Last night, I gave an invited lecture at Oberlin College on Black Masculinity in the new millenium. I was impressed by the number of students who came out to discuss issues such as the Down Low, queer identity in hip-hop, prison masculinities, and the sexual politics of the Black church.

The thing that impressed me the most about the students was their willingness to ask tough questions, not only of me but themselves. For example, one young woman raised her hand and said “I believe in my heart that we should support gay people but I don’t feel as if the church sanctions by position.” Another extremely brave brother asked “How can I get over my homophobia and begin to embrace gay brothers without fearing their sexuality?”

In a moment where the Down Low phenomenon (hoax?) encourages Black women to run from Black men, and various forms of vicious homophobia continue to pervade our society, I was enlightened and motivated by the students’ desire to do something different and better.

Furthermore, I was reminded that our quest for a better world has not been completely undermined by insecurity, fear, and hate.