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Monday, December 12, 2011

Glossary of Black Gay Sexual Position Terminology

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Hi guys!


 This is a list of terms I have created to describe popular but unspoken pathologies within the gay male community based on sexual positioning. Enjoy, giggle and think!



1) Sexual Position Mood Swings(S.P.M.S): A popular but often misunderstood condition among gay men who define themselves based on the rigidity of a label regarding sexual position. There are times when gay men who are amenable to both topping and bottoming may suddenly have a desire to only do one or the other for a period of time. The problem is, that gay society labels them based on a mood swing, without taking the person's OVERALL history into account. Factors that influence SPMS are weather, availability of tops and bottoms, age, and testosterone levels.

2).Bottom Biological Clock(BBC): Although we all know that bottoms are NOT the equivalent of women in the gay sexual dynamic, there is one thing both share: a biological clock. Depending on the bottom's mindset, this clock may be over-active or under-active. Symptoms of an overactive BBC syndrome include: Obsession with unrealistic fantasies about the ideal "top", pressuring their top partner for more security within their relationship, obscene dependence on relationship status as the validation of one's self esteem, and  seasonal scheming and manipulation to acquire relationship status during the fall and winter months.

3)Versatile In Denial Syndrome (VIDS): This is a most common ailment among closeted versatile men who, for the sake of the  insane thought that being a "top" implies a greater level of masculinity, will tell their partner(s) that they are TOPS, for fear of being ostracized by bottoms who are rigid in their sexual taste. Symptoms include: deceitful postings on BGC, A4A, and other sex sites to lure unsuspecting bottoms into their web of triangulated mess. This can usually be diagnosed by examining your "tops" rectum for signs of entry. Eating your "tops" ass may prove most informative in your diagnosis, but be careful: just because a man likes a tongue up his butt, doesn't necessarily mean he wants a penis there. Case by Case basis.

4)Gay Position Triangulation Syndrome(GPTS): This malady is an offshoot of point number 3. This usually occurs in public settings in which a gay man wants to solicit both bottoms and tops for his sexual appetite, but does not wish to reveal his hand as to his sexual position. He publicly postures as if he were a top, while silently dog-whistling to other tops that he gets his box banged into oblivion. A skilled wordsmith is usually the culprit behind this tactic. Insecurity about his love of the cock spurs this malady on.

5).Bottom Estrus Syndrome (BES): This condition is marked by periods of intense, overwhelming desire to be penetrated, and includes spontaneous anal wetness in public places, sudden prolonged flashes of horniness far beyond the bounds of "normal" sexual arousal, and the need for constant sex to satisfy their hungry hole. Although not discussed much, this condition often causes most decent bottoms to be mislabeled "whores". They, as with tops and versatile men, go through periods of "heat", but because of the stigmatization of sexual positioning in black gay male culture, are viewed with a different, often subjective lens.

6)Sexual Position Overemphasis Syndrome(SPOS): This condition stems from a mild form of internalized self hatred, a stream of thought that places certain positions as being "not as bad" as others. This self hatred, taught by the dominant heterosexual culture, infects gay men, particularly black gay men, at an alarming rate. Symptoms include: reading the gurls based on sexual position, constantly mentioning your own sexual position and that of others, for some obscure rhetorical point not made clear to anyone( not even themselves), and showing disparate levels of respect to others based on this pathology.

7)Effeminization Of Position Syndrome ( EOPS):this occurs when bottoms internalize the cynical attitudes of  natural born women who feel a competitive spirit to get a limited number of men( in this case, tops) symptoms include: backbiting on another bottom so she can secure the dick, lying to her girlfriends about her pieces massive tool to keep them away from him, and keeping at least 5 tops on constant speed dial for emergency purposes.

 Sexual Position Identity Syndrome(SPIS)Similar to GPTS, only it occurs among potential dates and husbands. There have been many a bottom fooled into thinking their man is a total TOP, only to find out that the man they allow on their back with reckless abandon gets PUMMELED  and calls their own rectum a "pussy". Be warned.

Gender Sexual Position Assignment Syndrome(GSPAS):This commonly impacts both gays who assign gender roles based on sexual position, and ignorant heterosexual men and women who assume that being a "top" during gay sex means that one is the "man" in the relationship, and the "bottom" is the female substitute. This stupid, archaic, stereotypical, and insulting pathology forced on the LGBT community by their "straight" counterparts, has become internalized by far too many gay black men. " Is he a top or a bottom?" one usually asks. "Chile you know he is super bottom...she is a WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!" is the answer among those who suffer this malady. There are fem tops, masculine bottoms, masc/fem versatiles, and everything within the personality spectrum in all positions. 

Situational Versatility Syndrome:(SVS): This occurs among the self proclaimed "Tops" who declare that, when in a relationship, will bottom based on "love".(sobs...grabs tissue)How sweet. *sips tea* Upon further inspection, research shows that such persons are merely guarded versatile chaps that hold their man-gina ransom for love and security, and on some level still feel that being a top for the masses assures them of masculinity. Their premise, on the surface, seems so noble: "If i meet the lover that i am to settle down with, I will give up the ass selectively upon request" there are just two problems with this:1)If you were a whore enough to fuck a dude on the first night, then your "virtue" card was lost in the gay mail the moment you pushed the button to request it. Sex among men is SEX.......*clutches pearls*

You do not appear more date worthy because you held that average boogina out until dating status...in fact, you trap your date into a relationship thinking that climbing your back secures the throne. 34% of you haven't learned the SCIENCE of Douching,,,,17% of you are so thirsty for getting a dick up your hole you will concede his demands.... and the remaining 49%.......are up for grabs... but be careful: If you smash them off the first night and they thought you gave the DICK up too quick, be prepared for the same pathology you render to others...Did i mention you were plunging a MAN? and he shares the same mindset about your dick as you about his ass? Just a thought. *sips tea*

Ponder, Reflect, and Enjoy!!!!!!!!!


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

About Brother Hassan.......

      About The Author


Hassan Hartley, a.k.a. "Brother Hassan", is a  college educated writer born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, who embarked upon the journey of discovering the nuances of human sexuality among black men primarily as a result of his own journey to self acceptance and awareness. Having been a college student at Tuskegee University, a former member of the Nation of Islam, and having served  time in a Virginia Correctional facility, his own life mirrors much of the complexity of  black men and sexual identity politics discussed in this book.


Struggling with his own sexual identity in the early 1990's when images of black gay men were all but non-existent in any media format, Brother Hassan lived in two worlds at the same time: One, a world of strict discipline in the Nation of Islam, where he hoped to one day become a Minister in the mold of Malcolm X or Minister Louis Farrakhan. The other world, that of a same gender loving man in complete denial about his desires for men in an organization not known for being anywhere resembling sympathetic to gays and lesbians.

Hassan's entire world  was absorbed in the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and  the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, while his desires for men grew gradually stronger and stronger throughout his teenage years and into adulthood. As a teenager, he joined the Black Muslim sect and became a part of  the Fruit Of Islam, the name given to the military training of men who belong to the Nation Of Islam in North America.

 Brother Hassan  joined a group within the Fruit of Islam in Chicago known as the Taskforce, a squad of young men ages 16-25 who were being groomed to rise in leadership in the Nation Of Islam for its future. Having joined the N.O.I. at its headquarters in Chicago, he frequently saw, met, and heard Minister Farrakhan and even traveled with the Taskforce to provide security for the Nation Of Islam leader. A shy, timid and quiet teenager, Bro. Hassan felt overwhelmed by such nearness to so much going on in such a controversial organization, but eventually adapted.

 After graduating from Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, Brother Hassan  moved south to the prestigious Tuskegee University, where he would study for the next 5 years Political Science and Business Administration.


 An internal scandal within the Nation Of Islam's own headquarters in March, 1993 involving Hassan's squad, the Taskforce, culminated in a suicide of a top lieutenant in the squad, as well as the revelation that nearly two dozen young men within the same squad were allegedly involved in homosexual activity with each other. Those that were not excommunicated from the organization for Fornication and Sodomy, left  the Nation Of Islam before they could stand trial in the Nation of Islam's stringent Restrictive Laws of  Conduct. Brother Hassan, ironically, was not involved in any of these activities, despite his own sexual orientation becoming clearer to him as years passed. The scandal was kept out of the media, for obvious reasons.

In August 1994, Hassan was awarded a partial scholarship from Minister Farrakhan personally to assist in his college tuition and studies. After a bloody, near-fatal, and  tumultuous split with the Nation of Islam in November 1994, however, Bro. Hassan came to terms with his sexuality, although he would wander deeper and deeper into a  7 year chasm of criminal activity that culminated in a 3 year prison sentence in Virginia. During this time, Hassan began not only began the arduous process of self correction, but  studying those black men around him who were at different levels in their awareness of their own sexuality, and thus the basis of this book was born.


Hassan's research would not only extend to those around him in prison while incarcerated, but to those in many other prisons all over the United States after his release in  August 2006. With the help of correctional officers that bent more than a few rules to allow him to interview inmates, internet websites designed to establish pen pal relationships with inmates, and other useful tools, he interviewed thousands of inmates in a 6 year period, confirming some theses he already had, and being enlightened on others. This book is Volume 1 of that research, and proves to be controversial, enlightening, entertaining and revealing, much like its author, Brother Hassan.



BUY YOUR COPY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

When The Lights Go Out :Final Excerpt before Release!(GRAPHIC CONTENT)

.....Standing approximately six feet tall, caramel brown complexioned, with a face very reminiscent of  superstar rap artist Nelly, with a tattooed, chiseled body to match, Grimy oozed a sexual confidence that was blinding and overwhelming to me. A young man, Grimy was only 24 years old at the time, but had already fathered seven children and had dropped out of high school at an early age to deal drugs, the crime for which he was currently incarcerated.  I initially was upset that Grimy “spilled my tea” (a phrase meaning that he exposed my true sexual identity to other inmates), but I later would find out that it would open my stay up at St. Brides Correctional Center in many ways.

The whispers grew louder at the small facility. No one questioned me openly, but I could hear inmates talking as I walked by. I began to feel uncomfortable, because openly gay inmates did NOT last long at St. Brides. The longest I personally had witnessed another gay inmate who was “clock-able” or displayed visibly stereotypical gay mannerisms, was two days…two days. They immediately were harassed, bullied, and for security reasons, had to be shipped off the compound for fear for their safety.  Somehow, despite the rumors of my sexuality, NONE of that occurred with me.  If anything, it made these young, mostly uneducated inmates draw nearer to me.

I would hear the whispers of, “Hassan is a faggot,” during the daytime, but at night, when I went to take a shower, these young men eventually started propositioning me for sexual favors. Why were effeminate gay men harassed and bullied, but I was approached in so markedly different a manner? This was simultaneously confusing and fascinating at the same time. The sexual ethos of St. Brides was completely different than that of Deep Meadows. Grimy followed me into the shower one night, and let me know that he wasn’t as heterosexual as I thought he was.

The showers were open, with a maximum capacity of eight inmates at a time allowed at any one moment. However, at this particular moment, there was only Grimy and myself.  My initial reaction to noticing his presence was fear. His body was magnificent, and his penis was enormous. Would I gain an erection simply from glancing at his naked body? I turned away so as to not directly stare at him. I would find out that this only turned him on.

I was in the midst of a minor “spat” with D-ray , and wanted to explore something new, if given the opportunity. I was about to get just that chance. I turned around to find Grimy staring directly at me, stroking his now-erect penis, licking his pink lips at me boldly. The fact that cameras could not see into the shower made being caught not an option. The worst that could happen would be that another inmate could walk in and see us (Showers were open 24 hours when the new facility opened up, and the “cell block” was actually an open dormitory with bunk beds, not cell bars). I had masturbated at just the thought of getting it on with this guy, and now here he was, naked as a jaybird, with what appeared to be a thick, 10-inch dick standing straight out like a lead pipe.

I began to flirt back, soaping up my ass, and bending over deliberately to wash my feet, so that Grimy could see my ass bent over. I turned around, and there he stood, this time less than a foot away from me, with a sex-filled gaze in his eyes that made me weep. Without hesitation, I got on my knees and deep-throated Grimy like his dick was a tall glass of water on a hot desert day.  I relished every inch of his pole, and he was amazed at my deep-throat skills.  As he climaxed, I motioned for him to be as quiet as possible, so as not to alert the other inmates. His legs began shaking uncontrollably as he shot his load down my throat.  At 31 years old, and after 9 years of same-sex encounters, I still had not ever sucked a man off to completion in that manner.  Oral sex was just a foreplay-oriented ritual for me when I had sex with a man. Now, I would find that Grimy almost would exclusively seek this pleasure from me.

Grimy was the epitome of the prison version of a DL man. As extremely difficult as it is to maintain a secret in prison, Grimy and I managed to do so flawlessly. No conversation ever was offered to discuss our encounters, nor did we even acknowledge each other outside of the prison shower or classroom. On some level, no conversation was necessary. We both knew what time it was. I only was interacting with Grimy when in the classroom, as I was a GED tutor for  inmates with less than an eighth grade reading and math level ( Grimy, for all of his sexual aura, smooth talking, and street smarts, only tested at a third grade level in his subjects). 

Being a GED tutor allowed me to interact with some of the hottest inmates on the compound. Although this was certainly not my initial reasoning ( I was BROKE  and  needed the income to buy snacks and such), having a college education came in quite handy in this regard, and I was pleasantly surprised at how these inmates yearned to obtain their GED and learn more than what they currently knew, believing that their opportunities on the outside might increase, and the chance of returning to prison decrease.

I would notice that Grimy would stare at me when I would tutor certain inmates one-on-one.  One inmate who needed a tremendous amount of help, named Marcus, was a 21-year-old dark chocolate -complexioned man with a bright smile and easy, warm  eyes. Testing at a second grade level, however, made it frustrating when teaching even the simple addition and subtraction to him. Grimy appeared to be jealous at the attention that I was showing Marcus, and I would soon find out what made him feel the way that he did. Marcus, although a young Black male who dropped out of middle school to sell drugs in Richmond, Virginia, seemed to be more gifted than I expected in matters of flirtatiousness.

At first, Marcus was assigned to me by the teacher, Mrs. “Doolittle” (name changed), an elderly Black woman from Portsmouth who had a fragile ego, and for a teacher who had been teaching for 35 years, out-dated and seemingly useless teaching methods. Her expertise was in teaching elementary school children, NOT adults, and especially black MEN. My background of teaching GED classes in Washington, D.C., made being a GED tutor a natural fit for me, and many of the students I  was assigned to began making progress immediately. Mrs. Doolittle had some of the same students in her class for seven and eight months, and they had made no visible improvement in test scores.

After only a few weeks as a tutor, I got several of the inmates up to an 8.0 ( eighth grade math and reading level) and ready to move on from pre-GED class, to GED class in the prison educational structure. Marcus was progressing under my guidance, and when we went back to the dormitory, he often sought additional tutoring from me.  The GED tutoring became my niche in the social structure, and soon became the way that I was seen and noticed by the other inmates.

One night, I went to take an early shower (I had a headache that day from arguing with Mrs. Doolittle), and Marcus was in the shower bathing. He struck up a conversation with me while we showered, and I noticed that, just as he did when I tutored him, he would look me directly in my eyes as if he were looking into my soul.

About a minute later, he then came near me, and kissed me firmly on my lips. I felt conflicted about this, as Marcus was my student.  Not typically my type, (he was shorter than me), his Michael Vick like  resemblance and chiseled, ripped-up  body more than made up for his lack of height.  Before I could fully process everything, Marcus was on his knees sucking me off in much the same way that I pleasured Grimy and D-ray.

My sexual encounters with Marcus only occurred when Grimy was out of the dorm either cutting hair (he was a prison barber who worked until 10pm) or when he was out on the recreation yard working out. Initially, I didn’t notice this. One day, while I was tutoring him in class, he opened up his math book, and there, in the middle of it, sat a condom. I was stunned.


Where the fuck do you get a condom in prison?


 He looked at me with a devilish, cagey grin. On the notepad, I wrote the question, “Where did you get that from?” to him. He wrote back, “From my cousin that came to visit me last Saturday. I got more in my trunk.” That evening, around 1 a.m., he tapped my bed and motioned for me to meet him in the bathroom. After three or four minutes, I entered the shower, and there he was. After two or three minutes of kissing, he handed me the condom. I put it on, and began to fuck him standing up, until he and I ejaculated at the same time.

 Safe sex in the penitentiary!

WOW, I thought. This took planning and proper timing. I was impressed. If he took that level of critical thinking and strategy into the GED test, I thought to myself, he was sure to pass with flying colors.

I began to realize that St. Brides was a DL haven......


Grimy gave me some good sex later that night. Perhaps as a result of seeing me later that day with a frustrated look on my face due to the queen incident, or just because he was horny (Grimy had developed a sex cycle with me of hooking up in the shower once every five days. This was the third day of the cycle, so I figured his pattern was changing for a reason outside of normal horniness). As we had sex in the shower, he whispered to me, “I won’t never chase or hate on you like they did to that gump today, baby, you know that, right?” I looked back and saw a sensitivity in his eyes that I never had seen before or since. I whispered back, “Yeah, Daddy, I know,” and smiled. After calling him “Daddy,” he IMMEDIATELY began to climax. He enjoyed calling me his “wife,” during sex, even though we barely spoke outside of the shower, except for class.

The last time that Grimy and I had sex, he did something that he had never done before: He pulled my face to his and kissed me. He NEVER had kissed me before in all of the hook-ups we had. After he climaxed, he kissed me yet again, and held my forehead to his. Smiling, I felt so safe and protected, more than I had ever felt with any “relationship” on the street. Intimacy in a shower in the Penitentiary?  What in the hell?

Grimy was released a few days later. He knew his release date was drawing near, but in a shrewd move, told NONE of the other inmates about it (When other inmates know the date of your release, they often can initiate conflict with you to get you to fight them, thus adding time to your sentence—haters). To this day, I have not been able to track Grimy down, although  I heard from another recently-released inmate that he is back together with one of his children’s mothers (When I met him, he had seven children by five different women), and hustling drugs again.

Marcus kept after me for more dick. With Grimy gone from the cell block, I began to hook up with Marcus for “light encounters” (he would perform oral sex on me almost nightly. He wasn’t the cleanest “bottom” in the sexual universe, and with him out of condoms, I didn’t want my penis having shit stains on it.)  Marcus would even get outright mad when I wouldn’t penetrate him more regularly than I did.  I was hoping that he wouldn’t become a “fatal attraction” to me, as he clearly kept his eye on me from a distance all day, to see who I would communicate with, and if I was  doing a little “DL” flirting with other brothers on the block. In all of my “dating” and hookup encounters at St. Brides, it wasn’t as if I ever was going to fall in love with any of these guys. Two of them, Grimy and Marcus, could not read and write very well (not that I’m discriminating, I just would like a literate, intelligent mate that I could have conversations about things like politics and world affairs), and D-ray satisfied my immediate physical and short-term emotional needs, but came off more like he could be a “playa” if given the opportunity.

St. Brides proved to me, through my sexual encounters, that DL men in fact are in the penitentiary in much higher levels that I ever would have imagined.  What fascinated me about the DL man in prison, as opposed to the “straight” man in prison, was the level of OPENNESS of the straight man in his romantic and sexual liaisons with other men.  The DL brothers I would meet in prison were so extremely good at hiding their desires and lusts for same-gender sex, they would go to ANY lengths to hide it.








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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Black, Male, Gay...and American...

"It is a particular sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.

One feels his twoness- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.

The history of the American Negro is the history of his strife….this longing to attain self conscious manhood, to merge his double self  into a better and truer self"

W.E.B. Dubois, The Souls Of Black Folk




With  all due respect to Dubois, I will add nuance to this iconic quote from him to describe the plight of being black, male and gay in America in the 21st century. This is my adaptation to his words, one that speaks to my reality and the reality of hundreds of thousands like me who languish in open, loud silence, and  yet hide in plain sight, visible to all who wish to see, and yet invisible for all those who do not.

 "It is a particular sensation, this triple consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul through the tape of aworld that looks on in amused contempt and pity. To be feared for being black and male in a society that has demonized such; and reviled as an abomination by those who share your common struggle of blackness; measuring his soul both from the lens of those who view his blackness with  disdain, and view his homosexuality as the antithesis of  their manhood. One feels the tear of three identities;  an American, a black man, and a homosexual, caught in the crossfire of divided reality, three ideals all at odds with each other, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn completely asunder.

The history of the black gay male in America has been both invisible and scorned, a walking contradiction to bigoted black heterosexuals, and a complete mystery to a white gay collective that both despises and desires him. Conflicted as to whether to side with white gays for gay rights, or black heterosexuals for human rights, he is caught in the crossfire of both, and yet feels sometimes only partially connected to either. This journey to merge three identities into one, two of whom are filled with internalized self hatred, the other an internalized loathing for his other selves, into a coherent  mass of humanity, one that can fight to be visible, loved and regarded in the highest of esteem This is the journey to be black, gay and male in America.."

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Herman Cain, And the "New" Strategy of White Supremacy...

Hi guys!

For a few months now, I have observed this Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain, and his jack door meanderings, and have stayed largely silent about his rhetoric. Now, I think it is time for me to speak out on my assessment of this man, his statements, and how he fits into the larger body politic.

Let me start off by stating that I have no issue with blacks being Republican. As an Independent, myself, I don't understand devotion to either party, but I respect other people's right to choose what works for them. I am a proud graduate of Tuskegee University, founded by a black Republican, Booker Taliaferro Washington. The principles laid forth in his iconic "Up From Slavery" are some that many may describe as "conservative" at the very least.

I am a lover and student of the philosophy of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, both of whom had platforms that are soundly rooted in what many conservatives claim as ideals of their own...self sufficiency...economic cohesiveness...not wasting money...etc...building jobs and "doing for self". Welfare, as I was taught by Minister Farrakhan, if turned around  and re-worded, means "farewell"...many blacks have socially conservative views, mainly due to religious influences. So the notion that I or any other black person is "brainwashed" for not being Republican is just silly, and deserves no further comment.

Having said this, when i turn to Herman Cain, I see nothing more than the ultimate reincarnation of  "Uncle" Clarence Thomas in a political arena. Less articulate than Clarence Thomas,however, Cain presents himself in a way that diminishes what i think might actually be an above average mental capacity. His propensity for  outright dumb, tone deaf comments is so repugnant and silly, that one would have to look twice to see that he graduated from such a prestigious school like Morehouse College.

Everybody is not meant to have the gift of gab. Let's face it, President Obama's cool, analytical, intellectual tone impressed many, both black and white, in 2008. I do not sense that same cool, analytical, rational tone from Herman Cain. He comes across as the loud, ignorant, politically incorrect supervisor at your job that you wonder, "how on Earth did they get to that position?" He comes across  more like the drunk uncle at your family reunion, than an accomplished Baptist preacher.

So what makes him so popular among extreme right wing white Tea Party(tea-baggers) folk? It is simple.

This is the 900 lb. gorilla in the room few people are talking about.


He is a black man espousing a doctrine that validates for many white conservative racists, their stance on a variety of issues. He is an effective tool to go up against Obama( they believe ), because, being black while speaking an anti-black agenda, the Republican party can ( they believe ) wash their hands of the charge of being bigoted, race baiting southern strategists who don't give a rats behind about the black community, hispanics, or poor people in general.


In order for this system of racial bias, bias against woman, bias against the poor  and the "have nots" to work in the 21st Century, having a black face as its spokesman is the perfect set up. A black face that "pulled himself up by his bootstraps",is the perfect tool to demonize the poor("if you are unemployed, BLAME YOURSELF).. he is the perfect tool to attack blacks("blacks are BRAINWASHED into voting Democrat")...to attack the notion of racism still existing( "racism doesn't affect anyone in today's world"), and to promote the greed and imbalanced wealth distribution of the top 1%(does anyone REALLY think that lowering taxes on corporations to 9%, or his 9-9-9 plan will do anything but make the rich RICHER?)

He can be used as the perfect attack dog for going after Obama( "Obama isn't a "real" black man..he is a socialist, and a secret Muslim", Cain has said in the past). It's too shameful that he cannot see, that not only is he being used as the attack dog, but as an agent of the same cold hearted corporate demons that care nothing about blacks, hispanics, poor people, or the middle class. He can play his Sambo routine all he wants, but only those in the tea party will want to hear that tune come November 2012.

Monday, October 3, 2011

When The Lights Go Out: Glossary of Terms

GLOSSARY



So as not to have the heterosexual men and women that read this book be COMPLETELY lost in the sea of slang terminology used particularly by the Black gay male inmates, I have added a glossary to help guide you to interpret each term in the context of the interviews provided. Here goes:

Aga:  A form of pig Latin developed by African American gay men in the early days of the ball scene to communicate when amongst heterosexuals, in this context heterosexual inmates, without details of the conversation being revealed.

Ball scene: A circuit of “balls,” or pageants, wherein gay men compete against each other in a myriad of categories, from “best face” to “fem queen realness,” to all types of vogueing categories. Many fem and masculine Black/Latino gay men in prison have been or are associated with this scene at one point or another in their lives on the street.

Boots: A Black gay slang term typically used at the end of a sentence to add emphasis to the intensity of the subject of the sentence itself. For example, “Girl, I was drunk boots!” means that the individual was highly intoxicated. Derived from the phrase, “to boot,” an old idiom to describe “in addition to,” or “besides” the verb highlighted in the sentence.

Butch queen: A gay male who exhibits a masculine veneer or outer appearance, but conducts himself in private in a manner not unlike an effeminate gay male.

CO: Abbreviated term for correctional officer. Also called the police.

Cunt:   Black gay slang/slur to anecdotally describe a female. Typically not spoken or said in a malicious context. Also used to describe, in equally as shady a manner, other gay men of whom the “queen” does not approve.

Diking:  Black gay slang for two effeminate gay men (queens) sleeping with and/or dating each other, akin to lesbian sex. Usually used in a “shady” or condescending manner.

Fem queen: An effeminate gay male, often displaying some or all of many inmates’ preconceived stereotypes of gay men in general (speaking in what most would consider a “feminine” voice, flamboyant mannerisms, etc.).

Fi-Fi : Another slang term for “pocket pussy,” or a homemade device made by heterosexual inmates to simulate the walls of a vagina.

How to make a Penitentiary Pussy (Vagina) aka Pocket Pussy aka Fi Fi:                 

There are several ways to make this device, and I will show you the most effective way that I know in my personal experience, and that of other inmates I have interviewed. You will need the following ingredients:

1 towel (you can set it on top of a light to heat it up before using…nothing like a nice, “warm” feel when you begin your fantasies)
1 latex glove
Vaseline (used sparingly)
Lotion (to give it that “wet” feel)
Rubber bands (if you want a tight grip)

Please take the towel and lay it flat on a table or some other sturdy surface. Lay the latex glove at one end of the towel, with the opening to the glove exposed, laying about two inches outside of the edge of the towel. As you begin to roll the towel, with the latex glove inside it, as you would roll a newspaper, please keep in mind that if you want a tighter, more “virginal”  feel for your “fi-fi” or “pocket pussy,” then you  should roll the towel in as tight a manner as you possibly can.  If you want a looser and more open feel, then roll the towel accordingly. Once you have rolled the towel up, with the latex glove out in the manner listed above, then you can take the Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly and begin to lubricate the opening of the glove in the manner you feel most appropriate for your taste. Some men enjoy a wetter simulated vagina, in which case you can put both Vaseline and a touch of lotion in the glove to give it that “soaking wet” effect.



Fish: Black gay slang/slur to anecdotally describe a female. Typically not spoken or said in a malicious context at all, but can and is considered offensive to most natural-born women.

Geesh: Regional term used to define a male who dresses in a full woman’s outfit. For example: “I got up in geesh to walk K street, honey,” translates to, “I got dressed up in a woman’s outfit and walked down a street to turn tricks.” It can be used in place of, or interchangeably with the term, “up-in-ems.”

Get my life: An expression meaning, “I thoroughly enjoyed myself.” To use as an example in a sentence: “I went to the club last night and got my life. I didn’t get home until seven a.m.” It is an affirmation of a pleasurable and enjoyable experience.

Girl: Slang terminology with multiple meanings, but generally used anecdotally in casual conversation. Also used to describe effeminate gay men in prison or those men who, for whatever reasons, have entered into relationships with men and have assumed the “bottom” or anally receptive position in said relationship.

Gunning: The act of public, open masturbation by heterosexual inmates when observing female correctional officers and staff.  An inmate pulls his penis out, no matter where he is, and begins to fantasize about sexual intercourse with the female whom he is watching.  Looks, age, size, and position are irrelevant in the inmate’s mind when engaging in this practice. The inmate is only interested in the fact that that female has a vagina. This practice, if caught, comes with stiff penalties, and if convicted, carries, in some states, a criminal charge and registry in that state as a sex offender.

HAART: Acronym for "Highly Active Anti Retroviral Treatment", the medical term to describe the now well known "HIV/AIDS cocktail", taken by hundreds of thousands of HIV positive patients throughout the known world. Its effectiveness in keeping HIV positive patients healthy has greatly improved over the years, and is now streamlined to minimize the harmful side effects that plagued earlier versions of the treatment.

Hooch: Also called jailhouse wine. It is a homemade alcoholic beverage made by inmates typically using some form of fruit, sugar, and yeast (when they can steal it), and allowed to ferment for about two days until the yeast eats up the sugar, thus creating the chemical byproduct of alcohol.

Institutionalized: The syndrome often spoken of by inmates that develops when an individual has adapted overly to the prison environment, and has not learned to effectively transition that adaptation once released from prison. For example, in the movie “The Shawshank Redemption,” one of the supporting characters was released after serving decades in prison. He had no way of figuring out how to cope with the changing world of which he was now a part. For him, prison represented a safe zone, one that he had become so accustomed to that he couldn’t handle being free. The character committed suicide. His was an extreme case of institutionalization.

Jody: Penitentiary nickname for a man or men on the street who provide sexual fulfillment to the girlfriends or wives of inmates while those inmates are incarcerated.  Men who are incarcerated use this term to play upon other inmates’ insecurities in relation to the fidelity of their wives or girlfriends.

Lifer: One serving a life sentence.

Meat on the gate: Can be used interchangeably with the term “drop it in the hole,” depending on the region, and is a reference to the solicitation of oral or anal sex in exchange for some benefit, either money or drugs.

Pocket pussy: Artificial apparatus made by heterosexual and bisexual inmates to simulate a woman’s vagina while incarcerated. See the term “fi-fi.”

Prison MAC: Term used for using candy or other colored confection as makeup, primarily M&Ms dipped in minute amounts of water and applied to the lips, cheeks, eyelids, etc., in the same way as the popular “MAC” make-up on the street.

Same-Gender Loving: Politically correct term for the LGBT community in the twenty-first century.

Swole: Prison lingo for a dish made by inmates consisting of Ramen noodles, cheese, pickles, either a singular meat product, or variety of meats and seafood items, and depending on the inmate and his culinary acumen, many other things as well. Generally extremely high in sodium and carbohydrates.

Trade: Multi-purpose term used initially to describe a hetero-identified man who may occasionally engage in same sex encounters for a price, i.e. a pair of sneakers or money. Over the decades, generations of gay men have re-defined this elusive term in many ways, but among the most consistent definitions include: a thuggish , hyper masculine male completely undetectable to the heterosexual world, that messes around with other men, as well as women; sometimes interchangeable with "DL"; Can also be used to describe a masculine man's penis endowment. "Chile he had trade(dick) down!"( meaning he had a large penis).

Up-in-ems: Black gay slang term to describe a drag queen or trans-gendered person dressing in a full female outfit and makeup. Regional term used in the Eastern Coast prisons and by some Black gay men.

Visitation method: When an inmate gets a visit from a relative or friend from the free world, who slips him drugs via a latex glove or balloon. The inmate swallows the latex-wrapped package of drugs, as latex is highly resistant to many of the acids in the stomach and intestine. The inmate, hours later or perhaps the next day, gets the drugs out of his body by “taking a shit,” and then, with a latex-glove-wrapped hand, sifts through the fecal matter until he finds the package. He then cleans the latex package off, unravels it, and begins to smoke and/or sell it.

Werk or werq: A Black, gay, slang derivation of the word “work,” usually spoken by some gay men to emphasize appreciation and awe for a high level of skill and talent  in an individual or group. Popularized in American pop culture by drag queen icon Rupaul (“You betta werk, bitch!”).


Slang terminologies may vary greatly depending upon region, facility, and security level of prison. This glossary is to aid mainly heterosexual men and women who read this book to understand the language and terms from non-hetero inmates. The definition itself is more important than the term, and I respectfully ask that you keep that in mind when referring to this glossary.





Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bringing Black college men and Black Male inmates together(REPOST FROM MYSPACE ACCT)

 


Bringing Black college men and Black Male inmates together

Hey everyone! I had an idea that i wanted to run across you guys.....i was watching a BET news special called"Black Men::the Truth" that aired yesterday,Fathers Day,2007, and they disputed the statistic widely mentioned that there are more Black men in prison than in college.The original study that was based on was FLAWED. Having graduated from an HBCU(Historically Black College and University)..AND spent years in a state prison, I wondered ...What if we could get 50,000 to 100,000 Black men who graduated from college to reach out TO 50,000-100,000 Black inmates in prison?here is what i mean:



1). Young brothers in prison,many of them,do not have the educational tools to turn away from a life of crime.Many grew up in neighborhoods where they rarely EVER saw educated,well spoken Black men around them consistently.Mentoring on a MASS level could reverse the perception by many inmates that to be "educated" means u wanna act more "white"...or even act "gay"(Yes guys, alot of young men actually think like that!!!!!!!)

2). The program would start off dealing with younger offenders(up to 26) and expand as involvement grows.Many of our young brothers locked up CAN BE SAVED.... i'm telling you because i have been there!It wont come off "preachy" or judgmental, but can be a real, substantive way that these two segments of the Black community can unite and begin to stop the dangerous cycle that leads to so many Black men in prison. Many states have been receptive to this idea(i fished it around a bit b4 bringing it to you all).


3).College brothers would begin to become a real,substantive part of these brothers lives,not just lip service. We want to emphasize that we as Black men are capable of helping each other, and that just because we went to school,make X amount of dollars per yr,etc,that we cant give back to the community we are a part of.
4)Our Black Greek lettered organizations(Alpha,Kappa,Sigma,Omega,etc) would be an instrumental ally in this program...what better community service can you have than to help a young Brother in prison realize that they really can be intelligent,educated,and live a crime free life???


I have the raw outline for what i want this project to accomplish....But I need your help in formulating a specific strategy to bridge these two worlds together. Its time. If we don't help ourselves,Black brothers,no one will help us.Any ideas will be greatly appreciated! Once the Program is complete,i will take it and RUN with it......Holla back!
 

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