Being black and gay can be a lethal combination according to a new book by a Whetstone academic. ISABEL COE talked to the author

If someone told you it was still taboo to be black and gay in the year 2000 you would probably feel rightly shocked, but this is still a reality for many people in theis country.

Delroy Constantine-Simms, a writer and former psychology lecturer at Hendon College's Grahame Park site, will be releasing his book on homosexuality in the black community in January next year. It is likely to arouse controversy.

'In the Caribbean, the society there is so anti-gay that you can get killed for it,' he said.

'In 1997 two people died in prison riots after the government wanted to introduce condoms in the prisons. The implication obviously was that there were gay practices going on and that angered the community.'

Mr Constantine-Simms, who divides his time between his homes in Oakleigh Road North, Whetstone, and Long Island, New York, secured a £20,000 advance from American-based gay and lesbian publisher Alyson Publications for his book, The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in the Black Community.

A compilation of research studies and interviews on the subject, it will cover the issue of homosexuality in the black communities of Britain, Africa and America. As well as contributions from academics such as Henry Louis Gates Junior and Bell Hooks, it will also explore the attitudes of black churches towards homosexuality and how it is portrayed in magazines and the media.

'There is so much prejudice in the black community towards homosexuality,' he said. 'My interest really started when, in 1992, reggae DJ Shabba Ranks played a record called Boom Bye-Bye, by Buju Banton. The record stated that all gays should be shot.

'There were requests for the record to be banned, but a lot of stations refused and it was played a lot in America. It was largely as a result of that, that a lot of organisations started to campaign against this and for gay rights among the black community.

'Before this, I hadn't realised that the Caribbean community was so anti-gay and that they supported these views ,, and that record. I wanted to find out more so I approached a lot of people, firstly from South Africa.'

Mr Constantine-Simms did speak to some famous black gay and bi-sexual men, including basketball player Dennis Rodman, but insists this was not his principle objective. 'I didn't want a lot of coming-out stories, I wanted to find out how this affects people in the church communities and in the wider community.'

The writer blames a lot of the homophobic attitudes in Africa and this country on the church and misrepresentation of the Bible.

'The black church is going to alienate itself from our government in Britain because of its views. They interpret the Bible as saying it is against gays and that it is wrong to be gay.'

Not being gay himself has made it a lot easier for Mr Constantine-Simms to be objective about the subject. But he is adamant that his sexuality should not be an issue. 'It is a very controversial topic and something which affects the wider community, not just gays. The idea was to do this as a heterosexual person for that reason, but it is not an issue.'

The book is due out on January 15 next year. But Mr Constantine-Simms, who is also on-line news editor for Blacknet news, and the chief news reporter for London-based black newspaper The Post, is not resting on his laurels.

'I am planning a book about black people in the concentration camps next and am thinking about doing one on incest.'