The activist and grandson of the Hollywood legend tails his first gay sexual experience his new memoir, A Tale of Two Omars. Read an exclive excerpt here.
Contents:
- MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PHED FOR MORE GAY INTIMACY ON ‘THE WIRE’: ‘YOU KNOW GAY PEOPLE F*CK, RIGHT?’
- HOW THE WIRE'S OMAR STAR FOUGHT FOR GAY REPRENTATN IN THE HBO SHOW
- RE-WATCHG OMAR: MOHA, BLACK GAYNS AND SHIFTG MEDIA RECEPTN ALED L. MART, JR. / UNIVERSY OF IOWA
- OMAR LTLE ON ‘THE WIRE’ WAS ONE OF TV’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO
- WAS OMAR GAY ON THE WIRE | EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW
- OMAR GAY V. AMY PARSONS, ET AL, NO. 21-16906 (9TH CIR. 2023)
MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS PHED FOR MORE GAY INTIMACY ON ‘THE WIRE’: ‘YOU KNOW GAY PEOPLE F*CK, RIGHT?’
In his new memoir, the Emmy nomee and "Wire" star Michael K. Williams addrsed the portrayal of his gay character Omar. * omar gay *
But, of urse, that’s only part of Williams’ Simon, creator of the show, once told me that whenever someone asked him why he ma Omar gay, he would rpond: Why did we make the other 19 characters straight? It’s a brilliant unterpot, one that nonts whout antagonizg, while touchg on the theme of the first LGBTQ equaly march on Washgton, back 1979: We are clus the ‘ jt didn’t talk about for people to accept the premise that the most feared man one of Baltimore’s most dangero neighborhoods was openly gay, the actor portrayg him had to first breathe life to an asphyxiated versn of Black masculy. Said was “as gay as was Black, not that was exclively eher.
HOW THE WIRE'S OMAR STAR FOUGHT FOR GAY REPRENTATN IN THE HBO SHOW
It took somethg like Hugh’ poem “Mother to Son” and assumed the le “life for me a’t been no crystal stair” was solely about the impact of racism and not homophobia or a batn of the ’s what ma Williams’ work on the show as transformative as was brgg the character of Omar to life, Williams rurrected aspects of Black queerns that had largely gone missg Black artistry outsi of theater and edians such as Mart Lawrence and Jamie Foxx dog drag on TV. Betiful boyiends who would appear naked bed wh him, makg impossible for viewers not to see his sexualy as part of his Omar on a h show, beg an out and proud gay Black man livg the Black muny, was on par wh seeg Will hang out wh Grace their all-whe one — an experience that Joe Bin once said ntributed to changg attus toward gay people. The “Lovecraft Country” and “Boardwalk Empire” actor portrayed gay dg aler Omar “The Wire” om 2002 to 2008.
RE-WATCHG OMAR: MOHA, BLACK GAYNS AND SHIFTG MEDIA RECEPTN ALED L. MART, JR. / UNIVERSY OF IOWA
“As for Omar’s homosexualy, was groundbreakg 20 years ago, and I adm that at first I was sred to play a gay character, ” Williams penned an excerpt om his memoir “Scen From My Life” -thored wh Jon Sternfeld, via Vulture.
“I thk my ial fear of Omar’s sexualy me om my upbrgg, the muny that raised me, and the stubborn stereotyp of gay characters. Sce Omar was the “oppose of the stereotypil hood typ, ” Williams phed “The Wire” productn to showse all facets of Omar’s life onscreen, cludg his gay relatnships.
OMAR LTLE ON ‘THE WIRE’ WAS ONE OF TV’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO
I thk the directors were sred, and I said to one of them, ‘You know gay people fuck, right? Wh full knowledge of his homosexualy, the streets nohels feared and rpected him.
WAS OMAR GAY ON THE WIRE | EVERYTHG YOU NEED TO KNOW
Before his untimely ath, Williams was the favore to w an Emmy for his portrayal of Montrose Freeman, a closeted gay father, the Black science fictn masterpiece “Lovecraft Country” (which has sce been nceled). They n see Omar Ltle and know that beg Black and gay and dark-skned and artistic is betiful, somethg to be embraced and celebrated – not jt after the whole world fds value your life, but long before.
OMAR GAY V. AMY PARSONS, ET AL, NO. 21-16906 (9TH CIR. 2023)
This op-ed has been rrected to reflect that, as the New York Tim reported 2017, Williams did not intify as gay.