‘Moonlight' Is Not Jt Another Black Gay Movie

Contents:

• ‘MOONLIGHT' IS NOT JT ANOTHER BLACK GAY MOVIE
• 'MOONLIGHT' EXPLOR OFTEN UNSEEN GAY, BLACK MALE EXPERIENCE
• MOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALEMOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALE

‘MOONLIGHT' IS NOT JT ANOTHER BLACK GAY MOVIE

But if you’re a gay man hopg to see two male characters exprs that sort of timacy a high-profile film, you know better than to get your hop up. The other people his life are better able to fe his difference than the near-silent Chiron: Classmat spect his homosexualy early on and bully him for ; ncerned adults do their bt to lay down track for Chiron’s own realizatn; and a fellow stunt, the popular, promiscuo Kev (played as a teen by Jharrel Jerome and as an adult by André Holland) gently guis Chiron to a beachsi renzvo where our protagonist has his first signifint sexual aren’t ually aaid to addrs teenage sexualy — the loss-of-virgy scene is a teen-movie staple — but they still tend to shy away om pictg the first stag of same-sex exploratn among young people. While the two of them tertwed that fashn is a powerful image, I appreciated that Moonlight also showed the two boys makg out, a cematic image gay teenagers are often prived of.

One of the film’s most memorable scen when a teenage Chiron star at himself his bathroom, his face bloodied om a fight wh homophobic school bulli. A dark tent and a b of sp were all this scene required to get the job done, yet 's one of the only gay sex scen anyone n ever name. That movie that every gay on the ter loved, but no one n really remember what was about bee was kda borg.

Though the film is not even close to beg as good as the book, the sex scene is a very fun one to watch bee 's playful and leans to the edy of jt how funny gay sex n be. When to films about sexualy, Black gay men have had our share of low budget movi wh medcre actg and stereotypil storyl. McCraney, a Black gay man, often challeng genr and sexualy his work, and the movie he saw much of himself.

'MOONLIGHT' EXPLOR OFTEN UNSEEN GAY, BLACK MALE EXPERIENCE

It’s hard to ll the ma character the film gay bee he never intified as such; however, most of his timate nnectns the movie were between him and another man. And that do not make a gay or “sissy. For this reason, Moonlight unrsr the experienc many lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) youth face when creatg their own fay and support system.

Hell, even I remember as a young Black gay man beg ncerned about the negative rpons to my sexualy om my fay and close iends.

Often tim when we are troduced to Black gay characters, often volv a bleak story about eher beg HIV-posive, sexually asslted by fay members, or the “down low” boogieman cheatg on his wife. It’s important to realize we have to go beyond the narrativ when talkg about “g of age” movi, and regnize Black gay men have a history of rilience and overg challeng.

MOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALEMOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALE

Black gay men are much more than sexual beasts and dysfunctnal dividuals. Black gay men serve the space to be human- on and off screen. This film is not jt another Black gay movie, is lorful, creative, and reflective—and well worth your time.

'"It's almost taboo to be a black Amerin man who is homosexual, or a black man who is homosexual bee growg up you're told that you have to be that much more imposg, that much bigger, that much better... "It's kd of oxymoronic to be homosexual and have those same attribut. ""It has universal them about humany, about our universal search for love and also 's reprentg the gay muny a way that I don't thk they generally are reprented, " the actrs said.

Janelle Monae, who plays a surrogate mother figure to Chiron, said she hoped movie-go would "feel more empathetic towards the black, poor gay male experience and that we ntue not to ostracize those who are different om . ’ Juan: A ‘faggot’ is a word ed to make gay people feel bad.