A panel discussion about the elections on MSNBC. Among the panelists, the regular contributor Eugene Daniels, the White House correspondent for Politico: amiable, funny, sharp, passionate — a smart, impressive black guy, with an Afro that’s clearly meant as a political statement but is, somehow, actually adorable. (He is, in appearance and demeanor and attitude, one of my “types” — though I’ve come to understand that that just means he resembles, physically and in his projection of himself, someone I once had a satisfying sexual and affectional encounter with; it’s a kind of imprinting, it’s entirely in my head and not my actions, there are no real-world consequences, but it gives me a moment of pleasure, like visiting an old friend.)
Over time I’ve listened to his reporting and opinions a lot — tv goes on while I work — and occasionally I’ve glanced at him while he was speaking, but for the first time I focused on him full-bore. Ten seconds in, I said to myself, “Wow, this guy is gay!”, and then realized I hadn’t the slightest clue why I thought this. I watched him for some time then, without catching anything I could identify as a tell. I still don’t know what I was reading, but it turns out that in addition to his other sterling qualities listed above, and in addition to his being literally a great team player (including on an NCAA Division I football team), a leader of groups, and a conspicuous role model for young black guys, he is also way gay, wonderfully, flamboyantly gay — a presentation achieved by his clothing and adornment (so it can easily be adjusted for the context; he moves through a lot of worlds).
