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Well, this isn’t good.

Popular New York City DJ Mister Cee was arrested on Thursday night after he was allegedly caught trying to solicit a male prostitute, according to the NY Daily News. Unfortunately for Cee, the “prostitute” was actually an undercover cop.

Cee, known for his “Throwback at Noon” and “Friday Night Live” shows on Hot 97 as well as his legendary connections with Notorious B.I.G and Big Daddy Kane, allegedly approached the man on Broadway and Madison Street in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.  As the news started to spread of his arrest, residents of the area tweeted that the section is known for its “women and men of the night.”

This isn’t the first time Mister Cee, real name Calvin Lebrun, was arrested for lewd acts. In 2011, he  was arrested for receiving oral sex from a man in a parked car.  He plead guilty to loitering for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.

An unfortunate situation indeed.

Ebro Darden, Program Director for Hot, took to Twitter on Saturday to seriously address the issue as well as well as drop a little joke in the midst:

Twitter

Clearly, the Hot 97 family stands by Mister Cee  during what is clearly a troubling time. Mister Cee has been on Instagram most of the weekend responding to fans who’ve been fairly positive in their comments and show of support.

On Monday morning, around 7:45 am, Cee will join the Hot 97 morning show (Black, Puerto Rican & Jew) for a conversation about what happened. Well, as much as he can share. It should be interesting.

Hopefully, Mister Cee’s June court appearance will settle the legal issue and he can move forward and deal with any emotional issues, if any, he has going on.

Source: MTV

Marlon Williams is many things: a member of the season 28 cast of MTV “Real World” in Portland, a preacher’s kid, and an aspiring rapper. But one thing the 25-year-old Texan wants to make clear that he’s not is homosexual.

No, the situation here isn’t that Marlon is effeminate and people are making assumptions about his sexual orientation. He’s actually had sex with a man before, but insists that doesn’t make him gay. He even goes further to say how one identifies themselves sexually doesn’t even matter anymore in this day and age. That was the crux of his recent interview with The Advocate, which asked him to clarify his dealings with men and the current status of his dating life. Here’s a bit of the Q&A.

The Advocate: OK, this is awkward. MTV tells us “Marlon has had intercourse with a man before and does identify with being bisexual. But he says that he is more attracted to women and doesn’t think he would be with a man again.” We could just take their word for it, but we’d rather you tell us yourself how you identify and why.
Marlon WIlliams: Well, I don’t consider myself bisexual, because I’m not sexually attracted to men. I did have sex with a man but my reasoning for it was different. It was in a hectic time of my life filled with fighting a lot of life battles. I was just making a lot of decisions that I would not normally make. At that time in my life the gay community embraced me, and it is one of those things that just happened. I have nothing against people who are bisexual or gay, but that is not my preference.

How do women react when you tell them?
That’s funny, because it’s not a part of my conversations with women. It hasn’t really come up with any of the females I’ve been involved with. Most women I’ve been interested in lately don’t even care. I mean, whatever your sexual orientation is who cares? If you’re happy that is all that matters.

You’re the son of a preacher and were raised with conservative values. Does that cause conflict for you in terms of your sexuality? 
Well, sex in any form is hard, because the beliefs of my parents say that you are supposed to wait for marriage. The big misconception used in religion is that some sin is worse than others. That isn’t true. All sin is equal. Therefore, anything I do that is sinful can be forgiven if I repent and make changes. My belief is that God forgives anybody who believes and wants a new start in life.

You also rap under the name Jay Dillinger. Is the world of rap as homophobic as it is rumored to be? How do you deal with that?
At the end of the day it’s about the music. Frank Ocean definitely showed that if you’re talented, then you can make it happen. Being a rapper isn’t all about the hardcore gangsta stuff all the time. So I feel there is room for any type of artist to make it. You just have to be good. Me, personally, I just ignore the hate. Who somebody goes home with is their business. What difference does it really make in the end? None.

Reactions to Marlon’s interview have been mixed, with one commenter noting:

“He says sexual orientation doesn’t matter anymore but he still labels himself as straight. Doesn’t that mean it still matters to him, at least enough to align himself with heterosexuality?”

On the flip side, another person commented:

“A one-time thing with a man doesn’t make him gay anymore than a one-time thing with a woman would, necessarily, make him ‘straight.’ When he says ‘sexuality doesn’t matter,’ I assume he means as far as he’s concerned. What stood out for me is when he says it’s not ‘part of the conversations’ he has with women. I expect that to now change once the show is on.”

I would expect that to change too, just as I would want a man who had been with another man to tell me so before we were involved sexually. While I agree that a one-time sexual encounter doesn’t necessarily change your entire sexual orientation, I do need to know if you’re going to be inclined to go down that path again should the wind blow that way.

What do you think about Marlon’s interview? Does he seem to be on the DL or is he offering up valid points?

Source: fuzionmag.com

It was only a matter of time before a slight aimed at Frank Ocean got wrapped up in an anti-gay controversy and Target happens to be first in line on the receiving end of the backlash.

The mega-retailer has reportedly decided not to sell T=the artist’s newest CD, “Channel Orange,” because he released it on iTunes last night, one week ahead of its July 17 release. Frank’s manager, Christian Clancy, has other ideas about why the CD won’t be sold on the store’s shelves, and of course he aired those sentiments on Twitter.

Homosexual discrimination certainly isn’t outside the realm of possibility but it does seem unlikely in this instance. For those who still buy CDs, Target is their go-to place and I imagine from a business perspective to place an order for X amount of CDs that likely won’t get sold now because people can and already are buying it online is not a loss Target is willing to take.

It would be quite bold for Target in the land of GLAAD to discriminate against Frank on the basis of his sexual orientation, particularly when his whole “coming out” put him in the minds of a lot of potential fans who didn’t even know who he was before last week. Anything is possible but this seems like one of those instances where someone got too happy with the d-word as we often do when it comes to racism.

What’s your take? Is Target’s stance a business choice or a discriminatory one?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Nowadays, everyone believes that their “gaydar” is always on point. Well, a new study has just released its results and the findings are quite interesting.

The University of Washington performed a study in which a group of 129 student volunteers were presented pictures of both men and women, straight and gay, that were void of anything “telling” – hair, jewelry or anything else that might lend to indicating a person’s orientation – for 50 milliseconds each.  Based on looking at the eyes and noses of those in the pictures and how they may fit together on one’s face, the group was able to correctly guess the person’s sexual orientation about 50-60 percent of the time.  Some were even able to guess correctly when the pictures were shown upside down although the percentage did lower.

If you thought the group did better at identifying the gay men in the pictures versus the lesbians, you’d be wrong. According to Joshua Tadak who was heavily involved in the research, he said the group was able to correctly identify the lesbians more than the gay men and he attributes that to the concept of gay men in media:

“We can only speculate that…maybe we’re more liberal with labeling a man gay.”

Tadak also went on to say that the research team will now take this a step further and monitor brain activity as they show the pictures of both straight and gay people.  The goal is to see if people just make automatic judgments similar to knowing automatically if someone is a man or a woman.

The full findings are posted on Huffington Post.

So what about you? How accurate has your “gaydar” been over the years? Do you think you’d be able to quickly identify a person’s sexual orientation solely based on their eyes, nose and how they might fit on their face?

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Soon prospective students applying to the University of California may be asked to divulge more personal information than their academic record and race. The school’s academic Senate has recommended that students have the option of identifying themselves as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender on their admissions applications.

The recommendation has garnered a mixed reaction from UC’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, according to CBS Local. The board agrees that the question would allow the school to collect important statistical information, but they suggest putting the question on the SIR forms instead of college applications to protect students’ privacy.

Support has been pouring in from across UC’s various campuses since UCLA’s campus paper broke the story in the Daily Bruin. By and large, students believe the data will lead to more services to support LGBTQ students, such as special dormitory floors, once school officials realize what a large population they are.

“I think the numbers are way bigger than we really imagine or know,” said Queer Alliance Board member Luis Roman who spoke with university officials about the proposal, and supports its passing.

When asked whether he would mind being questioned about his sexual orientation, High School Senior Brian Vo, who was visiting UC’s campus, said he wouldn’t have a problem with it:

“I think it’s fine. They’re just collecting information to kind of cater to the population. It’s not obligatory — it’s voluntary — so it’s up to you whether you want to or not.”

Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Lawrence H. Pitts will be responsible for deciding whether to pass the proposed measure which would be implemented across the entire UC school system. As long as answering the question remains optional, it seems the recomendation could be passed without any backlash.

What do you think about this proposal? Should all school’s start asking applicant’s sexual orientation for statistical purposes?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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“Sex and the City’s” Cynthia Nixon has dealt a strong blow to the LGBTQ community with her comment about choosing to be gay—at least from their perspective.

She was recently profiled in The New York Times and she told the newspaper she rejects the skepticism from members of the gay community who find the fact that she wasn’t always a lesbian disingenuous. She told the publication.

“I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not.”

It didn’t take long for members of her community to fire back at her word choice, suggesting she’s falling into the right-wing trap, but if that’s Cynthia’s experience are they any more right to police her sexual orientation than heterosexuals who they say concern themselves with homosexuality far too often.

It’s interesting because one of the arguments you hear so often from the LGBTQ community—in addition to the stance that you are either born gay or straight—is the idea of sexual fluidity and that many people’s true sexual orientation fluctuates many times throughout their life. Cynthia’s midlife entrance into lesbianism illustrates that perfectly, yet she’s rejected by her very own.

I can definitely see how her statement flies in the face of one of the gay community’s biggest fights of being “born this way,” especially when it comes to gay women. Being a lesbian is often seen as more of a fad than being a gay male, particularly when the woman is more feminine or aesthetically appealing. Plus Anne Heche didn’t do the LGBTQ community any favors when she went from men to Ellen and back to men, but as Cynthia said, you don’t get to define her gayness for her. I think if the LGBTQ community wants to be able to define their sexuality to heterosexuals, they should let homosexuals do the same within their community.

What do you think about what Cynthia said? Does the gay community have a right to be upset?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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LA Weekly recently spoke with Odd Future’s Syd the Kyd about her sexuality and what it’s like being a part of the musical group of singers, rappers, dancers, and producers which includes Frank Ocean and Tyler the Creator.

In speaking on her own sexual orientation, though, Syd decided to call out some well-known female entertainers who she says need to come clean about where their real sexual allegiance lays. She says:

“There’s Alicia Keys, who’s married to Swizz Beatz – we know that s*** ain’t real. You got Queen Latifah kissing Common in movies. Missy Elliott saying she don’t wanna hang with b****es. You know she loves her some b****es.”

Along those same lines, Syd explains why she decided to come out as a gay female in The Internet video, “Cocaine.”

“I decided to do it because I wish I had someone like that [an openly gay female artist] while I was coming up. People write on my Tumblr just thanking me for making the video, saying that I really inspire them, and they want to be like me. But I wasn’t always this way, this comfortable with myself, and I remember what that was like. So I figure, f*** it. Everyday people aren’t given this opportunity and I realize that.”

That may be all well and fine for Syd but I don’t think it’s her business to try to “out” women who she suspects are homosexual. From my limited knowledge of the whole idea of “coming out,” for some people, taking that step is like running up and down the street naked—you’re baring your sexual self in front of the world to be judged and the reaction you’ll get is never certain. Granted, most people these days don’t care so much whether someone is homosexual or heterosexual, but the decision to admit who you are sexually is still a very personal choice that people decide to disclose or keep to themselves for a number of reasons. Knowing that, and admitting that she wasn’t always comfortable enough to do so herself, I find it a little crazy that she’d try to put these women out there like that.

More importantly, why do these women need to admit anything? I understand that the whole coming out process signifies acceptance of who you are but I’ve personally never found it necessary. If heterosexual people don’t have to announce their orientation, why should homosexuals? Show up at the dinner party with your mate of the same sex and let people read between the lines just like they do with heterosexual couples.

I get wishing she had popular lesbian role models to look up to, but Syd’s just going to have to accept that Missy, Alicia, and Queen can’t be that for her and I don’t think that necessarily means they’re ashamed. We’ve seen pics of Queen Latifah with Jeanette Jenkins and it appears she’s already replaced her with another one—another one being a woman. Maybe these women don’t want their sexuality to overshadow their careers. If they are gay, the minute they admit it, that’s all anyone would want to talk about. Who wants to keep explaining what they do between the sheets at night? Maybe they don’t want to be the face of homosexual advocacy, which someone would surely expect them to be if they came out; and if they declined there would certainly be hell to pay. There’s also the possibility that these women just aren’t lesbians at all (except maybe the Queen).

In trying to speak up for gay artists, Syd marginalizes women in the same breath by suggesting it’s impossible for a woman to be heterosexual without showing T and A all day long. There’s more than one type of female MC and at the end of the day, no one has to explain their demeanor or orientation to anyone. I think Syd should take a lesson from her “lesbian” role model Missy Elliott and  “Stop talkin’ ‘bout who [she's] stickin’ and lickin,’ just mad it ain’t yours.”

What do you think about Syd’s comments on Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Alicia Keys? Do you think lesbian entertainers have an obligation to come out with their sexual orientation? Is choosing to remain in the closet a sign of shame?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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