• Return to Homepage
• Return to Articles Index

Anchor-
Temple University professor Molefi Asante, known for coining the term Afrocentrism, has publicly changed his position regarding homosexuality. Dr. Asante told Pacifica Radio's Verna Avery Brown how he came to revise his view attributing homosexuality to European decadence.

Asante-
You know as one lives, one also learns, or should learn. And in my discussions of course, with many of my friends and many people I know around this country and throughout the world, I've come to understand of course that, homosexuality was not a matter of choice. And that 13 years ago when I wrote that, I did believe that it was a matter of choice and had nothing to do with biology or genes. You know demagoguery of course is when people take a view and then stick to a view that is of course not correct. And I think my view was perhaps not correct at that point.

Avery Brown-
Now there's been some suggestion--and a number of recent articles--that the African American Community is beginning to come to grips with its long held homophobia. Have you given that particular issue any thought recently?

Asante-
Well you know, I've written an article actually that deals with some of these issues and part of what I always like to say is that the Afri- can American community to a large part had and has some of the same prejudices that the society at large holds. And I think that the African American community in that regard is not a special case of homophobia. I think it is simply the American situation, I mean just as I was pointing out 13 years ago about you know the concept of homosexuality as being simply a matter of choice that a person had; this is sort of an American kind of thing. And I think that what we try to find out is what is particular in the African American community, and I don't think that homophobia is any greater in the African American community than it is in the white community.

Avery Brown-
There's been some suggestion that the strong hold that the Christian Church and the Baptist Church has had in the black community has perhaps contributed to a more intense sense of homophobia but I gather from your comments that you don't support that.

Asante-
I think that the Christian Church has but I just would argue that the Christian Church has done that both in the white community as well as in the black community. You know what I'm saying? I just wouldn't single out the African American community as one where the Christian Church has had that impact.

Avery Brown-
Do you think that the black community is moving towards a less homophobic position?

Asante-
With more information and more knowledge I think the black community as well as the American Society both are moving toward a more progressive view. You know at any rate, I always tell people, you know, a person's sexuality is nobody's business in the first place.

Anchor-
That was African studies professor Molefi Asante in an interview with Pacifica Radio's Verna Avery Brown.

• Return to Homepage
• Return to Articles Index