England celebrated Black History Month in October and it was not without controversy. As you will note, Black History Month is a celebration of the important and valuable contributions blacks have made to popular culture and humanity. This time, the British celebration focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered blacks who contributed in a big way to the arts and politics. Most notable on this year's list was black liberation icon Malcolm X, who has been called a bisexual man. This reportedly sparked a great deal of controversy among black leaders. To be honest, this was the first time I have ever heard any rumblings that Malcolm X was bisexual and it seems that it was common knowledge then. Many black activists have made tremendous efforts to deny his same-sex relationships and suppress recognition of the full spectrum of his sexuality. But do we really care about his private life or does this revelation diminish his reputation and contributions to civil rights?Malcolm X, despite the obvious downside of his anti-white rhetoric, black separatism and religious superstition, he was a leading spokesman for black consciousness, pride and self-help. He was a fierce advocate for black upliftment and freedom. His complex and changing sexuality remained hidden until Bruce Perry published, Malcolm – The Life of a Man Who Changed Black America. Perry wrote the facts, based on interviews with over 420 people who knew Malcolm personally at various stages in his life, from childhood to his tragic assassination in 1965. Some black critics have characterized his book as a hatchet job. Based on interviews with Malcolm's closest boyhood and adult friends, Perry suggests the US black liberation leader was not as solidly heterosexual as his Nation of Islam colleagues and black nationalist acolytes have always claimed.
Perry documents Malcolm's many same-sex relations and his activities as a male sex worker, which spanned at least a 10-year period, from his mid-teens to his 20s. Malcolm X later married Betty Dean Sanders, known as Betty Shabazz, and as far as we know, he abandoned sex with men. Some have argued that because Malcolm X abstained from gay sex after his marriage, it didn't change the fundamentals of his sexual orientation and did not mean that he was wholly straight. Journalist Peter Tatchell, of the UK Guardian said that Malcolm X "engaged in a myriad of gay, sexual relationships and was bisexual." He also wrote that several black activists, whose names were not disclosed have tried to cover up the gay history of this leader. School friend Bob Bebee told biographers about his own liaisons with a young Malcolm and how he liked oral sex with other men. He also said Malcolm had a tumultuous relationship with his wife, Betty.
Marc Lamont Hill said because Malcolm X was constructed as a “reformed queer,” as opposed to a gay/bisexual hero, he squandered a valuable opportunity to reimagine Black masculinity and help expand the realm of political possibilities for Black gays and lesbians. Let us be real, had Malcolm X openly admitted that he was bisexual during his fight for civil rights, he would have been ridiculed. Of course, gay relationships were a dirty secret back then. He most certainly would have been shunned by the Nation of Islam and quite possibly would not have been allowed to become a part of the movement. So, for those who claim his sexuality would not have tarnished his legacy, well, it may have in the eyes of some people. I much prefer to see Malcolm X in terms of his accomplishments and his contributions to civil rights. Politically, he gravitated to the left and after his trip to Mecca, he began to embrace a non-racial mainstream Islam. He was becoming open to new ideas and new values. His personal life, including his sexual preferences, does not change how I feel about him and the contribution he made to black empowerment and civil rights.
Photo credit: Malcolm X, Wordmag & Estate of Malcolm X
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