Orville Lloyd Douglas (born September 26, 1976) is a Canadian essayist, poet and writer.
Biography
Orville Lloyd Douglas was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Ontario to Jamaican parents. He graduated from
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
with two Bachelor of Arts degrees. He completed his first
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in History and the second bachelor's degree with honours in Sexuality Studies.
Writing
Douglas' work focuses on the tensions and intersections of race, gender, class and sexuality. He has contributed to several Canadian and international publications, including ''
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
'', ''
The Hill'', ''
Film International
''Film International'' is a quarterly academic journal (with a companion site, FilmInt, containing exclusive content) covering film studies. Established in 1973 (in Swedish), ''Film International'' became an English-language journal in 2003. It is ...
'', ''
TheRoot.com
''The Root'' is an African American-oriented online magazine. It was launched on January 28, 2008, by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Donald E. Graham.
History
It was owned by Graham Holdings Company through its online subsidiary, The Slate Group. ...
'', ''
Washington Blade
The ''Washington Blade'' is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The ''Blade'' is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the ''Philadelphi ...
'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
ColorLines
''Colorlines'' is a digital media platform that seeks to build a political home for everyday people and activists. The platform creates accessible multimedia to power its vision of a just multiracial democracy where all thrive.
History
''Colorlin ...
'', ''
Word Magazine
Word Magazine was an online magazine active from 1995 to 2000.
History
Launched in 1995 by Carey Earle, Tom Livaccari and Dan Pelson, Word Magazine created original stories, interviews, games, applications, music, interactive objects and art, an ...
'', ''
The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...
'', ''
Georgia Straight
''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...
'', ''
The Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'', ''
Xtra!
''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former pr ...
'', ''
NOW
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
'', ''
Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' and ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
''.
Poetry
Douglas' poetry has been featured in ''The Maple Tree Supplement'', ''Wilderness House Literary Review'', '' SNR Review'', ''The Vermilion Literary Project'', ''Pedestal Magazine''. His poetry has also appeared in the ''Seminal'' (2007), the first anthology of gay male Canadian poetry, published by Arsenal Pulp Press. His verse has also been featured in ''The Venomed Kissed'', an Incarnate Muse Press anthology exploring issues of childhood emotional and psychological abuse.
Douglas' first collected volume of poetry, ''You Don't Know Me'', was published by
TSAR Publications
TSAR Publications is a Toronto-based nonprofit book publisher focusing on multicultural literature, particularly Canadian authors and subject matter.
TSAR Publications began as the literary journal ''The Toronto Review of Contemporary Writing Abro ...
. It is no longer in print. The book explored many polemical issues such as death, drug abuse, male prostitution, suicidal idealization, suicide, depression, identity, love, homophobia in Caribbean culture, and gay racism.
Douglas' second poetry volume, ''Under My Skin'', was published by
Guernica Editions
Guernica Editions is a Canadian independent publisher established in Montreal, Quebec, in 1978, by Antonio D'Alfonso. Guernica specializes in Canadian literature
Canadian literature is the literature of a multicultural country, written in ...
on May 15, 2014.
Black stereotypes in the media
In 2006, Douglas' piece "TV Still Stereotyping black women" was published in ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
''. His perspective is the character Dr.
Miranda Bailey
Miranda Bailey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series creator and producer Shonda Rhimes, and has been portrayed by actress Chandra Wilson since the ...
on the ABC drama ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...
'' is the stereotypical loudmouth and overweight black
mammy. He also criticized the ABC talk show ''
The View'' for engendering the racist stereotype of making television host ''
Star Jones
Starlet Marie Jones (born March 24, 1962), better known as Star Jones, is an American lawyer, journalist, television personality, fashion designer, author, and women's and diversity advocate. She is best known as one of the first co-hosts on the ...
'' a modern Aunt Jemima.
In 2007, Douglas' fifteen-minute radio documentary ''The Good Son'', was broadcast across Canada on the
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...
program ''Outfront''. The first section of the documentary was an interwoven quilt of Douglas reading his poetry and interviewing his father. The second part of the documentary was a monologue as Douglas talks about his frustrations. He explores issues such as homophobia in the black community, the pernicious hypocrisy and gay racism in the homosexual culture, heterosexual marriage, family discord, and racism against black men.
In the essay "Shades of Blackface", published in ''The New Zealand Herald'', Douglas criticizes
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
for taking the female lead in the film ''
A Mighty Heart
''A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Daniel Pearl'' (also subtitled ''A Mighty Heart: The Inside Story of the Al Qaeda Kidnapping of Danny Pearl'') (2003) is a memoir by Mariane Pearl, a freelance French journalist. She cover ...
''. Douglas argues that since the real
Mariane Pearl
Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl (born 23 July 1967) is a French freelance journalist and a former reporter and columnist for '' Glamour'' magazine. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist who was the South Asia Bureau Chief for ''The ...
is what he terms a "biracial" woman an actress of similar heritage such as
Thandie Newton
Melanie Thandiwe Newton ( ; born 6 November 1972), formerly credited as Thandie Newton, is a British actress. Newton has received various awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for ...
should have had the role instead of a white actress. Pearl, a multiracial woman, is the daughter of an Afro-Chinese-Cuban mother and a Dutch Jewish father.
[ Note: this article is also on the Institute for Jewish & Community Research website]
link
).
He expands his thoughts about Hollywood racism and sexism against black women in ''The Georgia Straight'' opinion article "Is White the New Black?"
In the piece "The Slighting of Serena Williams" featured in ''The Guardian'', Douglas argues that the white American tennis establishment has a history of disrespecting African American tennis champion
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
. His perspective is, the hostility the white media have towards
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
is rooted in racism and sexism because she is a black woman dominating women's tennis, which is still a white sport.
November 22, 2013, Douglas article "White Privilege Keeps Crack Smoking Mayor in Office", was published on the African American website
TheRoot.com
''The Root'' is an African American-oriented online magazine. It was launched on January 28, 2008, by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Donald E. Graham.
History
It was owned by Graham Holdings Company through its online subsidiary, The Slate Group. ...
. The piece examined the reticence of the Canadian media to discuss Toronto mayor Rob Ford's white privilege and the issue of race in the crack scandal.
Race and LGBT issues
The essay "Is Madea A Drag Queen?" appeared in the July/August 2009 issue of ''
ColorLines
''Colorlines'' is a digital media platform that seeks to build a political home for everyday people and activists. The platform creates accessible multimedia to power its vision of a just multiracial democracy where all thrive.
History
''Colorlin ...
''. Douglas perspective is Tyler Perry's movies parrots a black gay aesthetic, reinforcing racist and sexist stereotypes about black heterosexual women and black gay men.
The article "Same Sex Marriage's Colour Bar" published in ''The Guardian'', challenges the stereotype that the gay community is a monolithic group. He argues it is hypocritical and racist for the white gay elite to complain about homophobia in the mainstream culture, yet discriminate against gay people of colour.
In September 2013, Douglas's essay "Why I won't be watching The Butler & 12 Years A Slave" was published in ''The Guardian''. Douglas criticized Hollywood for having a lack of imagination and making derivative Oscar bait black dramatic films about slavery. He also accused Hollywood of being heterosexist and creating films that only focus on black heterosexuals and ignoring black gays and lesbians. The essay caused an uproar in the African American community, and Black writer
Michael Arceneaux
Michael Arceneaux (born April 12, 1984) is an American writer. He is the author of the 2018 essay collection '' I Can't Date Jesus'', a ''New York Times'' bestselling book. His second book is titled ''I Don't Want to Die Poor'' (2020).
Early l ...
wrote a rebuttal essay "We Don't Need To Get Over Slavery... Or Movies About Slavery" in which he criticized Douglas for being ignorant and having an apathetic attitude towards black Americans and slavery.
November 9, 2013, Douglas' piece "Why I Hate Being A Black Man" was published in ''The Guardian''. The piece examines Douglas' conflicting feelings about being a black man and the negative perception and stereotypes of black males in Canada. November 16, 2013,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
host
Don Lemon
Don Lemon (born March 1, 1966) is an American television journalist most well known for being a host on CNN. Lemon anchored weekend news programs on local television stations in Alabama and Pennsylvania during his early days as a journalist. He ...
interviewed Douglas about the article.
February 2014, Douglas wrote an article for ''The Hill'', criticizing the focus of black history month only focusing on black heterosexuals while ignoring black LGBT people. According to Douglas, the erasure of queer black history is due to homophobia in the black community.
Douglas' March 22, 2017 article in ''
Film International
''Film International'' is a quarterly academic journal (with a companion site, FilmInt, containing exclusive content) covering film studies. Established in 1973 (in Swedish), ''Film International'' became an English-language journal in 2003. It is ...
'' criticizes ''Moonlight'' and similar films by noting that "the suffering is about homosexuality, race, drug addiction, crime, and poverty. Black family dysfunction is the key for black films that want white critical acclaim and success."
On June 12, 2017, Douglas' essay "I'm black and gay. Black Lives Matter Toronto doesn't speak for me" was published in the Opinion section of the
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
website. The piece criticized
Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLMTO) for disrupting the
Toronto Pride Parade in 2016 and stating that BLMTO are not spokespersons for all black people.
He further condemned BLMTO for not addressing homophobia in black communities in Canada, specifically drawing on his own experience feeling concerned for his personal safety as a gay black man at
Caribana
The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana, is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a pan-Caribbean Carnival event and has been billed as North America ...
.
Radio documentaries
* "The Good Son" – CBC Radio – 2007
References
External links
2005 ''Xtra'interview with Orville Lloyd Douglas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Orville Lloyd
1976 births
Canadian people of Jamaican descent
21st-century Canadian poets
Black Canadian writers
Critics of Black Lives Matter
Journalists from Toronto
Writers from Toronto
Canadian gay writers
York University alumni
Living people
Canadian LGBT poets
Canadian male poets
21st-century Canadian male writers
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Gay poets
21st-century Canadian LGBT people