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Black Enough Man Enough: Embracing My Mixed Race and Fluid Sexuality
One man's riveting, contemporary journey through multiple comings-out to authentically live his unique identity.
Black Enough, Man Enough
Embracing My Mixed Race and Sexual Fluidity
I knew I was different, called 'faggot-ass half-breed, ' teased for my light bright skin, soft curly afro, freckly face, and feminine ways. Growing up the child of a black daddy and white momma in the black Gullah Geechee culture on James Island, South Carolina in the 80's, I was an outsider.
My adolescent identity crisis of racial and sexual confusion lead to a trip down the aisle with my high school sweetheart, the joy of fatherhood, and then into the shadows of the down-low before divorce and a tumultuous custody battle. As I embraced all of who I am, I developed my voice, using it to speak out on the racial and LGBT equality movements, as well as to say 'I do' to marry the man I love and create a realistic 21st century blended family.
Black Enough, Man Enough
Embracing My Mixed Race and Sexual Fluidity
I knew I was different, called 'faggot-ass half-breed, ' teased for my light bright skin, soft curly afro, freckly face, and feminine ways. Growing up the child of a black daddy and white momma in the black Gullah Geechee culture on James Island, South Carolina in the 80's, I was an outsider.
My adolescent identity crisis of racial and sexual confusion lead to a trip down the aisle with my high school sweetheart, the joy of fatherhood, and then into the shadows of the down-low before divorce and a tumultuous custody battle. As I embraced all of who I am, I developed my voice, using it to speak out on the racial and LGBT equality movements, as well as to say 'I do' to marry the man I love and create a realistic 21st century blended family.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2020
13 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2020
I'm just going to put this out there. I am not a fan of biographies as I like to live in the land of make believe as well as sometimes I find them to honestly be quite boring. Also my millennial snowflake may be showing with this statement but usually when it comes to listening to life stories of gay males there usually may be some sort of trauma involved and I get triggered easily by this. It brings me back to reality about things that are actually happening which makes me sad rather than living in fantasy land. With that being said, for some reason I decided to give this novel a chance after following the author on Instagram and I can say I am glad that I did.
For me this autobiography was informative as it gave a personal glimpse into the struggles that one who is living with a duality in their identity faces mentally. I appreciated this as it was informative to me and also allowed me to draw comparisons to my own personal experiences which gave me a reflective better understanding on why certain people may have acted a certain way or what they may have mentally been going through at the time.
When it came to the writing, this is what I appreciated most out of this novel as it made it quick and easy read. This autobiography is written as if your actually in the room with the person and they are telling their story. No fancy editing, over dramatizations, or dragged out pointless moments. Your just in a room sitting and listening to them talk and ramble about their life and thoughts which makes this feel intimate.
If I could draw any criticisms I would say I wished some moments could've have been discussed more in depth but than that would also contradict my early statements in which I stated that I like that this novel was a quick easy read.
Overall I've enjoyed this autobiography and if you usually don't like reading them, then I would recommend this one. This can be seen as instead of being a standard stuffy autobiography you may have read in English or history class, can be seen as having a drink with a friend over wine/Mary j/etc(whatever's your poison I ain't judging) For me I found personal moments I could connect with like the dating culture, lies, and instances of discrimination/bullying that are still sadly happening today. Nevertheless great autobiography would recommend.
For me this autobiography was informative as it gave a personal glimpse into the struggles that one who is living with a duality in their identity faces mentally. I appreciated this as it was informative to me and also allowed me to draw comparisons to my own personal experiences which gave me a reflective better understanding on why certain people may have acted a certain way or what they may have mentally been going through at the time.
When it came to the writing, this is what I appreciated most out of this novel as it made it quick and easy read. This autobiography is written as if your actually in the room with the person and they are telling their story. No fancy editing, over dramatizations, or dragged out pointless moments. Your just in a room sitting and listening to them talk and ramble about their life and thoughts which makes this feel intimate.
If I could draw any criticisms I would say I wished some moments could've have been discussed more in depth but than that would also contradict my early statements in which I stated that I like that this novel was a quick easy read.
Overall I've enjoyed this autobiography and if you usually don't like reading them, then I would recommend this one. This can be seen as instead of being a standard stuffy autobiography you may have read in English or history class, can be seen as having a drink with a friend over wine/Mary j/etc(whatever's your poison I ain't judging) For me I found personal moments I could connect with like the dating culture, lies, and instances of discrimination/bullying that are still sadly happening today. Nevertheless great autobiography would recommend.
July 29, 2020
Great read. I laughed, I cried, I rolled my eyes, I learned a lot. The main themes of the book are things I know nothing about - being black, male, a father, gay. What I could relate to was the relationships, the struggle with understanding one’s fluid sexuality, experiences in childhood that strangle us emotionally as adults, spirituality, shame, etc.
Gee’s personal stories shared in the book are raw and honest, which I found to be refreshing. There was no sugar-coating and he didn’t hide from topics that make some people uncomfortable (open marriages, for example). Such a great book.
Gee’s personal stories shared in the book are raw and honest, which I found to be refreshing. There was no sugar-coating and he didn’t hide from topics that make some people uncomfortable (open marriages, for example). Such a great book.
January 1, 2022
I thought this was a really good book describing how he navigate it his biracial life and his sexual fluidity and how he navigate it being a parent. I made a lot of connections in this book and I’m glad I read it.
February 22, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Author is genuine and he works hard to become a healthy person who loves himself first and foremost while loving his family and the sweet lovable Juan. I love this. Plus he's hot AF even though he doesn't believe it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews