Controversy erupts over Malcolm X's bisexual past

Rhonda, sorry about the confusion there if you received lots of 'generaldecay did this and then that' messages. My recommend wouldn't take!

No need to apologize:)! And, no worries about the 'generaldecay did this and then that' messages. I'm always glad to hear from you. In any event, there seems to be some glitches in the system this morning. I'm sure the tech team will be on it soon:)!

Perry's book sounds like a very interesting read. The accounts of close boyhood friends is an eye-opener. The critics are already speaking:)!

This is very interesting,  and the subject of bisexuality is an important one:  Roy had recently asked me why there seemed nothing posted on that subject.   Freud had the belief that it is there in everyone to a degree.  Very good posting!!!

This is for Roy:) -- Mike Syzmanski is the Bisexuality Examiner for examiner.com. I find  his articles interesting.

Roy will be here.  He knows it all on Malcolm X as Hatter had to find out.  He won't be surprised.  So much has not been told yet...God Bless his family

Also at NowPublic:

The 44th Anniversary of the Assassination of Malcolm X

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/44th-anniversary-assassination-malcolm-x

Please, no baiting and taunting each other on this thread - Rhonda doesn't want it I'm sure and I don't either. Keep the discussion civil and not personal as I would hate to have to close down the comment thread to such a potentially interesting discussion.

This may be an incredibly naive question, but why is everyone so outraged?

If it is the truth, I suppose we should know about it.

Personally, my opinion is that bisexuality occurs in extreme situations where contact with the opposite sex is impossible or where the sexual identity of the individual has been interfered with, opposed and suppressed by something in the family nexus.

Even some cases of transsexual men about which I have seen documentaries, the men appear to have been exposed to a lot of hostility from their fathers.

The reason some are outraged is that Malcolm X has iconic status and therefore has a cult-like following. I admire him greatly myself, I have to say. If his bisexuality involved him being the feminine partner, that is something that won't go down well at all.

Bisexuality appears still, whether rightly or wrongly, to be a sign of weakened masculinity, compromised masculinity, whereas the reality is that primate bisexuality for the dominant males was the norm in some situations.

That dominant sexuality, though, is expressed as the masculine partner, the dominator, not the feminine one, the dominated.

Rome, Italy, where I lived for three years, seemed to have the largest bisexual population I had ever been around. A friend of mine from the Bay Area had the same impression. Milan didn't feel like that at all. Ancient Rome was the same, though it was looked down upon because it is a threat to the stability of the family and marriage.

PS : Women's bisexuality is seen very differently, as differently as how totally acceptable and normal two women dancing together on a show such as American Bandstand, in the '50s and '60s was. If men had danced together, that would be seen in a real negative light.

people are individuals and should not be credited or discredited based on their sexuality 

statistics are only visible if people volunteer the information, and to be free to speak about those issues depends on the country, so perhaps the largest bi-sexual population is living somewhere in secrecy in a country that does not have the public freedoms we are accustomed to 

in my social studies a survey on seniors over 75 yrs old were asked about any same sex encounters in their lifetime, 1 in 3 admitted to having an experience that would qualify as a bi-sexual encounter but also added that they did not pursue the same-sex relationship because of how society at that time labelled a bi-sexual  as a type of sex offender which would bypass any legitimate work / life accomplishments and even carried a jail sentence / brutality beatings by police.  

If Malcolm X were still alive he would be 84 years old, he overcame so many obstacles, if this was one of them that makes him even more admirable but I care more about his life changing principles than his personal sex life. 

What you do responsibly and irresponsibly with your sex organs does define a person to a great deal, as responsible or irresponsible to begin with, as much as what you do with your brain, heart and the rest.

You can also think that a man's masculinity is not compromised by being at feminine pole of a relationship, but the world will not agree with you.

I don't judge his bisexuality. I am telling you how the world does it. I accept his identity without judging him.

He became an extremely responsible husband and father and he got killed for revealing the corruption within the Black Muslim organization and for renouncing its racist tenants. I have a great deal of admiration for him.

I will tell you, though, that, as a husband, I doubt he ever cheated on his wife.

I don't think that Malcolm X ever advocated bisexuality or homosexuality as a Muslim. Both are taboo for Muslims.

To say that Malcolm X was an LGBT leader is not correct. He was bisexual apparently before he became a Muslim Civil Rights leader.

When you are "young", "healthy" and "curious" all kinds of possibilities unfold. Especially if you go to a university. Exploration, sexually, in no way can define who you will be as one "matures" into adulthood.

I have seen my own children explore many paths of interest, dress bizarre and even stick objects into them that I can only say pissed me off at the time.

But overtime as they found their own identity and interests they have become passionate artists and successful productive members of the societies in which they presently live in.

I was in university during Malcom X era and remember clearly his controversial but nevertheless important message for "African-American" "Black-American" at the time, points of self-respect and in the words of the present American President: "Yes (we) You Can".

Maybe he should have been called Malcolm XX?

I am enjoying this is very much. I actually have a smile on my face.