"They’re going gay first" — Tank condemns alleged existent homophobia in Black culture

Singer Tank recently made an appearance on the Holdin Court Podcast and, in a video shared on December 5, called out alleged homophobia in Black communities. He further spoke about an "agenda" that apparently converted straight men into gays and dismissed it. In the podcast, Tank said:

"It’s us. There’s something about Black men and the homosexual conversation that is a mess. The phobia as it relates to Black men is the elephant in the room."

The singer then continued:

"The first thing somebody’s going to allude to, whether you are gay or not, when they trying to assassinate your character or get off the highest joke imaginable, they’re going gay first."

He additionally stated that there had been a stigma in the Black culture that believed the presence of a "program" to "make Black men gay." The discussion began after he was asked about his comments on same-s*x experimentation in 2019 when he appeared on Angela Ye’s Lip Service podcast.

According to those remarks, the singer believed the situation was different among men, mostly Black men. He was further asked if performing oral s*x on a man more than once would make someone gay. Tank condemned the idea and explained that it just meant that the individual had performed oral s*x twice and didn't automatically imply that he was homosexual.

In the 2019 podcast, Tank then added:

"The art of being gay is being gay. It’s a continuous state of being."

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Tank previously spoke about the criticism he received after performing at a gay pride event

This wasn't the first time that the popular R&B singer called out the alleged existence of homophobia. In 2017, he performed at the Blag gay pride event in Washington, DC, and that didn't sit right with numerous fans who reportedly ended up criticizing him.

In May 2022, he appeared on the Drink Champs podcast, and the hosts asked him why he received much criticism after the 2017 act. The artist then said:

"Ima speak in terms of the Black community. There is a stigma. There’s a hate that goes along with being gay. Oftentimes in our language… too even degrade a person, to the lowest we can degrade ‘em, we use gay as the adjective, and so, that carries on even into entertainment."

Tank further mentioned that the audience seemed skeptical at the beginning of the 2017 performance since he was the only heterosexual to perform. However, they later accepted him at the event. The singer then stated that he was a confident individual and thus, didn't have trouble performing at pride events.

As for the latest interview on the Holdin Court Podcast, he shared his belief that fashion couldn't feminize Black men. He even cited Black artists like Michael Jackson and Prince to corroborate his point even more. According to Tank, who spoke about their style,

"That meant you were in. It didn’t mean you were gay."

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The 48-year-old singer is known for songs like Please Don't Go, Maybe I Deserve and more.