The sexuality of Malcolm X

This article engages the controversy over whether Malcolm Little, who would become Malcolm X, had same-sexual encounters. A minute sifting of all evidence and claims, augmented by new findings, yields strong indication that Malcolm Little did take part in sex acts with male counterparts. If set in t...

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Main Author: Phelps, Christopher
Format: Article
Published: Cambridge University Press 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34331/
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author Phelps, Christopher
author_facet Phelps, Christopher
author_sort Phelps, Christopher
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description This article engages the controversy over whether Malcolm Little, who would become Malcolm X, had same-sexual encounters. A minute sifting of all evidence and claims, augmented by new findings, yields strong indication that Malcolm Little did take part in sex acts with male counterparts. If set in the context of the 1930s and 1940s, these acts position him not as a “homosexual lover,” as has been asserted, but in the pattern of “straight trade”—heterosexual men open to sex with homosexuals—an understanding that in turn affords insights into the black revolutionary's mature masculinity.
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spelling nottingham-343312020-05-04T18:58:38Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34331/ The sexuality of Malcolm X Phelps, Christopher This article engages the controversy over whether Malcolm Little, who would become Malcolm X, had same-sexual encounters. A minute sifting of all evidence and claims, augmented by new findings, yields strong indication that Malcolm Little did take part in sex acts with male counterparts. If set in the context of the 1930s and 1940s, these acts position him not as a “homosexual lover,” as has been asserted, but in the pattern of “straight trade”—heterosexual men open to sex with homosexuals—an understanding that in turn affords insights into the black revolutionary's mature masculinity. Cambridge University Press 2017-08-01 Article PeerReviewed Phelps, Christopher (2017) The sexuality of Malcolm X. Journal of American Studies, 51 (3). pp. 659-690. ISSN 1469-5154 Malcolm X homosexuality same-sexuality sexuality Malcolm Little https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-american-studies/article/sexuality-of-malcolm-x/D087A343B0CA1BA14D54E541367B1639 doi:10.1017/S0021875816001341 doi:10.1017/S0021875816001341
spellingShingle Malcolm X
homosexuality
same-sexuality
sexuality
Malcolm Little
Phelps, Christopher
The sexuality of Malcolm X
title The sexuality of Malcolm X
title_full The sexuality of Malcolm X
title_fullStr The sexuality of Malcolm X
title_full_unstemmed The sexuality of Malcolm X
title_short The sexuality of Malcolm X
title_sort sexuality of malcolm x
topic Malcolm X
homosexuality
same-sexuality
sexuality
Malcolm Little
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34331/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34331/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34331/