Mar 24, 2006  |  By: KATHERINE VOLIN  | COMMENTS     

Gay author and activist Keith Boykin describes his new television show as an "African-American version of ‘The View.’" He does admit that the show, a daytime talk show on BET J, is a little more complicated than ABC’s daytime talk staple.

"It’s a colorful cast of hosts," Boykin says about his cohorts. "We’re all black professional New Yorkers, but we come from completely different perspectives."

"My Two Cents" launched on March 1, which was also the date of BET J’s debut. The channel, formerly BET Jazz, evolved to take a more cultural approach to jazz and contemporary African-American life, according to a company statement. The channel is available as a digital channel on Comcast, which provides cable for most D.C. homes, on the expanded cable platform with Cox (a large provider in Northern Virginia) and satellite provider DirecTV.

"It’s a real conversation," says Cassidy Arkin, a co-host and producer of the show. "The idea is you’re out, you’re with a group of friends, you’re having coffee or dinner and you talk. It spawns into everything from a conversation about family values to homosexuality to guttural types of things, whose the cutest artist or actor in the last film you saw."

The show features four of a revolving cast of six to eight hosts who discuss contemporary issues for black Americans. Spliced between the commentary segments are interviews with people on the street and music videos from artists like Jill Scott, a Tribe Called Quest and Floetry.

"I think there was no kind of talk show that reaches that 30-ish African-American professional," says Sean Johnson, the show’s executive producer. "There’s the Sunday political talk shows, which are kind of heavy or way too light, frivolous. I wanted something that made the community better and touched on all issues."

In addition to Arkin, the hosts include April Silver, an activist and entrepreneur, Crystal McCrary-Anthony, an author and "diva," according to Boykin, and Selwyn Hinds, hip-hop critic and former editor-in-chief of Source magazine.

BOYKIN, WHO SERVES as president of the board of directors for the National Black Justice Coalition, a black gay civil rights group, says that a career in television appeals to his desire for a broader audience.

"I’ve done the activism thing for a long time now, and this is a much better opportunity for me to get my message across, make an impact," Boykin says. "Being a part of the media, you get a chance to be part of shaping a dialogue, creating a dialogue. You have much more of an opportunity to create change."

Johnson, the executive producer, has known Boykin for a long time, Boykin says, and the two were eager to collaborate, so when the opportunity arose, Boykin jumped at the chance.

"I think Keith has a great voice," says Johnson, who is also a programming analyst for BET J. "He’s articulate, he’s smart. He represents not only the black community, but also the gay and lesbian community and I think it’s a voice that needs to be heard."

Boykin says his sexual orientation, as well as gay topics in general, are interlaced into the program’s discussions. In a discussion about building better families, for example, Boykin says he talked about his partner and centering a relationship on creating love.

"It just happened to be woven into the dialogue," Boykin says. "I think that’s great. It’s revolutionary in many ways, not to make a big deal of it. The difference between being out and coming out and being out just means being open and honest about who you are. I’m not on a show with a pink triangle or [rainbow] flag. I’m just me on the show and being me, which means that being gay is just a part of who I am."