Invisible Life by E. Lynn Harris: Homosexuality
Invisible Lies
Why does E. Lynn Harris write Invisible Life? In presenting this story, what is Harris showing/telling the audience about gay/bisexual men in America? Using the text, discuss what Harris is using these characters to do. In today’s world homosexuality is less of a taboo than it was in previous days, as society grows more accepting of the lifestyle of gay men around the world. Despite the fact, that more and more men are open about who they are and who they love, and that gay marriage is permissible in many states, being openly gay is still especially tough for African American men. African American men fear not only rejection by their family, friends, and church; they are also at risk for rejection, hatred, or violence from a homophobic African American community. This very real fear leads many gay black men go to great lengths to hide their sexual identity and live a life of lies. Patricia Collins in her 2005 book, Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism, states that, “Today, while there are black men who are openly gay, it seems that the majority of those having sex with men still lead secret lives, products of a black culture that deems masculinity and fatherhood as a black man's primary responsibility -- and homosexuality as a white man's perversion” (Collins). Given this view, African American men feel they have no choice but to live a “down low” life to avoid judgment and shunning by family, friends, and society as a whole. E. Lynn Harris writes Invisible Life to shed light onto the down low lifestyle that gay African American men are forced to adopt and the pain that comes with it. Some argue that Invisible Life was written as an expose of African American men for African American women, so that they would know “gay” when they saw it and avoid it at all cost. In many ways, Invisible Life did grow to become a manual for African American women in understanding how men go
Why does E. Lynn Harris write Invisible Life? In presenting this story, what is Harris showing/telling the audience about gay/bisexual men in America? Using the text, discuss what Harris is using these characters to do. In today’s world homosexuality is less of a taboo than it was in previous days, as society grows more accepting of the lifestyle of gay men around the world. Despite the fact, that more and more men are open about who they are and who they love, and that gay marriage is permissible in many states, being openly gay is still especially tough for African American men. African American men fear not only rejection by their family, friends, and church; they are also at risk for rejection, hatred, or violence from a homophobic African American community. This very real fear leads many gay black men go to great lengths to hide their sexual identity and live a life of lies. Patricia Collins in her 2005 book, Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism, states that, “Today, while there are black men who are openly gay, it seems that the majority of those having sex with men still lead secret lives, products of a black culture that deems masculinity and fatherhood as a black man's primary responsibility -- and homosexuality as a white man's perversion” (Collins). Given this view, African American men feel they have no choice but to live a “down low” life to avoid judgment and shunning by family, friends, and society as a whole. E. Lynn Harris writes Invisible Life to shed light onto the down low lifestyle that gay African American men are forced to adopt and the pain that comes with it. Some argue that Invisible Life was written as an expose of African American men for African American women, so that they would know “gay” when they saw it and avoid it at all cost. In many ways, Invisible Life did grow to become a manual for African American women in understanding how men go