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I enjoy “How To Get Away With Murder.” It challenges me. I have to concentrate in order to make sure I’m not left in the dark once the plot lines thicken. Not to mention, the acting is superb. Viola Davis taps into virtually every emotion as Annalise Keating and it’s a joy to watch.

There’s generally a consensus about that, evidenced by Davis’ recent Emmy win.

But last night, a few people were in their feelings.

In case you missed it, during last night’s episode, we watched Annalise and her former college classmate and boo thing Eve get it on like they used to do in the olden days. I watched Annalise and I believed her in the scenes with Eve. It didn’t seem forced or inauthentic. It was Annalise, doing what she always does: Using and manipulating people.

And she did it well.

But y’all know there are always people who want to talk about the so-called “gay agenda” being promoted on television, particularly in Shonda Rhimes’ show. That’s what I was seeing on Facebook. People were calling for Black people to “stand up” and stop accepting these type of roles, roles that paint Black people in some type of immoral or negative light. This person even went so far as to argue that Viola only won the Emmy because people on the voting committee knew that there were going to be lesbian love scenes for Annalise Keating in the future.

Possible, but a stretch.

More than anything I was perturbed by this line of thinking because it seemed so contradictory to what Viola and Shonda stand for.

They’re about inclusion.

Shonda has explained it ad nauseum.

And that’s what Viola’s memorable Emmy speech was all about.

She wants Black women represented and included in Hollywood images. And we all cheered for that. But when that inclusion is extended to someone outside of our group, then we’re not here for it. Ironically, this is just how Nancy Grahn sounded on Twitter when she bashed Viola’s speech.

And that’s what’s so troubling about these comments. Whether you believe that homosexuality is a sin or not, you understand that gay men and women live and exist in this world. They certainly have unique experiences and stories that I’m sure they too, would like to see reflected on the television screen.

It’s always so interesting to me that Christians will readily watch people lie, steal, cheat, kill, rape, and torture someone without flinching. But two same sex people kissing or having sex or hell, just being in love is entirely too much to bear.

The show is literally called “How To Get Away With Murder” and people tune in expecting it to be the new TBN.

It’s fascinating.

It pains and saddens me to hear Black people call for inclusion and representation and then scoff and lob shame on so and so when that same basic decency is offered to someone else. We sound like hypocrites.

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