Are Black and Gay Rights Issues Equal?
So, the Supreme Court reversed CA's ban on same sex marriage today. A white TV commentator said the fight for gay rights is the same as the historical fight by Blacks for equal rights, etc. A Black commentator responded that to many Blacks the issue is not the same. Blacks wear our color, hair, features etc. outwardly. There's no hiding who we are, even though some try. No one has to know that someone is gay. And, is being white and gay the same struggle as being straight and Black? I've heard it debated for years. What do you think? Post a comment! I'd love to hear from you.
posted by S. Mary Wills at 10:50 AM
6 Comments:
Absolutely not the same! Coloured people cannot hide because of skin colour. White gays can choose not to reveal their secret if they choose to. They can avoid persecution from bigots by being discreet. This is especially important in the workplace where one’s livelihood is at stake.
I agree with survivor...it is not the same. Some companies (Nationwide Insurance in particular) even embrace Gay whites for their diversity numbers, as they prefer to hire a larger number of gay whites as opposed to having to hire a large number of minorities.
A conversation that can always become an incendiary one. As a Black gay man, I have heard so many views on the question of the similarities between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s and the Gay Equality movement and to this day find myself convinced that there is no "yes or no" answer to the question.
It is VERY interesting, however, to see that the conversation does focus on WHITE gays and lesbians, thereby rendering invisible the large number of gays and lesbians in the African-American community. Perhaps it would be wiser for the Black community to examine its feelings and opinions about homosexuality - in tandem with the gay community truly examining its usurping of the Civil Rights mantle while leaving the racism that lives within unchecked.
I've heard alot of Black activists claim that it is the same thing because it deals with civil rights. I believe they're wrong. The gay rights movement started in the US in the 20th century (i.e., the 1920s) while Black folks were fighting for the right to be respected and to be treated as humans for centuries. Our Black men were labeled as 3/5 of a man while our Black women had less rights than an animal. We were property and we were bought and sold in the same manner that someone would buy a pair of shoes. After we were emancipated, we still had to deal with the lynchings, keeping our eyes downcast, being called "boy" and "gal" regardless of our age, being sharecroppers who were robbed of wages, further indignities of the Jim Crow laws and a continual struggle to be respected and treated like human beings. Jump to the 21st century where we continue to be discriminated in the workplace, pulled over by police because we were "caught" driving while Black, and penalized for expressing our anger over having to fight for the right to be respected and treated as human beings. I sympathize with our gay brothers and sisters and believe they deserve civil rights and the right to be who they choose to reveal to the world, but with absolutely no apologies, I say it certainly is not the same thing.
Like I said before it's NOT the same.
excuse the grammatical errors, I was in a rush to respond to get back to some other work.
Post a Comment
<< Home