Man of The Week - Paapa Essiedu

Man of the week goes to British - Ghanaian actor Paapa Essiedu. You can find him in the BBC/HBO show I May Destroy You and in Gangs Of London. Great actor, easy on the eye and his role as Kwame is elevating black queer visibility and pushing the culture forward.

My 2 Pence: Dating Part 1 - Mindset

Picture the scene. You've just gone three months of celibacy to clear your head and you are ready to begin dating again. What do you want?

Click read more to get my thoughts on this

Man of The Week: Lloyd Everitt

Man of the week goes to Welsh actor Lloyd Everitt. Even though Lloyd doesn't identify as gay, he has had major TV roles tackling these types of characters. He brings an authenticity to UK screens that people who look like him and others can really pull from and find common ground with. Here's hoping his star continues to rise and if you are reading, Lloyd keep up the good work! Check out some of his work and where to follow him by clicking 'read more' below:

The Ex Factor

Over the years my ex and I have gone from being emotionally all in, to emotionally checked out and cold turkey zero communication, then back to really repairing the companionship to to now having a healthy platonic respect and love for each other whilst on separate journeys.

The two of us sat down recently to have a deep and meaningful conversation about our time together. Click 'more' to enjoy the read.

My 2 Pence: Pose

A new show hit the FX channel in the States earlier this year called Pose. Created by Ryan Murphy in collaboration with trans writer Janet Mock, the series took inspiration from 80s cult classic documentary Paris is Burning, a spot light on the New York ball room scene and the sense of community that had been created by LGBT outcasts of mainstream society.

What really came through, was how the casting of Trans actors of colour like MJ Rodriguez and Indya Moore and thoughtful character development gave a platform for authentic trans stories - exploring fresh themes from a unique perspective.

Prior to watching the show, I had a non existent point of reference for the trans experience and by the end of the 8 part season, my mind was opened to the real struggles of a marginalised people.

Check the trailer out below:



Pose is available on Itunes and Amazon Video.

Watch: Taylor Bennett Visits The Breakfast Club

Chance the Rapper's younger sibling Taylor Bennett made waves last year when he claimed his bisexuality publicly. He recently stopped by the Breakfast Club to talk music and share his perspective on the LGBT experience. Watch the interview by clicking 'read more' below:

Watch - Gavin Houston Talks Playing Jeffery Harrington

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will be familiar with the number 1 show on the OWN Network, The Haves and Have Nots. One of the highlights of the show over the seasons, has been the journey of main character Jeffrey Harrington played by Gavin Houston. Born into a wealthy black family, we see the rollercoaster ride of highs and lows as he processes his sexuality.

Watch Gavin Houston discussing his character by clicking 'read more'.

New Music: Taylor Bennett - Be Yourself

Chance the Rapper's younger sibling Taylor Bennett made waves last year when he claimed his bisexuality publicly.

The 22 year old's current single 'Be Yourself', is lifted from the EP of the same name which is due for release later this year.

Take a listen and read my thoughts on the song by clicking 'read more' below.

The US Adventures: Atlanta Pt 1

I'm not gonna lie. I have a weakness for Americans.

I love the confidence, the chat, the looks and the chemistry. So much so that I decided to go to the belly of the beast for my 1st trip there. Atlanta.

Read the rest by clicking 'more'

Checking In

Hey guys, hope everyone is good.

I've been gone waay too long. Part of it has been writer's block, part of it has been selling my soul to the corporate world to allow me to have the means and access to experiences that inspire my posts and part of it has just been living life.

Fortunately, the thankless hard work over the years has meant that I have able to reclaim my time for a while. I am unplugging from the matrix and refocusing on giving you guys regular content because I know that the neglect has been real.

Long story short. I'm back!

Watch: Nigerian Short - Hell or High Water

Hell or High Water is a Nigerian Short by Director Asurf Oluseyi. The film chronicles the life of a married Pastor and the consequences of concealing his sexual identity.

Peep the movie after the jump:

My 2 Pence: Outness Levels

Outness levels have always been an interesting subject for me.

Being black and African where it is drilled into from a young age that from an African / Caribbean mentality POV, having guys as your preference will not be tolerated. It will also conjure up feelings of repulsion and digust within family members who hold this view due to the images they associate with gay people. This preference is seen as a sickness that brings shame onto the family name and is looked at as choice that should be prayed away.

So imagine, you are in your teens, twenty or in some cases older and through dating you are reconciling your attraction with like minds but with the burden of the people who you love hating a part of what makes you, you?

You begin to introvert your experiences through the need to avoid discussing your love life, in some cases avoiding family functions where as you get older, siblings peers and other family members of your generation settle down and get married while you keep them at arms length.

So the question is, can you be happy with someone who is out and accepted by their family? Or are you limited to swimming in the pond of discreet like minds carrying the weight of the world as they figure this thing out called life?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below:

Watch: Kaleidoscope Episodes 1-8

Kaleidoscope is a cool webseries from Freefall creator Lamont Pierre and his ArtHouse collective. The webseries explores the journey of a man who due to lack of funds, ventures into gay adult entertainment to support his family.  Pierre's production umbrella, The Art House, offer the 'shortie' or bite sized episodes on youtube and the full length episodes via http://www.thearthousetv.vhx.tv/

The show stars Thomas Mackey about About Him actor Rahim Brazil

Peep Episodes 1 -8 after the jump:

My 2 Pence: What's your Value add?

Do me a favour. Stop what are you doing right now and Whatsapp / imessage your best friends and ask them what they think your strengths as a friend are from their perspective.

Find out what my friends replied with after the jump...

Watch: Moonlight (Movie Trailer)

The trailer for coming of age movie by director Barry Jenkins, Moonlight hit the web today. Peep the trailer by clicking on 'read more' below.