6. “Kyle” [Isaiah Washington] – Get On The Bus (Film)
Are we supposed to still be upset with Isaiah Washington? I’m not sure. He used the gay slur, “Faggot” in outbursts on the set of his former show, Grey’s Anatomy, as well as backstage of the Golden Globes. Many people gave him a pass but I was one who felt that he was very much in the wrong. Either way, he definitely “served his time” for the crime given that his career took a major nosedive afterward.
Regardless, we did enjoy his performance as Kyle, one half of the black gay relationship in the Spike Lee film, Get on the Bus. What made the character so captivating was that he was comfortable to be Out about his sexuality, yet he was still reluctant to be open about his relationship as his lover Randall.
5. “William Boyals” [Kent Faulcon] – Strange Fruit (Film)
The 2004 independent film Strange Fruit won’t be winning any film festival awards any time soon for quality or execution, however Kent Faulcon’s character William Boyals definitely was a stand out in this otherwise forgettable film.
In William Boyals we saw a professional, cocky, arrogant, attractive, self-made black gay man embroiled into an old fashioned southern murder mystery.
Let me repeat that: This film featured a black gay lead character not “looking for love” or in the middle of a “down low love triangle with unknowing black woman.” Instead he was detective solving a crime. How rare is that?
4. “Captain Ray Holt” [Andre Braugher] – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV Series)
Talk about being the 180° opposite of the flamboyant caricatures of black gay men we have to see on reality shows and comedies like Key & Peele. Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s black gay character Captain Ray Holt is awesome in that he walks the fine line of being both extremely reserved/serious and also extremely funny, in a witty subtle way.
Who would have thought that masculine openly gay black film/TV characters could be believable and hilarious without loudly emulating women or acting like 15 year old ratchet Black/Latino girls?
3. “Paul Poitier” [Will Smith] – Six Degrees of Separation (Film)
Will Smith as the fake son of Sydney Poitier in Six Degrees of Separation remains one of the most complex black gay characters to be captured on film. Many people are unaware that this character is based on a real life black gay con artist named David Hampton who conned celebrities like Melanie Griffith, Gary Sinise and Calvin Klein out of thousands of dollars back in the 1980’s.
Here’s a black man who’s not defined by his sexuality, instead defines himself with the countless lies he tells others. Another thing that makes the character so fascinating is how charming he is, a common trait of gay sociopaths. They make you gravitate towards them like moths to a flame and they will burn you just the same.
2. Omar Little [Michael K. Williams] – The Wire (TV Series)
Say what you will about The Wire’s tough black gay character Omar Little being a negative stereotype of black gay men, he was far from a one-note caricature. Michael K. William’s portrayal of the feared outlaw that robbed drug dealers for a living became an iconic character known around the world
The most riveting thing about his Omar Little was that his sexuality was engraved into his character yet that never defined who he was or how he was portrayed. As a matter of fact, we never had a single scene where the character is conflicted about his sexuality or shows any indifference whatsoever. He’s refreshingly depicted as a man that loves his boyfriends and loves his job, as illegal and violent as it may be.
1. Keith Charles [Mathew St. Patrick] – Six Feet Under (TV Series)
Hands down, openly gay Los Angeles Police Officer and Bodyguard Keith Charles on Six Feet Under is the best black gay character ever depicted on film or television. The genuine charm, love and devotion portrayed by Mathew St. Patrick made all of us wish that we had an equally strong and confident “Keith” in our lives.
Keith and his partner David Fisher may not have been married, but they were probably the first realistic domestic couple many of us ever ever saw. They even were proud parents, adopting two boys from foster care.
It was refreshing to see glimpses inside of Keith’s complicated life as he dealt with anger issues and multiple changes of employment. Many of these revelations were seen not through the prism of his relationship with his lover, but in his own scenes depicting his own struggles.
Do yourself a favor and catch up on all 5 seasons of this amazing show, if you haven’t already.
Pages: 1 2
Nick Delmacy
Related posts
55 Comments
Comments are closed.
Log In
Latest Cyphers
Subscribe Now
* You will receive the latest news and updates on your favorite celebrities!
Good list… I secretly still fantasize about Kaldrick King LOL
Dude! I feel ya’! I still not-so-secretly fantasize about Kaldric King aka Andra Fuller. Dat dere’s a sexy Mutha F*cka!!!
Perfect list! I forgot about some of these characters, now it’s time to get my DVD collection together.
@NickDelmancy
I think you might need to rework your title to “12 best black gay/bisexual male characters” cuz you left the women folk completely out of this one. Some of us are bisexual or have vast respect for some of the black lesbian roles (like Queen Latifah’s Cleo or Wanda Sykes’ anything she has ever done:)
Good call, thanks.
This was on point.
I’m glad someone finally mentioned Michael Boatman. I feel like he’s too often overlooked. Why was Lafayette snubbed though?
Yes, I was wondering about Nelsan Ellis’ character on Tru Blood not being mentioned as well. He certainly fits the guidelines and as far as character development goes, deserves be mentioned here. Too much “snap queen realness” perhaps? LOL…
Well season 1 and season 2 Lafayette should be mentioned lol. Those seasons he was a bit butch.
How is a man wearing lipstick and eye shadow “butch” again?
He wasn’t like that in the first two seasons I don’t think. Hell, he spent half of season 2 locked up in a cellar. And the list doesn’t specifically say best masculine gays and I think Lafayette definitely holds a place as an influential black gay character. But…not my lits so oh well lol.
I just waiting with bated breath for Michael St Patrick’s character, I totally agree with this list.
Lol me too. I just felt chills I haven’t felt since…..forever.
Matthew St. Patrick
My favorite would have to be Damon (Terry Crews) from Friday After Next. First movie I ever saw with a gay male character that everyone was physically afraid of.
I thought he was amazing to look at but I felt some kind of way at the portrayal of “”gay” men being portrayed as only gay beause of jail who only wanted to rape every man in sight.
LOL..that line of thought is probably what left a couple of my fav gay/bisexual characters off the list. But let the record show there was something about Simon Adebisi character that had me convinced my cookies would be in trouble if he ever escaped from prison 😉
I had a thing for Adebisi too. Don’t tell nobody
I try not to take comedies or comdians too seriously. It was just a trip to see the gay guy play the neighborhood bully. So far from the way most people view gay guys.
Man Nick you watch a lot of shows/movies. I have no idea who most of these people are. Just Kaldrick King because I learned about him through Discreet City. I have to check out The Wire someday.
LOL…yall young dudes
Great list. Thank you for including Calvin from Greek. That character was amazing (and was the only reason I watched that show). My only complaint – Carter from Spin City should be number 1 (but that’s just personal preference). Phenomenal job and thanks for this list.
Ditto!! He was the reason I watched the show as well plus he had the same last name as me so that was like my unofficial big bro lol
I’m glad there were enough character for you to even create a list, as for Will Smith’s Paul from Six Degree’s of Separation his performance was flat and one note but having seen the play the movie is based on I will concede the character complexities. What I will agree with you on 100% is Matthew St. Patrick as Keith Charles being the number black gay character. As a honorable mention I would list Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins from RENT 2005 movie.
I disagree with this list. However, I know that this was compiled by the writer’s personal opinion. There wasn’t anything diverse about these characters to me. It was the same dynamic on repeat: gay male MASCULINE characters. I view this list and I see no one that I could see in my mirror, so that means that there is some underrepresentation. Simultaneously, I know that this isn’t an official list proclaimed by some lord. If I had to create my own list, it would include the characters of Holiday from “Holiday Heart” portrayed by Ving Rhames and the art student portrayed by Anthony Mackie in “Brother to Brother”.
Seriously, why go there with the masculine vs feminine comment, have you have seen every performance of the characters on the list. If the list was created by a white writer and didn’t have not one masculine male or black gay male character on it would you have made the same accusation? You may not be able to see yourself or relate to any of the characters on the list but they’re many of us who read Cypher Ave on a daily basis that do, I myself can relate to five in one way or another. It’s about time masculine black gay characters received some recognition for they are severely under represented on TV in the first place.
Hey Thomas, I Googled “List of the top black gay characters in film and television” and there are plenty of lists on other websites that include the characters you referenced, but guess what, many of those list didn’t have some the the characters we listed her. Go figure.
U madd?? Nah leme stop
Carter was cool,even with that rat he called a dog ,named Rags.
You guys always talk about DLC: Thomas…is there anyway those of us who aren’t press see it or is it just gonna be under wraps indefinitely?
Hmmm…imma take it to twitter and see what the Deondry and Quincy got to say about this!
Yea don’t get me wrong I love the DL Chronicles, but I’ve been watching the same episodes for so long now. I really want to see episode Thomas! It looks like it’s really good.
lol. They keep putting it on all of their best of lists but Nick and Ocky are apparently the only two people that have seen it. I’m fine taking their word for it but if it’s that good I wanna see it. I wanna be in on the fun.
I know right. I’ve looked at that teaser trailer too many times, I’m ready to watch the full episode now.
Thats what I’m sayin! I know there are way more hurdles from their end, but damn shawty! Im not even checking for the bootleg.
This is a great list. I think my favorite characters mentioned here are Kaldrick King, Boo, and Keith. There are a few shows/movies on here that I haven’t seen that I need to check out. There may not be an abundance of masculine gay characters in film, but it is good to see that some do exist and that they were shown to go against the gay stereotype.
i guess everyone has their own favorite…..i loved the role that rockmond dunbar played in punks by patrik ian polk.
i totally agree great listing especially dl and will smith’s role…….
So0 On Point.Luv It! “ The 13 Best Male Black Gay/Bisexual Characters …EVER! – http://t.co/HyrbB8c02P http://t.co/idPjIS3qf6”
I agree with most of the list but then I like masculine males. I think the fellas who prefer more feminine brothers will disagree and THAT IS FAIR! Everyone has a right to their opinion and if your going to have a comment section then that should be respected.
I wonder when everyone is picking their favorites is there a reason why Gregory Keith’s portrayal of Trey in Noah’s Arc is always left out? He was gay, NOT DL, masculine, nice looking, intelligent and mature. Just curious why I never see him mentioned when this topic comes up on different sites. Anyway, I agree with most of your list, might put them in different order but agree.
At the risk of offending I still find it odd that in my 49 years on this earth I have never come across a man who considers himself to be gay who carried himself like Trey, Omar, Wade or Keith….? Part of it is the fact that I have never been to a gay club but I would love to meet (not date) , just get to know a masculine gay male. (Not trolling for one on this site, just want to know that they actually do exist other than on tv where I don’t personally know them).
Spent my years with the DL crowd and in all my years in NYC and ATL I never ran across a truly masculine brutha who classified himself as gay. Time will tell
Great Post!
Agreed, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, which is why I welcome people offering their own favorties.
The problem many people (including myself) have with Gregory Keith’s character Trey is that he was basically just a prop character. Outside of his relationship, we never saw any details about his life. Where was he from? What did he do for a living? When did he discover that he was gay? What were his goals? What were his obstacles? He was not a complex, fleshed-out character at all. He was just masculinity and muscles.
Lastly, its unfortunate that you’ve never met a masculine gay man in 49 years. Here in Atlanta, I know quite a few of them. Many of them range from the muscular gym rats to the regular and out-of-shape guys. I would say that your circle of friends possibly determines if you will meet truly masculine gay men.
This list is pretty accurate in my eyes however, I’d replace #11 with Tariq from The LA Complex. Boo, in my eyes, was a poor man’s version of Kaldrick King from The LA Complex.
I’m glad somebody finally recognized Michael Jace’s character from The Shield because his character is often over-looked when it comes to gay/bisexual roles on television (past & present).
Thanks Rey,
I added Boo because he was a rare truly bisexual character that didn’t date women only to hide the fact that he liked men. He genuinely liked both sexes, which caused the internal conflict. This was not the case with Kaldrick King.
Question though: Do you really think Tariq was a complex character? What was complex about him besides him “looking for love” in the wrong place?
I’d hate to barge in on the convo but I agree with Nick. Many of my friends and I always get into a debate on this. They feel Tariq got the short end of the stick because he was feminine whereas Kal is still talked about because he was masculine. I think there’s some truth to that but the big picture is Tariq was just a boring character in a boring situation. I actually watched the entire show and all of the characters were flawed and crazy and interesting..Tariq was the exception.
I dont even think of Tariq as feminine, he was just kinda, there. He was just soft. Kal had way more of a storyline, and quite frankly, way more appeal. I mean, I understand the whole ‘trying to make the everyday guy think he has a shot w a guy on Kals level’ thing, but cmon..
I’m late with this reply; didn’t notice it until now LOL but I think Tariq reminded me of Calvin Owens from Greek. Boo, in my opinion, only slept with women to throw people off his scent so that they wouldn’t suspect he was gay but I’m sure some people will disagree with me on this. In Tariq’s case, his character didn’t feel forced in the way I thought Boo was and there wasn’t a facade behind his identity; he was genuine and believable but most of all, his character wasn’t the typical gay black guy you’d see on TV.
To answer what Hannibal said, Tariq was never feminine in my eyes, if anything, he was soft/in tune with his emotional side so I wouldn’t equate that with being feminine.
“: The 13 Best Male Black Gay/Bisexual Characters …EVER! – http://t.co/mioiICHIQn http://t.co/Q6OwiEBZr5”<- wow
the issue with finding masculine characters from Noah’s ARC is that out side of Wade & the four main characters the other men on the show were throw away characters to balance out their feminine attributes.The show never tried to develop characters like Trey, most of the time the masculine character was there for eye candy or used as a sexual stereotype. For example all of Ricky’s hook ups were muscular brown skin B-boys, when Eddie cheated on Chance the guy he cheats with is suppose to be a thug so when they break up Chance is hooked up with a so called thug to give him thug lessons. The focus was never on having masculine characters and maybe the writers didn’t know how to write a masculine character.
Your last sentence says it all.
That last sentence pretty much sums it up. What they tried to do with the four main characters of the show was model them after the tried and true four female friends formula (or what I call the 4Fs). Shows like Golden Girls, Designing Women, Girlfriends, Sex In The City, Girls, etc. have all had success with this formula. The creator of this show decided to put a black gay spin on it. And it successfully spoke to its audience, judging by the fact that it was the highest rated show on the network for a while. But even though I tuned in every week, I never truly connected with the show. None of the characters represented me. Other than the fact that they were black, gay, and wanted to cultivate meaningful lasting relationships, there were no parallels. And that’s been my beef with Logo in general as a network…but that’s an entirely separate thread.
Thanks for posting about Keith Charles [Matthew St. Patrick].
I never finished all of Six Feet Under, but what I saw of their relationship left me feeling a certain kind of way because their relationship dynamic seemed so damn sincere – and I rarely see the media portray any interracial (masculine) gay couple, at all.
1. It’s just TV, but I was pained sometimes to see how SHIT they often made their OWN relationship! Obviously, they got married in the end, but in the meantime all the elective cheating, mutually-and-self-inflicted traumas, and heartbreak gave a tragic sense to their relationship.
2. Ok I get that the show is about death, ha-ha, but making Keith’s character die at the end of the show was still elective. Doesn’t a gay (interracial/black) couple ever get a break? And Keith was probably the most upstanding of the two.
***
I don’t really want to talk about TV, but instead use Keith’s character and relationship to point out that, in real life:
HOW many of our own relationship problems are optional? Probably most, right? All the heartbreak, betrayal, and lack-of-going-to-therapy-to-address-your-issues are self-inflicted wounds. I swear, life is hard enough without electively making our own lives even harder.
It would have been perhaps more valuable for Keith and his partner to have a healthy relationship in which they invested real hard. Given all the cheating and relationship bullshit on TV, a healthy gay relationship might have broken even more ground.
I love the fact that all of the characters are not hyper-masculine or hyper-feminine… some of them fit into that wide band in-between.
What I appreciated most about all of these characters is that take out their SGL identities these dudes are just various types of regular old black men and I think that makes these characters more tangible for the mainstream audience although I think they will always default everyone’s gay experience as an effeminate one.
Really he beat his lover to death almost. just saying and there are other gay characters on tv to pick from
Carter Heywood(Michael Boatman) is my favorite.
:rejoice:
Also about that Will Smith character's sociopathic real life inspiration, David Hampton…"real life black gay con artist named David Hampton'..any relation to Walter Lee Jr.?
:sass1:
Hands down: 2, 7, 11, 12, and 13
Great evaluation @Nick Delmacy!!!