Black Panther and Black Queer Representation

The recent blockbuster Black Panther has been a huge step forward in positive representations of black characters in a film targeted at the general public, as well as positive depictions of black women. Black Panther breaks boundaries by being one of the first mainstream superhero movies with a primarily black cast marketed as a family film. The movie also features several powerful black female leads such as a teenage tech genius, a spy, and several Dora Milaje who serve as the all-female bodyguard team for the king. The overall setting of the film in the fictional nation of Wakanda shows a beautiful and advanced African setting, disrupting ideas of African poverty perpetuated in western media. Although there are many reasons to celebrate Black Panther, it is also under critique for its erasure of black and African queer narratives, particularly the erasure of the queer black women from the film.

In the original comics the film was based on, two of the female Dora Milaje bodyguards, Ayo and Aneka, were romantically involved (Marotta). One author of the source material, Roxane Gay, reports that “It was particularly thrilling to be able to write black queer women into the Marvel universe … I love hearing from black queer women about what the comics mean to them” (Marotta). However, not only are these queer stories absent in the film Black Panther, but they appear to have been purposely removed. Actress Florence Kasumba, who plays Ayo, later revealed that flirtatious scenes for the movie were filmed between Ayo and one of the lead female characters Okoye, but they were removed from the final cut without explanation (Marotta). Roxane Gay, as well as many fans of the Black Panther comics expressed their disappointment about the lack of queer narrative.

The erasure of Ayo’s queer sexuality can be seen as a representational intersectional failure, as it is the cultural construction of queer black people, and especially queer black women as unimportant and disposable. By not representing these characters and their stories, the creators of the film are sending a message that the stories of queer black women don’t matter, or that they don’t even exist at all. Additionally, when queer black women voiced their disappointment and critiques over the film’s decision, it was met with backlash from both mainstream black and queer movements. One black gay author, Phillip Henry, claims that the critiques of Black Panther from the LGBT community serve to uphold white supremacy and critique blackness itself (Henry). However, these arguments ignore the voices of the black queer women like Roxane Gay who were responsible for initially creating and fighting to see their own representations in the films.

It would be wrong to assume the erasure of black queer representation in Black Panther is an isolated instance. Instead, it is related to a long history of queer erasure from African culture historically. One example of this is the erasure of sexual diversity from Ugandan histories due to evangelical Christian colonial imposition (Cheney). Despite historical findings that show evidence of same-sex relationships between individuals in Uganda and other African countries, the idea of queerness is often represented as un-African due to the colonial erasure that persists even today (Cheney). It is ironic that a film like Black Panther that takes such a strong anti-colonial perspective still contributes to the erasure of queer black and African representations and stories.

Black Panther is undeniably a huge achievement in terms of black representation in film. However, it is a film that deserves to be praised as well as critiqued for its representation in order to create even better content in the future. We need to solve the representational intersectionality crisis that plays a role in erasing the stories of queer black women, and uplift the voices of women like Roxane Gay who are fighting for their stories to be told. Queer black characters like Ayo and people who can relate to her story will always exist, and we cannot remain complacent in their absence.

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Cheney, Kristen. “Locating Neocolonialism, “Tradition,” and Human Rights in Uganda’s “Gay Death Penalty”.” African Studies Review, vol. 55, no. 2, Sept. 2012, pp. 77–95.

Henry, Phillip. “Dear White Gay Men, Black Panther Is Not About You.” Them., 22 Feb. 2018, www.them.us/story/dear-white-gay-men-black-panther-is-not-about-you.

Marotta, Jenna. “'Black Panther' Actor Says Her Character's Queer Flirtation Scene Was Deleted.” IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2018, www.indiewire.com/2018/02/black-panther-queer-flirtation-scene-florence-kasumba-1201929683/.

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