Totally Gay: On 'Insecure' and Queer Representation
Why does Hollywood continue to do this? This is something that consumers have asked time and time again, about a wide array of cinematic issues. And this is what I had to ask myself after bingeing my way through 4 seasons of HBO’s Insecure, in 4 days. I wanted to be all ready to engage in this past Sunday’s episode, along with the rest of Black Twitter – and the ‘after party’ on, my favorite YouTuber, Joulezy’s channel.
I laughed, gasped, and yelled at the characters (mostly Molly) – as they navigated through relationship, family, and job struggles. The show’s writing is great, and the comedic timing is always on point. But as the credits rolled on Episode 2 of the current season, I was left with questions. And what weighed heaviest on my mind was “What is Ahmal’s purpose?”. For those that haven’t tuned in, or are bad with character names, Ahmal is Issa’s brother. He was introduced during Season 2, with a few one liners here and there. But what made this character, without many lines, a point of focus for me – he was gay. That one fact made me yearn for more appearances from him.
And he did appear. Unfortunately, it was the same old shit we’ve seen from black gay characters over and over again. He showed up sporadically, offering quick jabs at Issa, and shady commentary. His character wouldn’t be complete without a white boyfriend — so they gave him one. I was irritated, but continued to watch. I didn’t want to hold a show that was created by a black woman, and employs black woman in both writing and acting compacities to be held to this standard that white Hollywood has yet to reach. I had to check my privilege as a black man, to see if I was being fair. But after thinking it through, Insecure’s tackling of sexuality had left much to be desired.
The sixth episode of the first season sparked plenty of conversation — with Molly’s new boo, Jared, admitting that he was on the receiving of some fellatio from a man back in college. And though he stressed that it only happened once, and he held no attraction to men, the ladies insisted that he was still gay. After Molly dumps Jared, we really don’t see much of a wrap up to this conversation. The topic of Black men exploring sexuality and society’s apprehension to it, along with the patriarchy that fuels it its double standards needed more than just two episodes. We eventually see Jared come back at the end of Season 3, in another sort of rushed attempt at re-exploring the issue. As ‘progressive’ as raising this issue up was, Insecure’s has the resources to elevate the discussion.
So after I dissected each and every one of Insecure’s flaws – we got this past week’s episode. Episode 3 of this season, titled “Lowkey Thankful”, was a short-form answer to a large amount of my critiques. The audience was finally given a peek into Issa’s family life, and through that, more of Ahmal’s life. (We even got a softly-hinted-at lesbian couple at Condola’s dinner, which was cute. We learn that Ahmal has faced the typical black gay microaggressions from his religious mother, and he even opens up about his dating life, saying “I’m just done changing myself for people. I’m just gonna be me”. Not only is this liberating statement by new motto for 2020, but it means he broke up with that white boy — thank you, Black Jesus.
“I’m just done changing myself for people. I’m just gonna be me”
That relatively short conversation between Issa and her brother didn’t take away from any other characters and their on-screen time, nor did it drastically impact the storyline. It did, however, make Ahmal human — and it opens up opportunity to develop his character further. He’s now more than just a ‘catty queen’. This is a small step, but progress, nevertheless.
