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Nate Parker Addresses His Vow That "You Will Never See Me Take A Gay Role"

The "Birth of a Nation" star discusses male privilege, "toxic masculinity" and the rape allegation.

Nate Parker is primed to be a major artistic talent: Already known for roles in Beyond the Lights and The Secret Life of Bees, he's not only starring in the upcoming slave drama Birth Of A Nation, he wrote and directed it.

But Parker's past has threatened to derail his future: In 1999, the then-college sophomore was accused of raping a young woman.

He was ultimately acquitted but the case has come back into the spotlight, and raised questions about consent and male privilege on campus.

In an interview with Ebony, Parker discussed the incident, and how he has changed in the 17 years since.

“To be honest, my privilege as a male, I never thought about it," he admitted. "I’m walking around daring someone to say something or do something that I define is racist or holding us back, but never really thinking about male culture and the destructive effect it’s having on our community."

"All I can do is seek the information that’ll make me stronger, that’ll help me overcome my toxic masculinity, my male privilege," he added."

He also addressed his 2014 statement that "to preserve the black man" he'd never take a gay role.

"I said some comments in 2014 and, regardless of the actual words, in the same way conversations around consent have changed, conversation around homosexuality and LGBT [have, too.]" he stated.

"The fact that I said I wouldn’t wear a dress, or that I’m not interested in gay roles, I can see now that was being exclusionary. It was being insensitive, and it was being homophobic."

If you weren't clear on intersectionality now, this pretty much sums it up.

The "toxic masculinity" he discusses leads to the marginalization of women and LGBT people. Homophobia is misogyny's little sister.

Do yourself a favor and read the entire Ebony interview. Whether you think Parker is evolving or not, it's a compelling piece.

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