Did Don Lemon Throw All Black People Under the Bus?

From the The Root.com

"In the black community they think you can pray the gay away."

Don Lemon came out in a recent New York Times profile, in which he discussed his new book, Transparent, which was spurred by his disclosure last fall that he was molested as a child. The weekend news anchor explained to the Times that he knows that a common reaction to the news will be that people will try to make a connection between his sexuality and past sexual victimization as a young boy.

In the news and around the Web, the other typical reactions are there, too. Some have expressed shock; others are quick to boast that they already knew, due to their "gaydar"-enhanced psychic powers. There are also those who offered a "So what?" as if the first black national news anchor to say he's gay is much ado about nothing.

But there are other reactions to Lemon's profile that are far more interesting. Explaining the risks that come with being an openly gay black man, Lemon told the newspaper, "In the black community they think you can pray the gay away."

[Don Lemon expressed his thoughts towards the African American community in this CNN appearance a little after the 5:00 minute mark]

Lemon also mentioned other obstacles, like the pressures to attain certain ideals of "manhood" within the black community, plus his own fears of the attitudes of some black women toward gay men.

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