Black Gay Dads Attract Love, Hate on Social Media

Kordale and Kaleb, a black Atlanta-area gay couple with three children, have attracted a substantial following on Instagram and Twitter with pictures of them and their kids -- but some antigay voices have recently chimed in.

This week, the couple posted a photo of themselves in their bathroom helping their daughters get ready for school; they have a son as well. There were many homophobic comments on social media sites regarding the photo, most of which have been taken down, reports Mused magazine. However, Destiny Man magazine's website has a screen shot of a comment from November, providing an idea of the hate that some have directed at the men.

"Poor kids being raised w/these nasty men ... and all the black folks defending the gay mess now?" reads a comment posted with the screen name Red. "Blacks have gotten well indoctrinated w/this sickness spread by the satanic media and agendas when we used to be so much more sensible back in the day. Next, y'all will be congratulating the pedophiles b/c that too will be spoonfed to the masses as popular and cool."

Many other commenters, however, laud the men as good parents, although some, expressing surprise at seeing either black fathers or a black gay couple, underline the lack of visibility of people in both categories, notes Mused.

Some commenters have taken issue with the men's decision to maintain separate bedrooms and not let the children know they are a couple, as they recently told Blog Talk Radio they don't want the kids to feel pressure to be in same-sex relationships as they grow up. It's fine if the children are gay and fine if they're straight, Kordale and Kaleb emphasized.

The Huffington Post obtained a statement from the men responding to the antigay comments. "People fail to realize that we are people too with kids who love us," it reads in part. "We do what is necessary for them to succeed in this ever-changing world but it's sad that we're discriminated against because of our sexuality and/or what we do behind closed doors -- which is no one's business. In the same breath, we take all of what's been said in stride. The picture was put out on social media for an opinion so we can't be mad when people give just that: an opinion.

"People tend to think that gay people cannot raise their children to be heterosexuals," the statement continues. "Instead, they have derogatory thoughts of us 'tainting' our children or 'confusing them' with what society sees deems as wrong and unmanly because we're gay. But this is all comical because people forget where a lot of gays come from: a heterosexual household."