Fear of a queer planet?

>> A spoken word performance sparks a debate in the black community

by GERARD DEE

A recent spoken-word event at an Old Montreal nightspot, Isart, has sparked an intense debate over the thorny issue of homosexuality in Montreal's black community.

During a recent CD launch for Wordlife--a collection of poems and spoken word pieces performed by black artists from Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa--one local poet, Judge Dread Mathematik, performed a piece entitled "In the Village of the Damned," which envisions the coming of the breakdown of society.

Though the poem talks about many issues, it contains four lines which refer specifically to homosexuality. Among other things, the piece foresees a time when the "sodomites will reproduce" and transvestites will dictate dress code.

One woman in the audience was so offended that she interrupted the poet during his performance and condemned what she perceived as the homophobic parts of the poem. Mathematik eventually completed his performance, but not before several people walked out of the venue in protest.

Though the incident occurred more than two weeks ago, it has a started a debate within the black community which has yet to subside--a debate about the prevalence of homophobic attitudes among blacks, and about their willingness to voice those attitudes.

CKUT station manager Adrian Harewood, who was in the audience at the time, has since spearheaded efforts to bring the issue to a wider audience.

In the last two weeks, Harewood has dedicated much of his radio program, Soul Perspectives, which airs Tuesday evenings on CKUT, to the issues of homosexuality and homophobia in the black community. Last week's edition of Soul Perspectives took the format of a follow-up, open-forum debate at Isart, the place where the debate first began.

Though Harewood refused to comment on the initial incident at Isart, he made it clear that he felt it was important for the discussion to continue.

"It's an issue that has to be talked about, it's an issue that's often ignored. We thought that it was imperative that we begin to address it and that we create the space to discuss it," Harewood told the Mirror.

More open about homophobia

Professor Nigel Thomas, who teaches literature at the Université du Laval in Quebec City and who is openly gay, was on hand for the open forum at Isart. He doesn't believe that homophobia is any more prevalent in the black community than elsewhere--it's simply expressed more openly.

"I know that in the department where I teach at the Université du Laval, there are many homophobic people, but they certainly know that it is not the right thing to express their disapproval of homosexuality.

"Now I'm not sure that, in many instances in the [black] community, that is true. In fact, I would go one step further: there is a tendency to think that everybody has the responsibility to uphold certain kinds of morals.

"I would say that homophobia is more readily shown, more readily articulated, in the black community."

Thomas says that homophobic tendencies in Montreal's black community are a cultural phenomena that has its roots in the Caribbean.

"With the exception of the Bahamas, in all the English-speaking [Caribbean] countries, same-sex acts are considered criminal," says Thomas. "In the minds of a lot of Caribbean blacks, homosexuality is associated with pedophilia. You cannot get them to see beyond that."

Free speech at stake?

Meanwhile, the man at the centre of the storm, Judge Dread Mathematik, says that while he stands by his beliefs, he is not out to convince anybody that homosexuality is wrong.

"I'm not trying to convert anyone," Mathematik insists. "I don't do art to impose my ideas on anyone. And even though people will disagree, I look forward to disagreement."

He also says that his beliefs should not be interpreted as representative of the beliefs of other blacks. "I would be a fool to say that I am the full representative of the black community. I speak for I self. There are people who will agree with me, just as there are people who will disagree."

Despite the initial furor over Mathematik's performance, none of the individuals contacted by the Mirror condemned him for exercising his right to freedom of speech. Harewood, however, is determined to help others exercise their freedom as well. And he clearly disagrees with Mathematik on the issue of homosexuality itself.

"How can we talk about being for black liberation and not be in favour of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered liberation?" asks Harewood. "These kinds of discussions have not happened very often. It can only be the start of something more.

"We have to talk about the kind of community we want to build," Harewood says. "These people are part and parcel of our community. They are us and we are them. There's no separation."