accurate, of course.

[qazplm]

5. well he changed his mind

in later years on race relations, so I think at that point, his movement and he weren't on the same page on that one.

[RZM]

7. That's true, but

I don't know enough about him to comment on whether or not his attitudes on racial mixing were changing at the same time. Perhaps they were, perhaps not . . . I really don't know. Though even if they did, if he engaged in this relationship before he began to change his views, that would still paint him as somewhat of a hypocrite. I'd be interested to see examples of some of his statements/attitudes on homosexuality as well. No doubt numerous graduate students and established scholars have already begun thinking about how they can translate this topic into a successful dissertation or book :)

[FreeState]

8. Im not even sure racial mixing would apply to homosexuality

Usually when I have read about views on Miscegenation it dealt with procreation, something gay sex never leads too. It could be possible when he held such beliefs he separated the two as not equal (just a total assumption on my part, I have no evidence ether way).

[RZM]

9. I don't know, but I'm guessing he and those around him disapproved of any black-white sexual contact

Maybe not, but I find it hard to believe that those who are against miscegenation would be a-ok with interracial sex as long as no baby was produced.

I imagine gay sex with a white man would have been seen as the ultimate heresy.

[roguevalley]

12. given the times, he would have not told anyone and given that he

because of Islam was making changes in his philosophy, I wish he had lived to show us what he could have become. I remember when he was shot and I remember thinking another one goes. Another set of ideas and dreams down the drain.

[FreeState]

14. Im sure they disagreed with homosexuality - but I don't think that was based on miscegenation

I think, and Im guessing here, there is a possibility he personally separated the two (there are several sources that claim he was bisexual at a young age, but who really knows what he thought or believed, he did not say much about homosexuality that Im aware of). Regardless Im sure that Homosexually is/was viewed as a sin by his followers in general.

[WatsonT]

6. This should go over well

the nation of islam is totally pro-homosexual.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. This may well cause Farakan's head to explode... nt

[FreeState]

15. Just an update - sadly the author of this book just passed away

See article in AA Issues Group:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=258x11133

[abqmufc]

16. Personally I wish it was true, I would think no less of him...

and maybe have more respect for him.

Maybe just maybe it begins to show don't judge a book by its cover. And never judge a persons activism by who she/he sleeps with...