No Homo in 'The Boondocks'

Riley and Huey of the Boondocks discuss "no homo"

Tags: discourse/language, lgbtq, sex/sexuality, black satire, fag discourse, homophobia, masculinity, satire, 00 to 05 mins
Year: 2010
Length: 0:42; 1:46
Access: YouTube (clip 1; clip 2)

Summary: These short clips from the animated series The Boondocks stand as examples of Black satire exploring the topic of homophobia in American society. In the first clip Riley explains to his granddad the importance of not sounding gay and how to successfully guard against being misidentified as such. He warns his granddad, "Pause...You said something gay, so you got to say 'no homo' or else you a homo."  The second clip features a conversation between Riley and Huey about whether Riley's friend, Gangstalicious, is gay, which is clearly a prospect that Riley has trouble even considering. For Riley anyway, the message is clear that being gay, being mistaken as gay, or associating with someone who is gay is something to be avoided at all costs. Make no mistake, The Boondocks deploys a complex brand of satire, and unlike other pronouncements of "no homo" in popular culture (for example, in hip hop music videos), the show invites the audience to criticize Riley's extreme aversion to all things gay. The clips would work well with a short monologue from Jay Smooth of the Ill Doctrine (here), in which he recounts the historical emergence  and popularity of the phrase "no homo." Finally, I think it is also important to identify the emergence of "no homo" as a part of what C.J. Pascoe calls a "fag discourse," which calls attention to the way the term is deployed as a means of ostentatiously asserting one's masculinity as much as it is about denying a sexual preference.

I would like to thank Aleia Clark for suggesting this clip.

Submitted By: Lester Andrist

---