The Advocate is talkin shit again, complaining about what Barack Obama is or isn’t doing.
Didn't Obama, just the other day recognize Harvey Milk's contributions to the Civil Rights Movement & Billy Jean King's contributions to society?(see posting below).
Which other president has made a gesture to the gay community such as this?
Civil Rights for all is the obvious right thing to do for the gay community and all Americans. However, when will white gay people, who exhibit some of the most racist and elitist behavior of any group, stop acting like their heterosexual white counterparts when it comes to issues of race in the gay community?
In cities across America, particularly in San Francisco, white gay people continue to treat African American LGBTQ people like 3rd class citizens in the struggle for social and economic equality. Which is ironic since our African American ancestors as an enslaved and then oppressed minority established the foundation for the gay civil rights movement of today.
Face it, most gay white people never wanted Obama in the White House, they wanted Hillary!
There is a famous line in the movie "The Color Purple" where actress Whoopie Goldberg (Celie) turns to her oppressor and says..."Until You Do Right By Me, Everything You Even Think About Will Fail."
How can you (white gays) ask for that which you don't display toward gay people of color?
Karma is a bitch...
Joe Hawkins
Cuppa Joe
4 comments:
Joe,
As someone who has posted comments on your blog for a while, I have a couple of questions regarding this post for you. I'm going to need to put them into context first, so bear with me.
Firstly, I am not American. I grew up in Little-ol' New Zealand, where, sadly, racial diversity is not huge. New Zealand has done relatively fairly with those minorities who call NZ home... not flawlessly, but much better than most other Anglo-Western nations which spring to mind.
I now live in Canada, although I'm a recent addition to this nation.
As a consequence of where I grew up, I was not exposed to the whole "race in North America" conflict/discussion (we learn factually about the slave trade in NZ schools, but little about it's current consequences - not to mention the racist movements which only formally ended in the sixties), and so, while I consider myself fairly well read on the history of it, I'm only starting to really learn about the real meanings of how this history impacts the current state of affairs in the US.
Of course, this compounds on the gay affairs, which are much further along in places where I have lived/resided.
My questions are borne out of pure innocent "I just don't know what you mean...". I am not of African descent, and haven't been in North America long enough to be able to put a personal feeling on the subjects which you describe.
So, I would very much appreciate if you can expand on the following few statements which you made above:
"...when will white gay people, who exhibit some of the most racist and elitist behavior of any group, stop acting like their heterosexual white counterparts when it comes to issues of race in the gay community?". Now, I'm very much aware of the racism which exists, for example, in pornography, where all people of African descent are portrayed as 'thugs' - hypermasculinised and very much pandering to the stereotypes which have been stamped into culture since before the slave trade, but I'm getting the feeling from your post that this isn't what you are describing.
In California, and/or the rest of the US, how, exactly, are gay white folk treating gay (and straight) black folk?
When you say "In cities across America, particularly in San Francisco, white gay people continue to treat African American LGBTQ people like 3rd class citizens in the struggle for social and economic equality. " what, exactly do you mean? Can you give me an example?
Again, I ask these things out of a genuine interest to understand the situation as an outsider, but an outsider who really does want to know. If you happen to know of any resources which might help me learn about these things, then please refer me to them...
I really look forward to learning more from you, and/or some of your readers.
Martin (The Doc)
Please see the following links
http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2005/05/04/gay_racism_in_t
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_the_LGBT_community
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=772
http://jasmynecannick.typepad.com/jasmynecannickcom/2005/05/gay_racism_in_t.html
http://www.ebar.com/openforum/letters/letter.php?sec=letters&id=85
Joe,
Thanks for the links. They make for saddening reading.
I was certainly conscious of the sexual racism exhibited towards men of colour (both those of Asian and African descent), but can in all honesty admit that I didn't realise discrimination by race was still such an open obvious wound in communities like the Castro.
I mean... what do you say to that?!
I also confess that since I'm not living anywhere near that area, I am not aware of these sorts of news stories, nor of the daily goings on there.
But that short list of reading is just... wow.
Incidentally, I appreciate you giving me those links in a non judgmental way, and I would love to know more if you come across it.
no prob...you can also google the subject to learn more
Post a Comment