GREG MARZULLO | 3.26.2008
has been exploited over the last few
years by the mainstream press, who
almost gleefully blame them for the HIV
crisis in black communities. Rarely,
though, is the complexity of black gay
male culture undertaken with an
honest eye, so it’s remarkable to
watch the DVD release of gay black
filmmaker Marlon T. Riggs’ 1991 film
“Tongues Untied” in light of easy
“examinations” of the culture among
myopic straight media.
Finished in 1989, “Tongues Untied” is
an artistic look at the black gay male
experience, told through the eyes of
Riggs and others with poetry, rap,
dance, creative film techniques and an
incredible soundtrack.
Some of the most powerful
sequences feature Essex Hemphill, a
gay black poet, writer and activist. His
writing and performance become an
integral part of the film, especially
during a particular moment when he and
another performer do a driving slam
poetry/borderline rap piece on the onset
of AIDS and how that’s affected black
gay male sex and identity.
AIDS certainly shows its gaunt face in
“Tongues,” but it’s only one piece of the pie.
Riggs sways widely from personal biography
(his love of all things vanilla — white boys,
that is — as a reflection of black shame and
white hegemony in gay culture) to a hilarious
mini-documentary about the power of
snapping. Different types of snaps are
profiled for different situations, hands waving
in the air and beads being read with one
grand diva gesture.
time, Riggs’ film struck to the heart of their
fears about black male sexuality and
homosexual acts. “Tongues” was set to air on
PBS’ “P.O.V.” in July 1991, but given the show’s
financial support from the National Endowment
for the Arts (plus Riggs’ own small grant from
the NEA), right-wing Republicans like Sen. Jesse
Helms pounced on PBS and the NEA.
Some stations pulled the show altogether.
Others aired it late into the night and far away
from the eyes of children.
To its critics, the film was "indecent,"
probably because of Riggs’ unwillingness to
water down his message to meet everyone
else’s needs. In an essay published in August
of 1991, Riggs gave voice to his reasoning for
“Tongues” and why it terrified the white
straight patriarchy.
“For many, this was the real outrage of
‘Tongues Untied,’ and for many, many more, its
principal virtue: the refusal to present an
historically disparaged community on bended
knee, begging courteously for tidbits of
mainstream tolerance,” Riggs says. “What
‘Tongues’ instead unapologetically affirms and
delivers is a frank, uncensored, uncompromising
articulation of an autonomously defined self and
social identity. SNAP!”
radical nature of black men loving each other
openly. Presumably during a Pride march, Riggs
presents footage of a gay black group carrying
a banner that reads, “Black men loving black
men is a revolutionary act.”
Riggs’ intended audience is, most
meaningfully, black gay men, but as a white
person, I found the film deeply moving and
inspiring. “Tongues Untied” is a piece that
should be seen by all queer people, regardless
of ethnicity and gender, but at the risk of
sounding authoritative, Riggs’ work is definitely
a must-watch for the black men who are
committing "revolutionary acts" with a look, a
kiss and an open heart.
‘Tongues Untied’ is available on DVD. Ask
your local gay bookstore for details, and visit
www.frameline.org
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