As a gay man of color do you wish to see more black gay romance in the media? In this post, I’ll talk about the best black gay love on television and online.
As homosexuality has become more acceptance more black LGBTQ shows and web series have been created. Series like DL Chronicles and Noah’s have paved the way for many of today’s shows centered around black gay characters. These black LGBT shows depict black gay romance and intimacy. Read below and I’ll talk about the best black gay love on television and online.
Best black gay love on tv and online
Pose
Pose has been one of the most popular LGBTQ tv shows. The show is so popular that even a lot of straight individuals have been watching. Pose is about the NYC ballroom scene in the 80s and 90s which is at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The ballroom is a culture in which LGBTQ persons compete in “walk”, dance, and vogue challenges. These persons usually belong to “houses” which are kinship groups. Think of these houses as fraternities and sororities. They are important in the LGBTQ community because they act like families. Many black LGBTQ persons have been kicked out of their own homes and houses are the only support systems.
Besides showing how houses operate another great aspect about Pose is the representation of black gay love. Two of the main characters are Pray Tell and Keenan. Pray Tell is an older black gay male while Keenan is a younger guy. Pray Tell contracted HIV and worries that he won’t find a romantic partner because of his HIV status. He meets Keenan who is also HIV positive and they build a friendship that eventually turns into a relationship. There is one sex scene between Keenan and Pray Tell that is groundbreaking. There is a gay massage exchange and a gay kiss that precludes hot steamy sex between the two.
What strikes me about the intimate relationship between Pray Tell and Keenan is their age difference. In the gay community older gay men are considered to be washed up. I’ve had a preference for mature gay men but a lot of young gays are against this. In the SGL community ageism is rampant. I often hear my older gay mentor say that it’s hard to find a gay partner especially a young gay male because of his age.
Despite the discrimination against mature gay men, there are some mature and young gay couples in real life. Even though Pose is a fictional show it shows that gay love has no limits and boundaries.
Styling Hollywood
Most LGBT shows on Netflix feature white gay lead characters. And so, the gay black Netflix series “Styling Hollywood” is another win for the black LGBT community. The show stars the black gay power couple Jason Bolden and Adair Curtis. Jason is a stylist and Adair is an interior designer. The show follows the lives of the two entrepreneurs in Hollywood. The couple works with many A-list celebrities including Dwayne Wade, Sanaa Lathan, and Eve. The couple has a magnetic personality and an interesting sense of humor which will keep viewers entertained.
What I like about this show because it shows a public black gay couple making a mark in their respective industry. They have successful careers and live in beautiful homes. I often hear gay men say that it’s hard to find a successful gay man. I even hear black gay men say themselves that all they can find in the black gay dating world is broke black men. Jason and Adair are one of many examples of black gay successful men.
If you are a gay man of color or even a straight person you need to watch Styling Hollywood. Jason and Adair’s exposure lets the world know, including single black gay men, that black gay romance exists.
Love at First Night
Growing up I never really seen black gay couples depicted on television. And the ones I did see were always very flamboyant and just fit one-dimensional. As tv has evolved more LGBT shows have come out with LGBT characters in all different flavors and sizes including feminine gay men, trans men, masculine men, and even gangsta openly gay men. Love at First Night is a show that shows a diverse representation of black gay love is. The show is about two black gay men Spencer and Jayden who go through the ups and downs in their relationships.
What I like about the show is that it does have some realistic situations about the black gay lifestyle. For instance, Spencer and Jayden hook up at a party when they first meet each other. Just like in gay culture there are a lot of black gay men that hook up with each other before actually being in an intimate relationship. Another true-to-life aspect of the show is the ups and downs in Spencer and Jayden’s. In the show, Spencer and Jayden do get irritated with each other about each other’s personalities. Their relationship is far from picture-perfect. As in real life, a relationship takes hard work and commitment for the relationship to thrive.
Love Works
Love Works is a web series about black queer love. The show features the popular black gay couple Juan and Gee Smalls. This couple has done so much for the black gay community. They have done so much for the black LGBTQ community including creating a nonprofit The Gentlemen’s Foundation that provides scholarships and mentorship to LGBTQ students of color. Gee Smalls is a life and love coach and is dedicated to helping black gay men be in healthy same-sex relationships
Love Works doesn’t run anymore but I still enjoy watching the old episodes which contain topics on being single in Atlanta, gay-sex, and being a power couple. What I absolutely enjoy about their series is that they talk about real issues in relationships like wealth building and self-growth.
Moonlight
Moonlight is another black gay movie about black gay love. Of all the movies listed in the post, Moonlight is the grittiest. The movie is not overly dramatic and reflects the daily struggles that many of us black gay men. The movie is about a black queer individual named Chiron who struggles with his sexuality from childhood to adulthood. From the very beginning of the movie, we see the harsh realities that Chiron has to endure. His mother is a drug addict and expects her minor child to raise himself. Chiron’s biological father is gone but he has a father-like figure named Juan. Even though Juan is a tough drug dealer he doesn’t exude any toxic masculinity. He’s very protective of Chiron and treats him as if he’s his own child.
One of the highlights of the movie is the beach scene with Chiron and his classmate Kevin. They sit and gaze at the water and eventually kiss each other. The next day they end up in a physical altercation and are separated from each other for years. They later reconnect as adults. In the last scene of the movie Chiron confesses to Kevin that he’s never been intimate with any other guy than him. Kevin then places Chiron under his arms and holds him.
There are other black queer movies on Netflix but Moonlight is one that stands out.
Noah’s Arc
Noah’s Arc is one of the most popular black LGBTQ shows. It was created in 2006 by black gay screenwriter Patrik-Ian Polk. The show is about 4 friends in Los Angeles going through the ups and downs of life. The main character is Noah played by the hot and sexy Darryl Stephens. Noah is a hopeless romantic struggling to find a long-term commitment.
Noah’s struggle is similar to many black gay men who have a difficult time maintaining healthy relationships. Fortunately, Noah meets a dl man named Wade who is also a screenwriter. What’s so beautiful about the story is that they connected unexpectedly. Wade is not the stereotypical black bisexual man. I’m not trying to shade the black LGBTQ community but Wade comes off as aggressive and very masculine. And so, at first sight, Noah believes he’s straight. Eventually, Wade comes out of the closet and becomes a couple. He and Noah even end up getting married. The movie Noah’s Jumping the Broom is a spinoff of the series and revolves around the marriage of Noah and Wade. What I liked about this movie is that it shows a black gay married couple which we normally don’t see in real life and in the movies. Noah’s Arc is one of my favorite black LGBTQ+ movies on Amazon Prime.
Naz and Maalik
Naz and Maalik is another interesting movie showcasing black gay love. It’s one of those black gay movies on Hulu that you have to watch. The movie is about two black gay Muslims named Naz and Maalik. The movie is set in one of the best boroughs, Brooklyn. I really don’t like to talk about religion because it causes huge arguments. But what I do want to say is that it’s interesting to see gay men who are heavily into their religion. Another thing to note is that Naz and Malik are not your stereotypical black gay movie characters. Neither one of them are feminine and you would actually assume that they are straight at first glance.
Moonlight
Moonlight is one of the most popular black gay tv movies. It was released in 2016 and at that time the whole black LGBT community was talking about the movie. The movie was about a closeted homosexual African American person named Kevin dealing with the challenges of being black and gay. The setting starts off in Florida where Kevin is raised in a single-parent household with a drug addict mother. Not only is Kevin neglected by his mother by he feels isolated due to his sexuality. He gets bullied for being gay and feels no hope out of his situation. A positive aspect of his childhood is his friendship with Chiron. In one scene Kevin and Chiron kiss on the beach. Unfortunately, Kevin moving away and goes to juvenile hall. At the end of the movie, Kevin and Chiron meet up as adults and Kevin remind Chiron that he’s the first man he ever had true intimate feelings for.
Why is black gay love so precious?
For many of us, it’s a struggle to find. Whether you’re a heterosexual man or woman it can be agreed that dating is not always easy. Dating is even more of a struggle for gay African American and Latino men.
Queer black men often deal with homophobia and racism. We feel ostracized by the black church and urban communities. A lot of times gay black men even face rejection from their own families. As a result, these gay black and brown men have a difficult time forming healthy intimate relationships with other people. They struggle with their sexuality and remain in the closet or on the DL. And so when I see two black gay men in love it really makes me happy. I would never get jealous or envious.
As mentioned by Native Son Now, “black gay love is the ultimate safe space”. This means that in a healthy, vibrant gay black relationship the two persons can be themselves without having the need to hide their sexuality and to give in to toxic masculinity.
Wrap up
Gone are the days where we see mostly straight white men as lead characters in television shows and movies. There are many black LGBT movies on Amazon Prime and other online platforms featuring all types of personalities including black gay instagram influencers and actors.
Black gay love on-screen truly makes my heart melt. As I mentioned above black gay love is not something I’ve witnessed and experience often. So whether in real life or on fictional television I enjoy seeing black gay couples. If you want to know more shows and movies about black queer love subscribe to my newsletter.
