If I have loved only one thing in this life, it would certainly be Whitney Elizabeth Houston (or as real fans call her, Sparkling). Growing up in an army of colorful black women, I couldn’t help but be in awe of their talent, charisma, and undeniable star status. Shit, my mother played The Bodyguard soundtrack so many times that it almost burned a hole in the CD. With such a huge influence, it’s no surprise that I inherited the Nippy Standom gene. And as I grew up, I realized I’m not alone.
I met up with a friend a while back for drinks and a chat after not speaking for months. We call each other “twins” because we have similar masculine presentations, love dark liquors, and are picky when it comes to girls (a story for another time). In the middle of our conversation, she noticed that my phone lock screen had a classic picture of Whitney during her I’m your baby tonight Epoch.
“Is that Nippy?” she asked me with big eyes like a happy fawn.
“Um, yeah,” I replied.
On paper, this is the simplest interaction. However, the energy reflects Will Ferell and John C. Reily in Stepbrothers and say: “Did we just become best friends?” … “Yup!”
We spent the rest of the evening talking about the different stages of Whitney’s life and why we love her so much. It was magical.
But it doesn’t end there. Every time I’m around a masculine black lesbian and Whitney Houston is mentioned, I see the same look of warm admiration cross her face. I see this appreciation even outside my inner circle. For example, superhero lesbian extraordinaire Lena Waithe has often publicly proclaimed her love for Nippy. She has even gone so far as to beauty, a Netflix film with an undeniably striking resemblance to Whitney’s life. I know masculine black lesbians aren’t a monolith and don’t all have to worship the same people, but let’s be honest. It’s Whitney Houston. Who hates her?
That got me thinking: “Where does all this admiration come from?” Ah, great question, Tima. You are so smart. Why Do Black men love Whitney Houston? Let’s get to the bottom of this.
Through research and my own introspection, I believe I have gotten to the roots of our love. The first obvious reason is her beauty and talent. One only has to close your eyes and listen to the first 30 seconds of “I Will Always Love You” to understand why this woman is superhuman. Known to many simply as “The Voice,” Whitney’s five-octave, bright vocal range is capable of making anyone fall in love. But the beauty of her voice was not limited to her recorded music. Her stage presence and ability to convey the complete emotion of a song are a master class in live performance. At the 1994 American Music Awards, she sang a 10-minute medley of the songs “I Loves You, Porgy,” “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and “I Have Nothing.” Any singer will tell you that these songs are difficult on their own. To sing them all together, in a single recording and live on television, borders on vocal auto-sadism. Whitney is not only overwhelming in her musicality of performance, but also dominates the stage, despite literally not moving from the spot. One thing is clear: her star status is undeniable.
Another reason I think black masculinists love Ms. Houston is her beautiful, complicated long-term relationship with her best friend Robyn Crawford. ARE YOU TELLING ME I HAD A CHANCE????? I’m sorry. I’m projecting. Anyway, the kids gather around the fireplace to hear the beautiful story of Nippy and Robyn. In the summer of 1980, Whitney and Robyn met as teenagers when they were assigned as counselors for a summer camp in East Orange, New Jersey. They hit it off right away and began a wonderful friendship that wavered between romantic expression and platonic loyalty. Things got difficult when Whitney faced opposition from her religious family and salacious stories from the press. According to Crawford’s memoir, A song for you, early in her career, Whitney ended their romantic relationship by giving her a Bible and expressing her fear of judgement. Although their love affair was over, Whitney hired Robyn as her creative assistant and they remained best friends for 20 years. Robyn stayed by Whitney’s side as she struggled with addiction, endured toxic relationships, and lived through the chaos of the music industry. Robyn’s calm and constant presence brings a sense of familiarity to all of us who have had to sacrifice our loud love for someone for our own safety. I think that’s where our love comes from. At some point in our lives, we were either with Whitney or we were Whitney.
The final reason for this veneration is aunty-like Charm. Whitney was initially sold as the black All-American Pop Princess, but true Nippy fans know her true personality was far from that. She was a real Jersey girl with sass and a sharp tongue that would give us meme material for the rest of our lives. During interviews, she often made it clear that all she wanted to do was SING and nothing else. She wasn’t here for the cameras, ball gowns, or press events. I imagine that down-to-earth energy sounds very familiar to many black mascots (especially someone raised by black women cut from similar cloth). But despite her pragmatic attitude, Whitney also cultivated a reputation for being warm and enthusiastic toward the younger generation. From mentoring “The Vocal Bible” Brandy, to her sheer joy in presenting Lauryn Hill with the 1999 Grammy Album of the Year, to her performance at NY Pride in 1999 (when interviewers sneered at her why she replied, “We are all children of God”), Whitney remained the industry’s most popular proud aunt.
On February 11, 2012, Nippy left this world, leaving a hole in all of our hearts. It’s amazing how she managed to make people like me feel seen, held, and filled with love even from beyond the grave. Of course, this article is based on the premise that Black Masculines love her, but I realize that she had that effect on so many other people as well. As I go through fan interviews, concert footage, and public appearances, I see a spectrum of minds and identities, all with love in their eyes. It’s clear that she touched as many lives as a heart can hold. While her love is universal, I will always have a special appreciation for the subtle bond she created that connected me to other Black Masculines. Everyone Loves “I want to dance with someone” but nothing compares to the special masculine magic I feel when I connect with someone who looks like me, talk about Whitney and Robyn’s lore, quote one of her snappy black aunty sayings, and admire her beauty. Nippy has always loved us, and that’s why we’ll always love her. See what I did there? Happy birthday, Whitney.