Acclaimed film maker Lee Daniels states one of his next films will feature a gay action hero.

While speaking with Out Magazine, Daniels said that his next film will feature a gay action hero, played by Alex Pettyfer. Daniels describes the movie as a gay “Mr & Mrs Smith” but states, “we don’t find out they’re gay until the end of the movie.”

Daniels goes on to state “I don’t think I’m going to have a problem now. I made a $100 million for The Butler so I’m in a rare group. So this is something I feel good about. Oh and the gay action heroes are interracial, to boot. I have to find the right black guy opposite him”.

If this is true, I think this is a smart move.  Meaning that the character’s sexuality may be in subtext and would not be the films sole focus. Hench Daniels saying “we don’t find out they’re gay until the end of the movie”. I also feel it’s a smart move to make the characters interracial to possibly appeal to a wider audience which could translate into box office dollars.  

But leave it up to Ocky Williams to find something wrong here.  If this film is produced into major theaters, this would not doubt be a great accomplishment; however I would just once love to see a functioning non-dysfunctional loving black gay couple within mainstream media. 

This takes me back to the infamous Tyler Perry’s New Black Gay Sitcom “Tony and Dave” post I wrote over a year ago. 

In it I stated;

currently there are no positive functional homosexual black or minority male couples on television. NONE. No positive examples to showcase who we really are.  No examples to show other black gays of what a secure, functional, stable, happy relationship looks like. No examples for the black gay male youth to strive towards when it comes to what a positive gay long term relationship resembles.”

Right now there are no alternatives on television to the stereotypes that black gays are just gossiping, partying, promiscuous, HIV infected, vain, materialistic effeminate men who can’t maintain a relationship more than 3 months.

I strongly believe if there were more positive representations of homosexual black men in relationships in the media; it could eventually lead to a reduction in the spread of STD’s and lessen promiscuity, even if only by a small percentage.  It could lead to more of us thinking highly of ourselves and not viewing our homo or bisexuality as something that is unnatural and can be prayed away. 

Nope…my sentiments haven’t changed.