Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch: Essays On Race and Sexuality (Sexual Cultures Series)

Dwight McBride in this three part essays compilation questions the credibility of the African –American Studies on the exclusion of the Black homosexual community from its work assembly and lets out a desperate plea for the need of a strong voice for the black LGBT. The compositions highlight the dilemma of the black LGBT community to thrive and find acceptance not only in the American society but also in their own African-American communities.

McBride a homosexual himself relates incidents wherein his white counterparts get asked out and he himself is just an experiment of sexual fantasy without being considered as a serious mate. What disheartens McBride even more are all the vile stares and gossips that he and his dates (especially show more black) are subjected to on regular basis. Aggravated with these prospects one can see McBride’s anger and annoyance when he pens down his thoughts on the “invisibility” status of the Black homosexuals in the society. Dissecting the utopianism of the white gay community; the quintessential white, blonde, rich and clean-cut image, McBride debates the existing gay stereotypes solidified by the Abercrombie & Fitch marketing and recruitment ethics. Furthermore emphasizing the prevalence of homophobia in the African-American community, McBride questions the authority and literary wisdom of James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Cornel West for being the voice of the Black community without revealing the “ass-splitting truth”.

This is a must read especially for those heterosexuals who assume that by glamorizing various pro-gay laws and regulations make them liberal towards the LGBT community and yet adhere to bigotry in their own hypocritical ways show less

McBride writes with turgid, unnecessarily convoluted academic prose. It almost reads like a parody of critical analysis. However, almost a third of this book are quotes from other people's writings, which *were* interesting. Thanks to this book, I've been reminded to read more [b:Toni Morrison|6149|Beloved|Toni Morrison|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165555299s/6149.jpg|736076], bell hooks, James Baldwin, and Essex Hemphill (particularly [b:Ceremonies|7061|The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 1)|Alexander McCall Smith|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RPNCE08JL._SL75_.jpg|826298]). He also has some interesting anecdotes about being simultaneously black, male, and queer—a hard combination.