Departments

By: David Jones, MD

While James and I were having dinner the other night we ran into some old friends and the conversation of “sex” came up (as though that is a big surprise in the gay/lesbian community)-- but what made this conversation so interesting was the fact that I felt we were having some very open and candid conversation; Conversation about a subject we have all asked ourselves at one point or the other----- Is My Sex Life Normal? One associate talked about his intimacy and sexuality experiences. The conversation went something like this: 

Written By Valerie Varasse

I have to admit, that I almost slept on this one, but thanks to some good friends, I did not. Singer/songwriter Ledisi (pronounced led-duh-see), signed to the Verve Music Group, has done it again by releasing an excellent soulful third album that will show the world that she’s still one of the best voices of Soul. Ledisi’s voice is not to be confused with the soulful sounds of Jill Scott and/or Erykah Badu, her third musical project ‘Lost and Found’ is a great musical collection of artistic treasures, full with emotions, fresh and new original songs, that stand alone in the search of pure music and real talent. 

“Shadowboxer,” is a gaudy thriller filled with enough sex and violence to satisfy most of our screening pleasures. 

I have long known that Jodie Foster is a formidable force. This much was obvious to me from “Taxi Driver,” which earned her an Oscar nomination for playing a prostitute when she was just 14 years old.

Now, in “The Brave One,” Foster gets to play a modern-day woman who turns into a vigilante after an attack in Central Park leaves her seriously injured and her fiance dead.

For a huge number of African American gays and lesbians, it all began with a car. Too much car, financed too long, traded too soon. If you’re constantly broke and can’t figure out why, the answer may be sitting in your driveway.

Chaka Khan hasn’t released a new album of original material since 1998’s Come 2 My House, but has now ended her near-decade away with Funk This. Funk This is exactly what one should expect from its title: It’s Chaka Khan’s moment to shine. She pays homage to her days with 70’s funk/soul collective Rufus, so this project is just unabashedly funky. At no point does she shy away from the power in her tone. Chaka’s voice sounds as strong as ever, whether she’s wailing for the stars or humming a mild adlib. The album Funk This is a crowning achievement for a timeless talent.

The concept of love between two men is still greatly frowned upon by society. For many of us, love has proven very elusive and unattainable. So what then to think of meeting not one, but two (or three) men of your dreams and setting up home? Some would call it a freak session; others would condemn it as immoral (our one-on-one relationships are already called that anyway, so what gives?) but there is a name for it- Polyamory. 

As this column focuses on Mind, Body & Spirit it has come to my attention that some Men who have sex with men of African Descent have for far too long been derelict in their duties to themselves and their fellow man.

I chose the title above because I hoped it was “catchy” enough for you to want to read further. Did you know that 1 out of 8 African American households with debt use more than 40% of their income to pay off bills?

The steps below will help you toward building a debt reduction plan:

I was recently invited to a pre-screening of the movie Illegal Tender- all I have to say is thank God I did not have to pay to see this. Plenty of movies have combined a blazing-guns revenge story with a family dynamics drama, but “Illegal Tender” - a tale of Puerto Rican pride and doing what you have to do - never gets the mixture right, lurching between bullet-happy shootouts and overwrought domestic content.