Houston grew up musically and otherwise in a black Baptist church, where sin hangs heavy in the air, and on the heart, and queerness is the last thing an intolerant population cleaving to Jesus and “correctness” wants to deal with. To be queer is to question if not sully black conservatism, with it’s rather complicated relationship to heterosexuality as the paradigm of “real” love, while homosexuality is viewed as a white-bred or “European” perversion. And black conservatism shuts its eyes to uncategorizable flowers. That Houston was able to walk in that field as long as she did is a testament to her strength in her difference.

The Greatest Love Of All:
On What Really Killed Whitney Houston and the Mainstream Media’s Coverup of the Star’s Sexuality
March 16th, 2012

Was Whitney Houston killed by homophobia?

[...]

I’ve also wondered quite a bit, as I have for many years, which version of Houston was authentic. Was she the poised, all-American sweetheart with the golden voice that the world fell in love with or the trash-talking, hoody girl with the bad-boy husband who destroyed her life with drugs as the years went by? Was the warm, thoughtful girl we initially met just another Clive Davis construction that we were supposed to believe in? (Like Barry Manilow’s true loves: his dog and that chick named “Linda” that he thanked on the back of all his Arista albums). Was the course, hardened post The Bodyguard Whitney who married Bobby Brown the real person or just the effect of the drugs? Any exploration on this subject can’t be fairly addressed without considering another moving piece in this discussion of identity and image: Whitney Houston was definitely not heterosexual. She was at least bisexual and her girlfriend for most of the 1980s was named Robyn Crawford.

As I watched Oprah Winfrey interviewing daughter Bobbi Kristina and sister-in-law Pat Houston the other night, (which scored huge ratings), I could feel how hard Winfrey was working to shape the narrative by the choice of which leading questions to ask and which to leave out. It did occur to me that Winfrey would have multiple reasons, (perhaps even personal reasons), to avoid any discussion of sexual orientation. But here’s the irony that that makes the media’s apparent complicity with the family and the record label to expunge any dialogue about Whitney’s sexuality so surprising: it really wasn’t much of a secret to begin with. If you worked in the business, or at Arista Records, as I did, you knew that Whitney was at least bisexual, if not gay, and you certainly knew that for years Whitney was partnered with Robyn. It was common knowledge, not proprietary information. You’d be at a venue and see them kissing. It just wasn’t that secret a secret, except to the public.



I bring this up not to be gossipy or salacious, but really because, as my friend and fellow cultural commentator Nancy Balbirer astutely noted to me, it seems entirely possible that Houston’s underlying emotional conflict and eventual death is probably as attributable to homophobia as it is to anything else. It takes a lot of energy to stay closeted and most of us can only imagine what this felt like under the glare of fame as large as Whitney’s. Here’s what I do know: Robyn was real, she was around for years and they were together. I also know that Arista Records, and, indeed, the record business in general, was a homophobic place to be. In fact, after nine or ten months literally working on the floor, I was “fired” by a homophobic executive with the initials K.A. who didn’t like fags, even ones who worked five days a week for free. The label needed to contain Whitney’s open secret, especially as it was grooming her for a film career, a process which necessitated a husband. Exit Miss Crawford. Enter Mr. Brown.

I wonder too about the family. A family so steeped in a church that most certainly also took a dim view of homosexuality. Whitney is almost always characterized as extremely religious and I imagine the pressure to be straight, or at least appear so, became overwhelming. If you’ve ever wondered why a woman who could have married any man in the world, chose Bobby Brown, think of it as the perfect way to say “fuck you”. This is conjecture on my part, but it does fit nicely into the narrative that I prefer for Whitney. The one that includes the story of her love for another woman and the price she paid for it. I can imagine that these sacrifices could make someone very angry. Angry enough to marry a creep and do a lot of blow.

In the end, with forces as powerful as Clive Davis, Oprah Winfrey and the Church working overtime to shape the narrative, we will never hear the whole story. Whitney didn’t have the ability or inclination to be political about her sexuality, a fact that can be forgiven when you think about her voice. Still, I wonder if you agree with me that when it comes to the pervasive and destructive power of homophobia, it is fair to at least engage in a dialogue that shapes a more honest narrative about Whitney Houston’s sexual orientation. What do you think?

[...]


Kompletter Artikel: http://www.davidmunk.com/2012/03/16/the ... sexuality/

Longtime Houston Friend Has "Gone Into Hiding" Following Media Pressure to Discuss the Diva's Death

We were thrilled to point out the thoughtful piece Whitney Houston's longtime friend Robyn Crawford penned for Esquire—she discusses Houston with such love and admiration—unlike some of the self-serving content we've been seeing (hello, National Enquirer cover).

And we have been so eager to hear more from Robyn, as some say she was closest to Whitney during the happiest time in the late diva's life.





Mehr lesen: http://de.eonline.com/news/the_awful_tr ... nto/301577

Cocaine, heart disease contributed to Whitney Houston's drowning, coroner says
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Whitney Houston died from an accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub, but the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use" were contributing factors in her death, the Los Angeles County Coroner said in an initial autopsy report released Thursday.
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Weiter lesen auf CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/22/showb ... index.html