Jason Howard Green

Jason Howard Green

Monday, October 1, 2018

It's LGBT History Month!

Our history is made up of heroes and sheroes, villians and vixens. We are, will be, and have been writers, artists, politicians and scientists. Athletes and activists, teachers and soldiers.  Our history is complex and it is simple.  You may try to keep us out of the history books, but we've always been there.  From ancient civilization to today and through tomorrow.  Our stories are global and our stories are in every small town.  We are the trend setters and the style creators.  And we're all as unique and different and beautiful as the colors that represent us in the rainbow flag.  


Tuesday, August 21, 2018

She Said What She Meant and Meant What She Said


Wow!  Janet Hubert does not hold back. People are now calling her crazy and bitter.  Some are saying she has mental issues.  Many people are saying she just needs to get over it [referring to her hatred towards Will Smith]. As I started watching the video I just couldn't stop watching it.  And I figured I would just share my two cents.

As I watched the video I started thinking to myself - wow maybe these people who are calling her angry and bitter are on to something.  But perhaps she has a right to feel this way.  She was starring in one the biggest shows on television when her career came to an abrupt end.  Will Smith says she was fired and claims she was very difficult to work with.  Alfonso Ribeiro collaborated his accusation that the termination was not voluntary.  Hubert has been very adamant that she was not fired and says Will is spreading lies about her.  But since her role on the Fresh Prince ended, Hubert has been unsuccessful in her attempts to return to the big screen and the small screen.

The first time I watched the video I was unaware that her son recently attempted suicide.  I won't even pretend to know what it feels like for a mom that have to deal with something like this.  In the video she shares how she has struggled to find work, spent time penniless and homeless, and suffered trying to provide some security for her family with these lack of resources.  She mentions how her son has suffered as a result of Will's lies. 

Knowing the fate of her son and hearing about the financial consequences of "being fired", can I blame her for feeling the way she does.  They say "time heals all things" and maybe one day Hubert (the better Aunt Viv) will forgive and forget. People keep saying, "it's been over twenty years." But who can put a timeline on resentment when people have wronged you.  I still get in my feelings when I think about some of the things people did to me when  I was young.

That being said, I also can't be mad at Will Smith.  He was a kid when this feud between him and Hubert began.  He is not the same person he was when this all began.  Hopefully, if he did do something wrong, he has learned from it. And if he did do something wrong, he should probably apologize for it.  But I'm not the same person I was five years ago, so who knows how much of an evolution he's been through over the course of two decades. 

It's an unfortunate situation.  I love Janet Hubert as an actress.  I wish to see her and her Black Girl Magic back on TV again.  I love Will Smith. He's handsome, intelligent, insightful and successful. I wish these two could bury the hatchet but I don't think that's going to happen.  I will continue to be a fan of them both. 

If you have a few minutes, please check out her video.  This is the voice of a woman scorned and I think she's hurting because her family is hurting.  I'm praying for her and her family and I wish her well in her career.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

The Queen My Lord Is Dead


Aretha was, is, and will always be one of my favorites.  I can't say the announcement of her death caught me by surprise.  The news had already spread that her health was waning and her family was concerned about her well-being.  But although we knew she wasn't doing well, I'm still mourning this loss.  Aretha's music makes me happy, makes me dance, and makes me cry. To remember The Queen of Soul, I want to list some of her best songs (in my humble opinion) . . .

6. Rock Steady.  Love, love, love this cut.  Let's call this song exactly what it is . . .

5. A Deeper Love (PRIDE).  This song, which has become an LGBT anthem, gets me moving everytime I hear it.


4. I Knew You Were Waiting (duet with George Michael).  Maybe I'm biased towards this one because I used to love watching my drag favorites, Ms. Ebony and Clayton McKee, perform this number.


3. How I Got Over.  This is one of my all-time favorite gospel songs.  Aretha slays on this one!


2. I Say A Little Prayer For You.  Let's be honest, Aretha had the better version of this song.  Now I love Dione's version as well, but Auntie Ree Ree did it best. 


1. RESPECT.  Hands down her biggest and most recognizable hit, this song still will go down for many as her best.


Janet's New Jam "Made For Now"


Janet's new video "Made For Now" featuring Daddy Yankee just dropped.  Needless to say, I'm in love with it.  But let's be real, it's Ms. Jackson, she can do no wrong by me.  I haven't heard any news of a new album but this new single has me hopeful  that a new CD is not far off.  Fresh off the heals of her State of the World tour, I'm surprised we have new music and new video by her already.  But I ain't complaining. Anytime I hear of a new Janet project I just scream, "Shut up and take my money!"

"Made For Now" is Janet's signature sound.  She's not experimenting with something new.  She's not trying to reinvent herself.  This is classic Janet and I am here for it.  Mother is giving me life.  Although this is very much a dance track, Janet doesn't bust a move until well over two minutes into the video. But let's be real, Janet is 52 years young.  Honey, she is leaving the dancing to the kids.

I'm loving the Afro-Carribean inspired fashions.  I love the videography.  And after all these years, I'm still loving Janet.  Please get into the video below . . .

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Male Cheerleaders Coming To The NFL


Hold up, wait a minute, let me put some . . .  male cheerleaders in it?!?  Did I hear that right, are there going to be male cheerleaders in the NFL this season? Looks like the answer is a resounding yes.  Both the Saint Louis Rams and the New Orleans Saints will have men on the sidelines with their upcoming cheer squads. The Saint Louis Rams (the team that also gave us Michael Sam - the first openly gay recruit to make it to the NFL) will have Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron and the Saints will be home to Jesse Hernandez.

The story has been flying through the media posing the question is America ready for this.  Truth be told, I don't think anyone is going to care.  Now I'm happy for these men and wish them long and successful careers with their respective teams.  But do I believe anyone is going to bat an eye when they see a guy dancing on the sidelines?  Not really.  People concerns this years will continue to be will my team make it to the Superbowl and are the black guys kneeling during the National Anthem!

I know several brave men that were the first male cheerleaders to step up and cheer on their high school squads and they received hella backlash.  But that was in the 80s - a totally different time when Reagan was in the White House, The Golden Girls was on TV, and Prince and Michael Jackson ruled the radio. Times have changed.  We've had male cheerleaders on college squads for years.  It is long overdue for the NFL to do the same.   Male cheerleaders are no longer taboo.  So KUDOS to these two teams for welcoming these amazing men to their stadiums.

I'll close with this, I've been ready for this to happen in the NFL since I saw this happen at an Arizona Rattlers game (to see things get real, jump forward 45 seconds in the video) . . .

Monday, August 13, 2018

I'm Excited About Batwoman, BUT . . .


It's just been announced that out lesbian Ruby Rose has been tapped to play the lesbian superhero Batwoman on the CW this Fall.  Several articles I've read have stated this is the first time we will see an LGBT superhero on the small screen.  Now I'm a geek and an out & proud gay man, so I'm super excited about this announcement.  But can we please stop rewriting history just to make this story sound more interesting.  Batwoman will not be our first out superhero.  The Black Canary from CW's Arrow has been out for several seasons now.  And, quiet as it's kept, we witnessed history in the making earlier this year with the phenomenal series Black Lightning. Annisa (superhero name - Thunder) was an out lesbian that show as well.  

While I'm also excited about the fact that we have a member of the LGBT community playing the part of Batgirl, this is also not the first time a same-gender loving actor has put on the spandex to play the role of hero.  The actor that plays Kid Flash, Keiynan Lonsdale, on the CW series The Flash came out as bisexual in 2017. So there's that.

Can we just give a shout out to the CW for taking these bold steps and being inclusive of LGBT individuals in there universe of heroes?  I am proud to applaud the arrival of Batwoman (a girl loving Batwoman at that) to television.  I can't wait to see how she is incorporated in the cast of DC shows I love.  But let's not disregard and disrespect the fantastic heroes that came before her that have already made the realm of CW heroes a welcoming place for queer folks.   

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Todrick Hall: Forbidden

Last weekend  I made my way down to Boston to see Todrick Hall as he tours with Forbidden, his latest visual album. After seeing him on stage I must say my opinion of him has not changed.  Todrick Hall is the most creative, most imaginative, most talented young man in the game right now.

Forbidden tells the story of a young man that grows up in Nacirema Falls.  In Nacirema homosexuality is the norm, and black folks are the more powerful and influential in society.  Todrick's character was raised by the mayors of the town and he grows up to be rather affluent himself.  

Everything is going great for this young man until he makes one dreadful mistake.  He falls in love with a girl.  In a world where gay is the status quo and where everyone judges you based on status, going against the norm could mean losing everything, including your freedom.  And while many may not catch it, cause we now live in a time where marriage equality is the law of the land, it wasn't that long ago where homosexuality was a crime.  Yes, let's not forget that there was a time when loving someone was a revolutionary act because it was an illegal act. And let's not get too comfortable.  Remember, these rights can be taken away just as easily as they were given.  But I digress.

I didn't sit down to watch the YouTube film that accompanies this album until after I saw him on stage.  After seeing this, I loved Forbidden even more.  The songs are infectious  I didn't realize how poignant and relevant these songs are on social issues until I saw it on screen.  Race relations.  Police brutality.  Todrick isn't afraid to go there (and in such a clever and unthreatening way that people can't help but get it). And can we talk about the cameos.  Jennifer Lewis.  Cheryl Lee Ralph. Tiffany Haddish. Doug Spearman.  Brandy.  Forbidden is a gay man's wish list for BFFs.

I won't go on forever talking about the greatness of Forbidden and the fabulousness of Todrick.  But I love this kid.  If you get the opportunity to see him when he comes to a city near you, do yourself a favor and go see him. You won't regret it. If you still have not had a chance to see the film on YouTube, please check it out below.