Eleven years ago, James Earl Hardy wrote a book that put a fresh twist on the black romance genre. The first novel to locate a homosexual relationship in an African-American, urban, hip-hop inflected setting, you might say 'B-Boy Blues' added a twist, a high-five and two snaps, to borrow from 1980s black, gay slanguage popularized by the TV Show 'In Living Color.' But, to the surprise of many readers, in spite of its obvious gay bearing, the book gave as much dap as it did snap. Critics dubbed it, "The first hip-hip and gay love story."

Then a Brooklyn-based writer, the Columbia J-School grad bravely uncovered an underground lifestyle which has since gained much more visibility in 2005 with the onset of our new gay-vague, gay-curious pop culture, the heightening of the AIDS crisis, and the down-low brother syndrome. Although the book never achieved critical mainstream acclaim, its sales were swift and it even made a cameo in Spike Lee's 1996 movie, 'Get on the Bus.' (Isaiah Washington's character was reading a copy).

But to his black, gay, urban fans back then, Hardy, 38, constructed a never-before-seen model of how to be homosexual in the 'hood (he calls it "homiesexual"). And to straight black readers, he exposed an eye-opening and discomforting picture, a black homosexual world, restrained, close to home and away from the rainbows, spotlight and excesses of mainstream white gay America.

Although all of the six books in the B-Boy Blues series didn't live up to the hype of the first installation, his final in the batch, released this month and titled 'A House Is Not a Home,' does. It is an easy and engaging read, a compelling and universal love story that entertains even as it rubs against the most sensitive sexual and political topics of the day.

BlackVoices spoke with Hardy, who has since relocated to Atlanta, about his new book; the characters he's putting to rest; the new conservatism in America; and the divide between straight blacks and gay blacks.

You write from a clearly black perspective and your stories are unapologetically gay. Don't you worry about losing straight blacks and gay whites?

I never give that thought when I'm writing. I just write my stories. But it's good that white gays and black heteros are reading them.

Why did you decide to retire the B-Boy Blues series?

I didn't so much decide to retire it. It just feels like it's time for the last title because of the story that's told.

Did you expect the popularity your books enjoyed?

I never intended to write a series. 'B-Boy' was supposed to be the only novel but my characters took off and now have a life of their own. A lot of people believe that I'm "Little Bit" and Tyson Beckford is Raheim. That's the rumor out there. But that's a rumor I can live with.

What do you want straight blacks to take from your work?

Just because you're heterosexual, you don’t own the patent on blackness.

What do you want black gays and lesbians to take from your work?

I hope that the series is like a mirror. And I hope that when we look in the mirror, we like what we see.

Is that possible in the new Right-wing America?

Yes, that's possible. You decide how you will view yourself.

You say there's no such thing as a homo-thug?

A thug is a thug. A so-called homo-thug is not some special breed of thug because he's homosexual. Straight brothers aren't so called "real thugs" because they're straight. There are many so-called "homo-thugs" I have seen that would make straight thugs look like "thugettes." I think the idea of a hyphenated thug comes from a discomfort straight people have rooted in the idea that only straight brothers can be hard -- and walk, talk and act that way.

You prefer the label 'Same Gender Loving' to gay? Why?

Gay comes with a lot of baggage that really has nothing to do with me as a black man. It doesn't speak to me in anyway. Most people, even people of color, use it because it is convenient. I think same gender loving is very affirming.

Its not the easiest phrase to say, though.

No, its not. People usually stumble over it.

Do you feel condemned or diminished when black ministers speak out against homosexuality?

I feel sorry for them. I hear black folks say gays and lesbians have never been lynched. We never had to live under a system of Jim Crow. We don’t face the same kind of discrimination that black folks do. The problem with a statement like that is that there’s the assumption that black people are not homosexual.

What about gay marriage?

Gay marriage should be recognized by the courts and, by extension, the public. There's no reason SGL people in committed relationships with should not have the same protections as straight people.

What's next for you?

I don't really know at this point. I'm still trying to release my characters. I know many people are sad that this is the last title. I'm still in mourning but I'm concentrating on seeing B-Boy Blues on the stage and screen. Both the screenplay and play are done. It's going to take some producers with some balls to not turn B-Boy Blues into B-Boy Blues light or B-Boy blues white.

Is America ready?

Who cares? If we were to wait for whoever America is to be ready, We'll be waiting forever. I know I’m ready and [my characters] are ready.

About the Author
Tanu Henry is the editor of the Work & Money, Education and Books channels on AOL BlackVoices.