These
Special Reports came about as a
request from the many African American and Latino men that I’ve worked with in
workshops, thousands in fact. The
challenge of being a teacher is that I can only be physically in one place at a
time. The largest workshop I’ve run was
well over 200 people but for these specific, personal discussions, I generally
prefer to run groups of about 6 to 35 men.
The reasoning is both obvious and compassion-based. Too many people and the conversation becomes
unwieldy and most importantly men, specifically men of color, rarely have the
opportunity to ask an objective expert about their sexuality related
experiences and get back a direct answer.
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In
my teens I was fortunate to have supportive counselors at school to discuss
sexuality with. I was fortunate to be
able to afford to buy books on sexuality to answer technical questions and
explore ideas. Further into my 20s, away
at college, I was fortunate to be able to be authentic and transparent about my
identity, having asked, answered and investigated those questions prior to
university. However I met and was
friends with countless men and women who were confused, questioning or closeted
about their sexuality. What concerned me
most were the dangerous emotional and physical situations they were in due to
family structures, religious beliefs, lack of information. The overwhelming majority of these men and
women were African American and Latino.
Years
later when I began counseling and teaching specifically to MSM of color at
non-profits and was tasked with designing programming and curricula for them, I
turned to my library around male sexuality and discovered that bluntly, it was
all White, from a White perspective, written to a White male audience,
reflecting multiple White men engaging with one another, focused almost
exclusively on a homo-normative
valuing of the singular term of “gay”, as young, happy, vibrant White men. I turned to my non-White audience, teeming
with questions and issues and realized that a lot of their problems stemmed
from this dissonance between sexuality, information, race and inclusion.
“But aren’t all people the same? And does your work then exclude White
people?” one naturally would ask.
Yes
and no.
We’re
all biologically, therefore physically (and to some degree psychologically),
the same as humans so there is of course information through all of my works
that covers biological, physical, mental and social areas on men and their
interactions, no matter race. I try to
be specific in highlighting and
integrating non-men of color into these works (such as work on interracial
dating, etc) rather than the reverse: minimizing that there are social,
emotional and cultural distinctions for African American, Latino and other men
of color as such an exclusion now readily and rampantly exists in personal
identity/relationships texts on sexuality.
In terms of culture, socialization, sexuality, identity, spirituality,
environment and lived selves, having been, as a man of color, socially and
professionally steeped in many cultures, we’re vastly different. This doesn’t mean that we can’t co-exist,
co-habitate or even unite for common rights but it does mean that the old trope
of people as being in a melting pot is egregiously wrong when it comes to men
of color and sexuality. Isn’t it better
for us all, to be seen as individual, self motivating and defining fruits and
vegetables in a salad, a tossed salad, if you will? All possible puns intended.
It
naturally followed then, as I was teaching these initial workshops with men of
color, and seeing the confused effects, that they were being given perhaps the right dosage of the wrong medication. Following
the analogy, there had been no personal examination of them allowing for their feedback and yet they were
expected to have the same outcomes, results and liberation as White gay
men. The information, particularly
around safe sex, socialization, relationships, sexuality, manhood and financial
consideration was only being designed for White men to interact with other
White men…and ostensibly other men of color who could access the information or
approximate their identity close enough to find it useful. I estimate this to be about 10% of men of
color.
What
about the African American and Latino man, at least here in America, who
doesn’t believe that a healthy identity for them is in mirror lockstep to White
gay men?
I’m
convinced through my years working in LGBT organizations that sexually
transmitted infection rates are so high among men of color vs. White men
because of less of an informational/social support system for a
non-heterosexual identity in communities of color and lack of support in White heterosexual and then homosexual
communities, a triple whammy of stigma and ostracism.
After
several years of amending pre-existing materials, inserting images of men of
color, trying to bridge the gap and generally colorizing my lessons with the
invaluable input, information and feedback from my clients and participants, I
came upon the understanding that while men of color had produced many works of
visual art, fiction and health related literature regarding sexuality, there
was very little that was doing what I was having packed workshops around: sex,
sexuality, relationships, finances, life choices, parenting, love, breaking up,
aging, fetishes, personal advancement, and entrepreneurship targeted at MSM of
color. At my height for workshops it was
standing room only, three days a week, upwards of 200+ men. I was photocopying my handouts to the
financial chagrin of the organizations I worked for, personally buying and
giving to participants some of the better more culturally democratic books I’d
found. It slowly dawned on me that the
emails I was constantly getting from other cities around the nation from men
who’d enjoyed the information from my television show, online videos, and
blogs, meant that for the thousands I’d met and taught in just New York City,
there were multiples of hundreds of thousands more, without hub organizations,
who wanted information as well.
The
work then has become to package good,
useful, healthy information, much as how I design workshops. Without bias to ideas and practices that I
might not agree to but maintaining the same non-judgmental attitude I maintain
in my workshops. This non-judgment comes
from the fact that I personally believe that sexuality is unique within you,
that you are divinely blessed with it, that it is not for question or sanction
beyond consent and excluded from unfair manipulation/coercion. I believe that no one’s sexuality is up for
question by another—that what and how you identify as today and what you do and
identify as tomorrow is perfectly fine, as long as you notify those of us with
whom you’re engaging and need to know.
I
also believe one of the major divergences culturally speaking stems from the
wider socialized ramification of White gay men wanting to be acceptable and
maintain privilege from a White culture as a dominant culture base, therefore there’s both a rebellious freedom
that manifests as a desire to explain and justify one’s sexuality that borders on
the obsessive. But this modality follows
the ontology (nature of reality),
epistemology (system of knowing),
methodology (gathering of information),
axiology (ethics and values)
psychological paradigm of the dominant
culture: quantification, explanation, qualification. Cultures and ethnicities throughout history,
that were not exclusively of a Westernized paradigm as we know it now, have
always had the content of non-heterosexuality and context for other than simply
heterosexual sexualities. And they
haven’t included the near-neurotic public flagellation of self exposure to gain
social acceptance. Dealing with that
demand from the White gay community, often alienates men of color because our praxis to the Universe as a whole, not
just society, is more community based and spiritually connected.
I
know, that’s a headful.
Simply
put, people of color are more socialized to the We and how do I relate into the We; White people tend to see I
as the Westernized democratic and rugged individual I, and question how the I fits
into the We of community or they
leave and form new and appropriate communities to satisfy their I.
People
of color steeped in traditions of We
carry our communities and may visit or settle or annex other communities but
we’re always of the We of African
American, Southern, Northern, Latino, Dominican, Mexican, la familia, etc.---we’re far more attached to the origin community, which makes it harder
to abandon our communities when they notify us as to what they exclude. We, people of color, tend to abdicate our
public identity for community inclusion because we’ve also been taught by our
own communities of birth how dangerous it is to be without a community or to be
exclusively among White people.
Sexuality for men of color is intertwined with race and has to be
developed, answered and lived in accordance with that basic social mindset,
before, with, and past it, in order to transcend it.
The
Universe or spiritual contextualization of ourselves comes from such an emphasis on spiritualized identification
to identity within communities of color whether directly through churches/religion
or more generally, through taught practical awareness of a relationship to a
Creator. I discovered in years of
workshops with men (yes, sometimes women) that sexuality was often spoken of in
spiritual terms and far more fluidic in regards to the sexuality and gender of
partners. The language of
heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality is science based---the external
examination, quantification and qualification of the human being to an
experience, again through an ontological examination from the dominant
culture. However I’ve found that the
fluidity that men of color can experience is because of the internalized
identification of self connected to spirit and the dissonance for us comes
from a pseudo scientific labeling
brought to explain and quantify to physical actions. Many men talked about being DL, freaking, getting down, being in the
Life as action but wouldn’t accept labels of homosexual to their
self/sexuality/internal identity but would to their actions. They would then
further identify their spiritual selves, their inner selves, as
multi-dimensional which align with the other indigenous cultures, such as
Native Americans having terms like
two-spirited.
The
praxis of basic identification of self to
the community, self and the Universe
can be often vastly different, occasionally similar, or even rarely, nearly the
same, when people of varying racers, cultures and ethnicities discuss sexuality
in relationship to self. Curiously, or maybe not so much if one
considers society’s set-up, I’ve noted how people of color abstain, remove or
default in public settings (including, interacting or being observed by White
people) around sexuality identification and articulation. Privately or among others of their same
culture and ethnicity, sometimes it’s far more complicated than simply gay.
To that end there’s the emergence of the term same gender loving, which describes, yes, the action but also has deeper connotative meaning in regards to
include the inner multi-faceted identity,
community attachment, and spiritual component. In further writings, I’ll tackle this
distinction and articulation more.
To
the understanding that there is a broader understanding
of sexuality for men of color in each of these books and Special Reports, I include Add Ins that supplement what in the
digital/print industry have been labeled “special reports”, which historically
has come to be in size, approximately 10 pages.
The
purpose of the Add Ins is one, the wide expanse of men these reports go out to
in paperback and digital form allows for deeper engagement on multiple issues
then just the titled work; two, the edification of men of color who may come
across them; and thirdly, to precipitate and encourage discussion within the individual, within friendships,
relationships or small groups of men around good,
useful, accurate information. The
Add Ins generally fall into three to five sections:
1.
Give
clear definition to the male body as a basic lesson and what it can and cannot
do in relationship to itself and other male bodies;
2.
Clearly
define and outline what sexual protection looks like in objects (condoms,
lubes, etc.) and what sexually transmitted infections (STIs) exist, their
symptoms and potential treatments;
3.
Clearly
define terms around sex and sexuality (this is an organic and ever growing and
developing list, please feel free to send in others you’ve heard or known---one
of the most fun aspects of workshops I facilitated as an undergraduate student
was empowering a room to list every questionable, profane, fun, silly or
obscure sex and sexuality term they could);
4.
With
direct regards to men of color building relationships with themselves, others
and their communities financially, I wanted to include as basic overview of
terms and terminology. At first glance
it might seem out of place but non-heterosexual men tend to have more
discretionary income however men of color have historically had less
opportunity to garner and therefore enact a level of financial education. What
better place to put a substantial chunk and understanding of money and its uses
then into the hands of men, who through the very act of obtaining this book are
empowering themselves?;
5.
Lastly,
a pretty comprehensive list of the additional Special Reports and books I’m
working on, have published or can recommend as useful to the growth, and
authorization of men of color to live full, romantic, sexual, healthy and
prosperous lives.
None
of my works is meant to be an explanation of men of color to the masses, we’re
simply too individualized and complex for any work to do that. What my work is mean to do is provide access,
context and information for men of color as they choose how, when and with whom
to share themselves, through their spirit, identity and sexuality. I believe that what you know and believe:
your ideology, plus the tools to free or liberate one’s self, move you to
personal mastery or power.
Simply
put: Ideology + Liberation = Power.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Special Report # 1: Anal Sex for
Men with Men
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Special Report # 2: Why Tops Don’t Care, Why The
Bottoms Are Crazy and the Versatiles Lie
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Kyle Phoenix has amassed a quick,
fast, detailed resource to answer those questions.
Special Report #
3: Bisexual Homosexuals and Homosexual Heterosexuals
Your natural inclinations, thoughts
and experiences are valid no matter your age, gender or race and this report
outlines why. Specifically focusing on how race and culture are affected and
influenced by society and what a person would look and feel like with a broader
understanding of their selves. This
Special Report will: Help you see how your race/cultural background affect your
sexuality. Help you define your sexuality Help you define and understand the
sexualities of others Give you tips for how to see sexuality Provide you with
information and resources about ways to have better and more satisfying sex You
need this because confusion around who's a what and why they're that what ruins
the chance for lasting love and happiness.
Special Report # 4: Gay, Bi, Same
Gender Loving Couples and Money: Dating, Courtship and Living Together, Level 1
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Special Report # 5: How To Satisfy A Top
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Special Report # 6: How To Satisfy A Bottom
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Special
Report # 7: Discreet, Down Low and Not Out
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Special Report # 8: Life Stages,
0 to 21 Years Old, Level 1
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Special Report # 9: Life Stages,
21 to 40 Years Old, Level 2
You’re legally, socially and
hopefully, emotionally an adult now! Now
what? Covering everything from money to
dating; family to love and relationships Level 2 in Life Stages focuses on what
bi, gay and same gender loving men can look forward to, plan for and avoid in
their first 20 years of adulthood.
Special Report # 10: Life Stages,
40 to 60 Years Old, Level 3
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Special Report # 11: Life Stages,
60+ and Beyond, Level 4
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Special Report # 12: How and Why
To Hire or Become an Escort
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Special Report # 13: How to Give
Olympic Level Oral Sex
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Special Report # 14: Mastering
Online Dating for Fun, Sex and Relationships
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Special Report # 15: Developing
Intimacy Between Men
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Special Report # 16:
Communication
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Special Report # 17: Interracial Relationships and
Sex for Men
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Special Report # 18: Monogamy, Cheating and Men
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Special Report # 19: No, Fats, No Fems, No Strings,
No Imperfections
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Special Report # 20: The Art of the Hook Up
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Special Report # 21: Where The Single Men Are Really
At!
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Special Report # 22: Same Gender Loving, A Primer
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Special Report # 23: How to Be
More Masculine and Attract Men
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Special Report # 24: How to
Change A Man
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Special Report # 25: Sex Addiction
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Special Report # 26: Love Addiction
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Special Report # 27: Polyamory:
From Triads to Quads to Orgies
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Special Report # 28: Fatherhood/Parenting
Does your heart yearn to hear that
word thrown out to you by your child? Do
you have children from a previous
relationship and you’re now trying to figure out how to integrate your
sexuality/another relationship and your past?
Whether it’s from biology, surrogacy, adoption, foster care, or informal
parenting---learn the ins and outs, the challenges and the resources available
for you to make such a life changing decision to create a legacy that those you
parent will be proud of.
Many
men of color struggle with sex, drug, alcohol, and food addictions---are you
one of them or are you in a relationship with one? In this report we focus on how to identify addiction
in yourself or another man and have a frank discussion on the new norm of
African American and Latino men who are bi, gay or same gender loving
struggling with addiction and where to get help. This report could save your life or the life
of someone you love!
Special Report # 30: Pornography:
The Good, The Bad and The Color Lines
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Special Report # 31: Start an
EBay/Amazon Business Earning $50,000 Part Time for Only 1 Dime
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Special Report # 32: Budgeting
Money, Tax Time Tricks and Tips and Credit Clean Up
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Special Report # 33:
Entrepreneurship: Consulting, Self- Employment and Starting a Business
You've
decided that it’s time to strike out on your own, to start a small business and
take your chances on being your own boss, being more creative, making more
money! But first you need to understand
the pitfalls and mountaintops of challenges ahead. With a fast guide like this one, some
resiliency and perseverance you’re bound to be a success! Included is also a comprehensive resource list
for understanding business, mentorship, financial loans and business systems.
As we boldly move into the 21st
century, even entrepreneurs must advance their skills and look to new
horizons. And that horizon has become
the internet. Packed with real life
scenarios, information and hyperlinks to further enhancement this report will
help you move your enterprise online and to generating immediate and
sustainable profits.
Special Report #
34: How to Create Educational & Career
Advancement for Yourself or a Partner
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Special Report # 36: How to Love
Yourself
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Included are step by step
instructions for you to do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to love
yourself. You’ll be tasked with
measurable goals and shown how to see outcomes.
As an added bonus you’ll then be
able to turn to lovers, friends and family and teach them specifically what you
did to improve your life.
Special Report # 37: Marriage for
Black and Latino Men
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Enjoy!!!
Thank you for reading.
Email: kylephoenixshow@aol.com
Website: http://kylephoenixsite.com/
Blog: http://kylephoenixshow.blogspot.com/2012
Thanks and enjoy!
Thank you for reading.
Email: kylephoenixshow@aol.com
Website: http://kylephoenixsite.com/
Blog: http://kylephoenixshow.blogspot.com/2012
Thanks and enjoy!
You can Like Us on
Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter!
Don't forget to watch The Kyle Phoenix Show on
Channel 56(Time Warner),
83 (RCN), 34 (Verizon)
All books by Kyle Phoenix are available through
Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
Sign up for the mailing
list on my website (I’ll never share your information with a 3rd
party) and you’ll receive the E newsletter and alerts about new products,
books, and Special Reports.
Copyright © The Omni Group, Inc , 2014
Kyle Phoenix, 2014
Manhattan, New York
Kyle Phoenix, KylePhoenixShow1@gmail.com
Manhattan, New York 2014
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