Freelance Journalist Gerren Keith Gaynor has written a detailed and hard-hitting opinion essay for Ebony.com that digs into the homophobia in Tyler Perry’s new soap opera, The Haves and the Have Nots. Pretty scathing and accurate criticism. I doubt it will change anything though.
I could care less about Tyler Perry really. Perry makes millions off of perpetuating stereotypes and now black gay men are included into that bunch. No surprise there. But this is Cypher Avenue. The article is well written and is a great topic for discussion.
Sticking to his usual formula of mass stereotyping, Perry covers all of his bases. Bourgie Black folk? Check. Hardworking, southern church woman? Check. Privileged Whites? You got it. (There’s even an Hispanic maid.) But this time, there’s one group Perry threw into the mix that I never thought he’d give the time of day to: gay men. Aside from longstanding rumors about Perry’s own sexual preference, it’s surprising that he would address homosexuality at all, considering his fan base is predominantly Black Christian women.
In “The Haves And The Have Nots,” Perry doesn’t just address it, he goes there. His character, Jeffery, is a gay Black man who comes from a very wealthy family and is also trapped in the closet, R. Kelly-style. While being in the closet is a very real experience for many same-gender-loving people, particularly Black men, it didn’t quite sit well with me upon first watching the show, because I suspected Perry would more than likely take the opportunity to do what he does best: drench his character in so many stereotypes that it would turn into a television hate-fest. And that it did.
Despite being an educated, 20-something psychologist who comes from privilege and class, Jeffery is, at the very core, a self-loathing homosexual who lusts after his friend and client, Wyatt. Rather than doing what he’s hired to do, which is counsel Wyatt through his rehabilitation, Jeffery begins to develop a rather creepy obsession with Wyatt. First. it starts with the biting of the lips behind Wyatt’s back, next he’s inappropriately touching Wyatt and giving him a friendship bracelet. In one scene (which absolutely drove me insane) Jeffery sneaks into Wyatt’s bed while he’s sleeping, stares at him for a few seconds, then crawls out and goes back to sleep on the couch.
For one, Tyler writes this Jeffery character as if he’s some sexual demon, just waiting for the right opportunity to take out his burning desires on this young, attractive and presumably straight White man. Not only does Tyler perpetuate the misguided idea that gay and bisexual men are hypersexual beings, but he foolishly insinuates that if you’re gay and in the closet that you’re some type of savage or threat to one’s heterosexuality. Living in society’s figurative closet is far more complex than simply wanting to act out your carnal desires. Yes, some men who are in denial about their sexuality tend to act out in very unhealthy ways, but that’s only telling part of the story. For many, being in the closet doesn’t mean that they’re struggling with their identity, but more so struggling to share that identity with the world. Many self-identifying queer men are quite comfortable in their skin and are in very normal (and mutual) relationships – not trying to turn out a straight man like some horny teenager.
Many gay, Black men are still emasculated and humiliated by society’s homophobia and hypermasculinity, and by simply reiterating these experiences without any substantial solution or takeaways, Perry’s only adding fuel to fire.
But Tyler doesn’t stop there. When Jeffery’s feelings aren’t reciprocated and Wyatt begins dating a woman, Jeffery turns very sadistic. Perry makes Jeffery the classic villain who seeks out revenge and sabotages Wyatt’s relationship, because if he can’t have him, no one can.
It’s really disappointing that with Tyler’s first-ever gay character, he would choose to be so irresponsible with the images he is projecting to his viewers.One of the most erroneous perceptions of men who are attracted to other men is that they have built-up anger and sexual impulses, and therefore, act out in very perverted ways. Taking into account that most of Perry’s audiences are older religious Black women who may already view homosexuality as a cardinal sin, it’s a very dangerous line to walk on when you think about the messages he’s recklessly promoting.
Read the full article by Gerren Keith Gaynor on Ebony.com HERE.
View a clip from Tyler Perry’s They Have and the Have Nots featuring the closeted gay character Jeffrey, HERE:
Jeffery Lets His True Feelings for Wyatt Slip
After Laura stands Wyatt up for dinner and stops returning his calls, Wyatt turns to music for comfort. Then, as Wyatt opens up to Jeffery about his heartache, Jeffery lets his true feelings about Wyatt slip. Watch as Jeffery backtracks and tries to play off his startling admission.
Nick Delmacy
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Wonderful article. But it’s not Perry’s very first gay character. There was the closeted guy Janet Jackson was married to in one of the films and a gay stripper used to embarrass a man in another film.
But Perry won’t change because he doesn’t want to. This is what happens when closeted men create from a place of pathology.
I was gonna say the same thing about this not being Perry’s first gay character…the other one was pretty offensive as well. In Perry’s defense…does he ever portray anyone accurately aside from old black women?
I wouldn’t say he even does that right. He’s such an interesting case. I’ve never known anyone to be so offensive and so successful at the same time.
You are so on target! I am so disappointed in Oprah. I have lost a lot of respect for her as she does claim to be an ally who has a lot of gay friends. I know that her network was struggling and she needed the boost that TP brought to her network but she obviously has no integrity or loyalty to her gay friends. The gay man in his series is depicted as a predator which only continues to perpetuate hate and homophobia in the African American community. It’s unfortunate that TP is in such a position of influence in the African American community.
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Keith Gaynor. I caught some of the episodes and that Jeffrey character embodies almost every negative stereotype imaginable. And apparently, next week’s episode will have the white “heterosexual” guy giving in to Jeffrey’s lust. And what are we to draw from this? Nothing but trouble! This will send the message to already bitter Black women that gay masculine men are not to be trusted.Further convincing the ignorant that being gay is a choice! 🙁
Maybe I need to look at the entire movie and see what the writer and a few other people are talking about. But my initial reaction is ‘much ado about nothing.” Firstly its a MOVIE why are we so worked up over it?
Secondly I am trying to see the ‘stereotypes’ he is talking about…Um these ‘characters’ are REAL. They exists not only in the black race but white hispanic whatever..so stop this nonsense of making black people look bad. I believe that Perry is trying to bring to the screen real life issues that affect all levels of society- he just chose the character to be black.so what? What if he were white would it be OK then? Stop taking ourselves so seriously and understand that we all have a rough road to travel- black, white and otherwise. Okay some may seem to have it easier- thats perception but perception only becomes real when we want to believe what we want to believe.
The black struggle is not unique . Instead of crying “foul” and “we are better than that ” let us face the brutal fact and understand that as a race we have not HAVE NOT understood one thing- we are who we are, no one is going to hand us anything – get up off our asses , stop the back fighting,killing, conniving and impeaching culture that exists and love each other . work, commerce and promote each other and maybe our race will begin to see signs of a cultural up-liftment to which this writer speaks.
We are not a special race. God does not have us at the front of the line.
It’s not a movie, man. It’s a tv show that airs on OWN on a weekly basis. No, it wouldn’t be okay if he were white. GLAAD criticizes white gay images all the time.
Images matter. The writer isn’t arguing against economic self empowerment or crime. He’s clearly talking about the problem of the narrow, stereotypical range of black gay male images and who they are being marketed to.
I hate the direction of the character too.Wyatt has expressed that he doesnt even want to be friends with Jeffrey,but he still plots and schemes.He’s pushed alienated Wyatt from his gf and everything. It was already painful enough watching a gay guy lust after a vulnerable straight man,now he’s also operating under the myth of turning someone out. It’s so ridiculous.
Jeffrey’s mother has victimized him about his sexuality.This would have been a perfect opportunity to teach a lesson about judgement,sensitivity and acceptance( especially for a Christian film maker)
I will admit, Tyler Perry has made a few decent movies in his time (The Family That Preys, For Colored Girls,and Daddy’s Little Girls) but I am not really a fan. Tyler Perry is the king of stereotypes. I would think that considering the platform that he has, he would want to show black people in as positive a light as possible. He often does not do this. Which is why I am not surprised by this character being who he is. His main audience is definitely christian black woman and they would probably not go for him showing gays in a positive light. I personally do not watch this show so I am not completely familiar with this character but in his defense, the movie For Colored Girls was adapted from a play so it may not have been his idea for that storyline.
I agree. As far as his film For Colored Girls, the original play did not include a gay or DL character. Mr. Perry felt the need to add that in there.
@BraxtonPope Yeah, I saw that play at the True Colors Theater in Atlanta w/ Nicole Parker Kojoe in the cast. Great play. It’s a collection of poetic monologues with an all female cast. So, Perry definitely added the damaged closeted gay guy in his adaptation.
Oh wow that’s crazy. I’ve never seen the play myself but I just hoped that he did not add that in. The story would have been the same if he would have made him straight. Just further stresses the very outdated stereotype that AIDS is a gay disease. Get that sh*t out of here.
I used to support Perry but not anymore. After I saw that his permanent shtick was gonna be black folk shucking and jiving to the amusement of white people and black people looking for a diversion I realized I had my fill of him. As far as the character goes I am not surprised. I’m not gonna speculate on Perry’s sexuality but in any event this is how he views gay men and this is how his audience views gay men so in order to make money this is how he is gonna portray this type of character. Do I like it?? NO. Can I be mad?? NO. To my knowledge, Perry never charged himself with advancement of black people through his art and even if he did it would be to any avail of the black LBGT community because he would pander to the Black Christian Women who tend to frequent his work. I don’t have cable but even if I did, I would not watch the show.
I hate to be “that guy”, but am I the only one who thinks Mr. Perry is in the closet?
I mean even if he is I wouldn’t care for several reasons. For one he chooses to hide in the closet and I also don’t find him attractive. So closeted or straight, he can do him SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I admit to saying, let TP make his money but today I choose to look at this differently. If you watch any of his work, you can clearly see that he is working out his own pathology in everything that he does. For example, The Family that Preys was about a power struggle, class, wanting to be something “other” than and it is no different with this TV series. Most of his work is around abuse, drugs, prostitution, and redemption with no-good-male bashing thrown in for good measure. (I think the no-good-male is symbolic of his abuser.)
According to him, he was molested by someone close to him (neighbor I think but don’t quote me on this). He has done numerous pieces of work that include this same theme. My take on TP is that he is damaged goods. Hurt people…hurt people. He can’t see how his work affects our imaging because he is still fractured from his sexual abuse, growing up poor, and being homeless.
I also take issue with Oprah for this mess of a storyline too. Doesn’t she micromanage everything? As much as she claims to be an ally, I don’t understand why she would not speak up to her friend about it. I personally don’t feel that she is as supportive as she claims to be. There were many times when this could have been a time to demonstrate some of the more ethereal concepts of the Christian underpinnings to the show. The direction of this story line with Jeffrey and Wyatt is sickening on many levels. It just speaks to what I previously mentioned. What do you…
@thinker brilliant assessment..
“Hurt people” do in fact “hurt people”. And the body of Tyler’s work always manages to set back the image of Black Gay men by years. “WE” are the ones who must deal with the fallout of his perpetuated stereotypes. “WE” are the ones receiving the added scrutiny and suspicion by Black Men and Women. Tyler can always retreat to the comfort and isolation of his ivory towers while “WE” deal with the mess “HE” made.
@Black Pegasus Thanks man…I’m sure he has surrounded himself with people who will cosign on his work and tell him how wonderful he is. He doesn’t strike me as someone who likes to be challenged….given that he doesn’t stray too far away from his formula. Is that Ivory tower you mentioned made of glass? IJS
I am not a fan of Tyler Perry. I find most of his work superficial to say the least. However, I do like the series ” the haves and the have not”. I choose to see the series as on that will evolve overtime and may offer insight that may be of significant societal value to our community. That being said, there have been teachable moments during this new series where he could have impacted our community in a real way. Let us give him the time with this one and see how it evolves. This might just be Tyler Perry’s road to deal with whatever issues he might have.
Lastly, imperfect though this series is, the greater good is that it has saved OWN.
As far as calling Perry homophobic because of the way he is depicting the gay character, I don’t think we are in a position to make that call. I honestly don’t think we know enough about Tyler to say that he is or isn’t homophobic. I can understand though why some would be quick to label him homophobic especially if you remember how in for colored girls Omari Hardwick played the downlow character, another negative stereotype portrayed in the media.
But on the other hand you can argue Tyler Perry is concerned about nothing more than making money. In his mind having this “bizarre” gay character can attract new viewers and/or maintain old ones as they are curious to learning more about him and how his story plays out in the show. Even if this means this will harm the image of gay men do you think he cares? I don’t think so even if some of those viewers are gay. As my grandma always said money talks and BS walks lol. And let’s face it Tyler has demonstrated that he sticks with the same ideas and content. It seems like he never ventures away from his usual storylines. I would be more interested in hearing from people who are close to him or those that have worked with him and get their opinion. If anything that may give us more insight than just going off of his work alone.
I’m not sure I would peg this as homophobic either, as I have my beliefs about TP and his sexual orientation, I have no solid proof that exists outside of my head. What I can say is that IF Perry is indeed closeted, he is doing his community an injustice, shamefully.
I’d also be interested to hear from the people, especially those who are sgl that work with Perry. I’m really curious as to where his ideas are coming from and why he’s so interested in stereotyping black sgl men.
LMMFAO @ that clip!!!!
I honestly can’t stop laughing on the outside… but on the inside… My heart weeps for what could be…
I’m just going to go ahead and project here, but it seems as if TP continues to perpetuate these images of homosexual men to numb everyone to the fact that he’s sweeter than a sugar sandwich. TP is not stupid… at all… He’s in fact very brilliant which makes him even more dangerous in my opinion. He knows too much about mainstream-persuasive-manipulative-media… He knows how to lead and control a very predictable audience… I hope someone blows his cover soon, cause shit like this is ridiculous… I may just start boycotting his ass…
Boondocks did a great satire on TP in Season 3 Episode aptly titled “Pause” outlining his shit plot lines and undercover sexuality. You guys can check out some clips on Youtube.
I don’t see the issue. Everyone on the show has deep seeded issues. Why should the gay dude be any different? Besides its not like there are no real life Jeffreys in this world. It’s. soap opera….geez.
People…Its a night time SOAP OPERA! I am going to have to give TP a pass on this one because soap opera characters are suppose to be over the top and flawed. Look at the character’s mother and father in the show. How could Jeffery be anything but what he is fostered in that bougie upper class black environment? I think TP hit this one out of the park with H&HN and with this being the first season of the show, I think we should all back off the criticisms and see where the character and storyline goes….#guiltypleasures 😉
I’m not a big fan of TP but it seems like he’s doing the same thing other TV execs have been doing for years and thats pandering to the lowest common denominator hoping for the greatest returns. On one hand, I feel like he has the right to tell whatever stories in whatever fashion he wants. However, my concern isn’t just what I’ve read about the DL character but what I’ve observed in a number of his films. There’s a definite love/hate relationship with his portrayal of black men, gay & straight. Some say he villifies black women but I see the exact opposite. I think he has a definite slantin favor of women vs the men in “why did I get married” are hard to undse
Why wasnt a white guy being gay but black.Is always blacks who has ups and down?
See the character Ben, Jeff, Candys, etc they are all having characters that is always acted by blacks in TP’s movies.
As I watched Jeffrey’s character develop the one thing that pissed me off the most is the portrayal. As a gay man I know what it’s like to think a straight dude is attractive. All of Jeffrey’s antics lie in a stereotype that, to me, reveal Tyler’s own fears an misconceptions about his own sexuality. It’s reminiscent of the ignorance portrayed in Birth of a Nation. If you need a more modern example look towards Robert Huber’s article Being White In Philly, which is so bad it borders satire. Jeffrey isn’t a full representation of a gay man, much like how the women in this show are mere caricatures based on socioeconomic stereotypes. At this point you can’t really take any of Tyler’s work seriously. However, when he remains the sole voice of the African American community through film, characters like this can become detrimental especially when you take into consideration that the fear of homosexuality which runs through the minds of his main fan base is erroneous when you think of the number of homosexual men in the churches these people run to to shun the heathens.
Those were some very valid points made, however I feel that in all fairness we must keep in mind that this is a soap opera and that everything is intended to be dramatic, exaggerated and somewhat stereotypical. It would’ve been off to have all these other dysfunctional characters and then create this contrasting gay moral saintly character breaking homophobic stereotypes. Then the criticism would be that Tyler Perry is somehow defending his homosexuality vicariously the Jeffrey’s character. We can go through fault finding how every character should have been the exception to the rule for their demographic but that wouldn’t sell and that’s not the purpose of writing dramas. Again, we must view the characters in context that this is a soap opera and not a human rights documentary.
It is obvious if not for T. Perry you would be out of a job and have nothing to write about GKG.
Honestly I believe the main issue is not the way he portrays black gays but the issue is the fact the fact he is perceived as in the closet and he portrays gays a certain way. If Tyler Perry was waving the gay flag proud many people who have things to say wouldn’t. They would find ways to see the board. The real anger from the gay community is really because they believe Tyler is ashamed of his sexually. And further more it’s just a TV show. A soap opera at that. It’s supposed to be over the top its supposed to be exaggerated. Plus the one character that is the most stereotypical that should be discussed and that people should be outraged by is Hannah. She adds to the self righteous finger pointing hypocrite religious view of Christianity. But no one complained about that. At the end of the day is Tyler Perry works perfect no. Ues there arr stereotypes but they are destined to get your attention and then in the end it’s always a moral. But let me ask you this who else black in Hollywood gives back like he does. Who else had studio with no help from major companies and hires majority minorities. Who else gives their own money to rebuild schools. Who else look in the paper just to see who needs help and pay people they don’t know bills. But just like black we down eachother and point out wrongs instead of seeing the good. It upsets me that a black magazine such as Ebony would talk so badly about a man whose face in the very magazine has sold it.
I just watched that clip where Jeffrey let’s his emotions for Wyatt slip..and all I can say is UGH. Had I been in Jeffrey’s place and received such a negative response, I would have told the guy to f*ck off and walked away. This is 2014 folks, and we don’t need to be playing these stupid “hide-the-homo” games anymore. There are PLENTY of gay men in the sea, and if one doesn’t want you, you better believe there is another who does. Even if mainstream TV can’t portray this, at least in your own personal and private life do the right thing and do what is right for you..and not what you feel society demands of you. Life is short..live it your way or regret it later when it’s too late to change it.
It annoys me that all of you folks with the Journalism degrees and college credentials, don’t do a little proofreading before submitting your pieces to print. Yes, I’m being critical because you folks are getting paid a lot of money to write stuff, so if you’re going to use trite little phrases that are overused then you can be critiqued on it. What am I ranting about? LOL…If you really don’t like something as much as you could ever NOT like that something….then… wouldn’t it make more sense that you COULDN’T care any less about whatever the thing is that you care so little about? How does, “I could care less” mean that you care the least amount you can about it? It’s ….I COULDN’T care less. Think about it.