Word On The Street: L is depressed.

“In every gay guys life there comes a moment when you realize the world was...
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always against you. Forbidden love, social and cultural norms you’ll never fit into, fake friends, family shame, oh and let’s not forget homophobia and racism. What’s a black gay guy to do? A trusted source tells us Lendale Johnson hasn’t booked clients in weeks, bills are knocking, and he put the brakes on his new favorite guy “Ish.” Want proof? Here’s a photo, thanks to a waiter at Union Pizza Works. Not in the mood for company, L had dinner alone lost in his thoughts. Let’s hope they weren’t too hard, counseling is expensive.

Oh Lord, we all know it’s not nice to ghost.

But can we blame L?

“Ish” posted a miscalculated gay joke on his Instagram story that was not so funny to L’s eyes. Ish and L haven’t been seen together since.

Lendale: “I know I’m in a blessed position, I really appreciate all of the support from my brand partnerships, fans around the world, family and the media have been amazing. But I want everyone to know that I’ve been depressed for several weeks now. Most of my professional tennis tournaments I entered were cancelled due to covid-19, as an athlete I feel covid-19 has taken away something I care deeply about and because of that my goals and dreams now feel most elusive. This has been an extremely hard year for me mentally, emotionally, and financially. A good friend of mine died, a few cousins have died, and even my cat died very recently.


“I recently became close with a client from my tennis academy here in New York, “Ish”. He’s an entrepreneur like me and we really hit it off but I personally hurt and also bad for the LGBTQ community when he posted a very offensive gay joke on his Instagram account. Thinking to myself how could I spend so much time with a guy like this? We’ve played tennis and went out to dinner so many times I can’t count. What scares me is the feelings of love I have developed for “Ish.” This is bad. We’re supposed to be friends and business partners, my most devoted fans have reached out and keep asking what’s going on with you guys.

I can laugh about it now, but it won’t be funny if feelings aren’t mutual with is most likely the case. I’ve been dating men and he’s been dating women. This is a very common and dynamic problem for gay men when we get close with men. The same can be said for cis-straight men to women-friends and Vice-Versa.

He called me the next day, apologized, and we’re planning to have dinner soon. Maybe I overreacted but hey this is a very sensitive time for everyone.”

​“I am a Virgo and very sensitive by nature—he added. “I ask cis-straight men and everything in-between to be more mindful, about what your posting, what comes out of your mouth, and think about the community you live in. Befriend gay guys, trans-women, and trans-men. It the best way to learn about us. Unlearn these gross stereotypes and actually get to know us. Lendale will star in "Deuces And Love" on Amazon Prime next year. No need to wait, we have an exclusive clip featuring him and Ish" (available on request)