rson and on a higher level of understanding his sexuality, capable of admitting his shortcomings and uncertainties. Hooper is an interesting mediating character as he is homosexual but acts heterosexual for his public image as a strong Black social figure. The stereotypical view of a homosexual would not be good role model because he would be viewed as weak and perhaps not masculine. Hooper would not be viewed as a true man if he were viewed as a homosexual. It would be better for him to accept his homosexuality and present it to society, but as we have learned, Hooper will not be accepted in our culture and his career will suffer. In Kobena Mercers piece, Black Masculinity and Sexual Politics of Race, Through such collective, historical experiences black men have adopted certain patriarchal values such as physical strength, sexual prowess and being in control as a means survival against the repressive and violent system of subordination to which they were subjected. The incorporation of a code of macho behavior is thus intelligible as a means of recuperating some degree of power over the condition of powerlessness and dependency in relation to the white master subject. In order for Hooper to be regarded in his field he must maintain this front that has accompanied the Black man, and not the femininity that is associated with being homosexual.Alyssa is the healthiest sexual being that can be portrayed in my eyes. As a young woman, unsure of her sexuality, she experimented to find who she was. Just as Jess, from Stone Butch Blues, felt she did not fit into any of societys categories, Alyssa looked to a deviant lifestyle without fulfilling the normal expectations of the culture. If a societal label is needed, she is a bisexual involved with both men and women in her lifetime but finding the relationships with men unfulfilling she turns to women. She did not simply accept societys heterosexual lifestyle; she lived her life on he...
