One of Cypher Avenue’s favorite athletes has posed nude for the NOH8 campaign. Adam Bouska’s image of Brendon Ayanbadejo is definitely eye catching.
The outspoken 36-year-old Ayanbadejo (who is currently an NFL free agent), vocally supports marriage equality and equality for all. The former Baltimore Ravens linebacker messaged his Twitter followers with “A real man supports equality”.
I am sure Cypher Avenue will continue to high light Brendon Ayanbadejo and his activism! Adam Bouska’s photos can be purchased directly from his website at NOH8.
While he is as every bit aesthetically pleasing to the eye. What was the purpose of him posing nude for this particular campaign? I liken it to the post @Nick had in respect to Pride and what is the purpose of gallivanting around naked as a means of a prideful statement.
I welcome him supporting the NOH8 campaign but the approach seems a bit to play into the stereotype as gays being hyper sexual. Plus there are SGL females that will benefit from the NOH8 campaign as well.
I don’t think this is necessarily playing into any stereotype, Adam is selling a product, and like they say sex sells, if you go to the website Brendon Ayanbadejo has also posed clothed with his family, I don’t see any harm or hidden message into this. A photo like this is more like to get out and get NoH8 campaign out, its like how celebrities have posed nude for the Got Milk Campaign or No Fur campaign. I believe you are reading way too much into this.
Right…he is a heterosexual man posing nude for equality. What stereotype is he playing into exactly??? A gay stereotype, female stereotype? I’m confused.
@Mike350 @Nick Curious as to the stereotypes that white, black, str8 and gay males and females who have also posed fully clothed and nude for this campaign are playing into.
I’m referring to the stereotype that LGBT people are all about sex. And that we mistake love for lust.
The purpose of this campaign is to chip away at the notion that LGBT are sex crazed and to promote equality, as well as, the notion that LGBT are people too and deserve all rights and benefits as heterosexual people. So individuals posing for this campaign in the nude, why would you give your opposition ammo to use against you. I understand the idea of marketing and being artful in your approach but not at the expense of losing credibility and convoluting your message.
You’re correct Adam is selling a product, but isn’t that product an idea which is to “Promote marriage, gender and human equality?” Although sex does sell, I don’t see how it helps the message toward equality. People already mistakenly view LGBT people as sex crazed individuals, and we mistake love for lust. So why would you potentially convolute this particular message of equality by posing nude. Are people hearing the message or just gawking at his physique?
Great points. I think both. Here they (I) may be gawking but I was listening to his message when he (Brendon) was on Meet The Press.
They are gawking at his physique but I can tell you, this picture will cause other news and media outlets to bring attention to the campaign, its the same as other campaign that as celebrities posing nude. The first thing that comes to mind when I see this is not the gay stereotype of homosexuals being overly sexual, I think this man is baring it all for NoH8, he doing something unpopular in his world (sports world) and speaking out.
The similarities between this campaign/picture and a foolishness that goes on at black gay pride are few. I’m good in that I know the difference.
Right. As usual, who needs a LOGICAL argument in support of equality when you can vocalize nothing: just take off your clothes, get Photoshopped, market yourself, and satisfy your personal vanity – all at the same time? Oh yeah and that gay equality thing.
Yes, he didn’t HAVE to do this, so I do recognize and respect his “dedication” and initiative – but let’s not overstate that, or ignore the ways in which he benefits, too.
If ordinary, ugly people did this too, it might be a little more valuable (because it could be something courageous, “ordinary” people might do to support gay equality, people with something more to lose) – but elite, rich, famous, attractive people? It might have worked for PETA 20 years ago, but as a pro-gay marketing tool, it’s about as useful as sex-crazed pride events; and because the model benefits, too, it doesn’t seem that courageous.
Maybe if he said something really substantive – or groundbreaking (standards too high?) – AND posed nude, then maybe…….
I mean shit, probably the BIGGEST progress gays have ever made did NOT include nudity: if Rock Hudson or Barack Obama posed nude for gay equality, that wouldn’t do shit – it would just be really weird/traumatizing. And they are two of the most shocking, ground-breaking (though imperfect) high-profile, pro-gay public figures ever.
Think of a list: Bayard Rustin; Harvey Milk; David Kato (RIP my friend), Audre Lorde, Eric Lembembe (RIP)…would posing nude help AT ALL?
….so, thanks, Brendon, but if you genuinely care, then LEARN about effective WORDS you can say and ACTIONS you can take. The nudity thing? C’mon man.
Would MLK, Milk, Mandela really be effective at any kind of advocacy if you could download a Photoshop (.psd) of their d***?
Thanks Brandon. Now put on your clothes on and start to THINK.
Wow. If one would do simple ( yes a simple) google search or a search on Cypher Ave of Brenden, you would see the clothed (suit & tie no less) interviews where he has used his brain and words. So basically the body of ones work or activism doesn’t matter just the parts that you like or don’t like?
To say this man and the tremendous outreach he has done doesn’t equals doing activism right reminds me of the gays who state because I am not fem I am doing gay wrong. GTF outta here.
Yeah we are going to have to agree to disagree here. This is crazy.
I value your point about his holistic body of activism: I over-stated my case and shouldn’t have been so sweeping and perhaps harsh.
I do want to point out that the nudity mechanism can be useless and/or counter-productive: the biggest gains in equality – across many struggles – have no nudity involved, for very good reasons (including the credibility that comes with good taste).
I think there’s a big need for discourse in the GLBT community, but instead we get lots of naked people (which is partly why I value CA so much).
That said, it was unfair of me to single this man out in such strong terms. It’s the nude campaigns that leave me scratching my head; the fact he participated is not to shoot down the totality of his efforts, but to point out that it seems like a frustrating missed opportunity to do better.
This here…this right here is a shining example of dialogue and discourse
without the messiness.
@kasule Thank You Sir! Always feel free to voice your opinion.
Art and activism can mix and has done so for hundreds if not thousands of years. I’m good.
“Art and activism can mix and has done so for hundreds if not thousands of years.”
To be sure, your statement is spot on. Using art towards activism has contributed major benefits to societies, across decades of literature, films, spoken word, paintings, music, photographs, etc.
Yet, we can point to examples where art and activism mixed in a manner that backfired (counter-productive), was ineffectual (no effect), under-effectual (effective, but not enough), effectual (worked well enough), and very-effectual (beat expectations). Also, art-activism campaigns can begin as very effective, then decrease in effectiveness over time (like “We Are The World” + “famine in Ethiopia”) and vice-versa. To be sure, many examples exist to occupy each category.
Obviously, it’s a matter of opinion, but I might say that nudity campaigns like this NoH8 art-activism is less effective than it was (a nudity campaign gets less attention than when the concept was fresh) and is growing to be counter-productive (the media is (over) saturated with “gay + nudity/sex” images), or under-effectual (the Brendon campaign won’t likely change contrary minds).
To me, saying “a real man supports equality,” alone, is maybe a more effective way of advocating equality than adding the nudity, which risks being counter-productive.
In your opinion, which category does this naked No H8 campaign fit into? Is it “very” effectual? Or just effectual? Neither?
I simply think him posing nude is bringing (however shockingly) attention to his cause. Now is it effective or not I don’t know.
Also keep in mind (being completely transparent); At its core, this is a gay men’s website. No we don’t (never have and never will) post porn or solicitous nudity or sex; however we do have an eye candy section that exist with men in all stages of undress. This post is a part of the Eye Candy.
What are your thoughts on this?
I’m just hesitant because I don’t think more nudity – even for the sake of activism – helps in the GLBT case; in fact, I think we deserve new, more honest, less sex-crazed images. Gay dudes starting families – and becoming more visible across many walks of life – might help with that, over time. But for now, when I see images of gay dudes, I mostly see Pride-like mass sex/nudity.
(to be fair, like @Nick suggests, I like porn/good-looking dudes as much as the next guy…but if sex/nudity stereotypes me almost completely, then something’s wrong)
I mean, since we’re all gay, then it might APPEAR that sexuality is all we have in common, so then what do I expect – a sex-free pride parade? Except that we have SO much more in common, especially since we’re so misunderstood and victimized across so many aspects of our lives.
So I feel like the over-sexualized sex/nudity image is what we need to steer away from – in order to be taken seriously. AND to do justice to ourselves!
Don’t we also feel romantic love towards men? Don’t we live in some fear, or insecurity, in our daily lives? Don’t I have to research a vacation destination in advance – from perspectives of homophobia AND racism AND their dangerous combination?
If Brendon mentioned subjects in the above paragraph (and/or others), that would mean so much to me – and perhaps to US. He’s a beautiful man, but this looks like a big, risky and missed opportunity to say/do something more game-changing…
OK I’m going to do this because I didn’t answer your question: what do I think of the Eye Candy section?
I think of CA as a smart, GQ/Esquire concept. I think your balance of good looking dudes and substantive conversation is a hard balance to create (and maintain), but you got it: no porn and the sex/nudity that exists doesn’t embarrass gays. Is reading GQ in public bad taste, or making straight dudes look bad? No.
No doubt: it’s a “slippery slope” (where do you draw the line: how much sex/nudity is too much?). There is room to call me hypocritical here, given today’s rants. But in my opinion, you got this balance. Let me call it the “Cocodorm test”: when I abandon porn sites for CA, then CA’s crossed a line haha!
And enough from Kasule! Damn I should be working! 🙂
Good points made by both and thanks for the commentary @kasule. Its a fine line we walk here as men who like to look at good looking men, but we also want to raise the integrity bar for black gay media in general when it comes to sexual imagery. Its a conundrum. Ocky and I talked about the issue raised in this debate offline as well. Its a tricky one. We don’t want to come off as 30+ year old prudes when it comes to all male art vs male porn. But I agree that its a fine line when even our HIV and Equality campaigns have to resort to nudity and sexual imagery to bring attention to serious issues.
Making sure CA passes the “CocoDorm Test” makes it easier for outsiders (e.g. straights) to hear a different narrative.
And, as @blackpegasus might have mentioned in the past, it’s a relief to have a gay website that is SFW! Even your mom can walk in and you don’t have to close the browser haha
Nothing bad to say about this brutha.
I’d love to smash that! Got damn Brendon.
Sup bruh 🙂
I’ve said this before…it’s time for Us to start writing our own narrative and stop attaching to the coattails of the white gay machine..
Hmmm…excellent point!
Yeah exactly: escape the HRC/Dan Savage/Modern Family oligarchy and write a more honest narrative.