There’s not enough space in the world to properly discuss this article. In it, five gay black men discuss the reality of racism in gay communities and the controversial – and oft-referenced – parallels between the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement. Rather than getting into the enormous debates and emotional issues here, we’d like to feature three quotes. The first comes from Noah’s Arc creator Patrik-Ian Polk:
The truth of the matter is white gay people don’t really care about racist and racial issues. They really don’t. There’s just as much racism within the gay community as anywhere else. You would think gay people would be less racist, but they’re just as much.
It’s true. Simply being gay doesn’t give someone a radically reprogrammed world view. There’s no vaccine against racism. Well, except for knowledge…
Another beautiful quote comes from former BET producer and current Pastor Kevin E. Taylor. Referring to the Tim Hardaway stink, he says:
What I appreciated about the NBA is they said hatred is not acceptable as it relates to our code of honor… I don’t like the word homophobia. We’ve got to use the word ‘hatred.’ Because you can’t tell a grown man that he’s scared of a grown man. … But when black folk in Christianity hear the word ‘hatred,’ they are put in check. Homophobia is just another excusable construct.
Very good point. Homophobia is but a specific form of hatred. Using a more universal word certainly has more cultural resonance. But, of course, there’s always “gaycist”.
And, finally, a little word from homo-hopper Tori Fixx. Though speaking about race relations, we think his words can help everyone, regardless of color:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
If we can pay attention just a little bit to each other’s struggles or stories, I think that will start to bring about change. Once we allow ourselves to care about others just enough… Maybe we can find a way to get out of this together.
Well said, although we have to admit “get out of this together” borders on histrionic. We’re not trapped in a burning building honey. We’re just gathering dust in a stagnant society. Oh, wait, that’s far worse. At least with a burning building you can look forward to fire fighters. This shit – too few heroes and too many stubborn flamers.
John
“You would think gay people would be less racist, but they’re just as much.”
Likewise, you would think black people would be less homophobic, but they’re just as much. Or that women would be less racist AND homophobic, but they’re just as much. Or that ANY group that has struggled for equal rights would understand the struggle of others and be sympathetic. But as you said, simply being (fill in the blank) doesn’t give someone a radically reprogrammed world view. There’s no vaccine against…hate.
John
Racism is present throughout our society, but there is census data indicating that members of same sex couples are more likely to be members of different ethnic/racial groups than traditional opposite sex couples.
The census data would indicate that gays are less likely to dsicriminate against those of another race when choosing a partner.
Matthew
Being a white gay man I have to say I do care about racial issues, I’m sure not as much as someone being discriminated based on their ethnicity though.
Although it was stated that “There’s just as much racism within the gay community as anywhere else.” I do think that gay people are much more likely to date and have many friendships outside of their ethnic groups.
I truly think gay people are much less inclined to close off the country club to those that are a different color than themselves.
Sure there are racist fucks in every facet of society, but really I do believe one day that won’t be the case. Like most things of importance it takes time.
adamblast
When I see a pop music culture dominated by thugs who preach hate against me, I can’t help but notice they come from a specific racial culture themselves. If I’m suspicious and defensive around blacks, it is because I’ve been taught to be–as much by *them* as by a racist society. I recognize my inner racist and fight against him, but there’s enough blame to go around.
Sure, I’m working for the day when white gays will treat people of color with more respect. Then again, I’m still waiting for Black churches stop preaching against us, as if their own struggles have taught them nothing.
Jerry
John:
Perhaps one would think that the census data might indicate that gays are less likely to discriminate when choosing a partner. Two faults to that syllogism. One, it’s kind of difficult to draw that conclusion in general because there are a hell of a lot more straight couples than gay so while the percentages might move in that direction for gay couples who reported as such on the census, there are far more gays (thinking specifically of gay men) who don’t live as part of domestic units proportionate to the whole of the gay community, which leads to the second point: if anything, gay men (allowing the exclusion of those aforementioned domestic units) are far more likely to discriminate against one or more groups of gay men based on race (though probably in the same numbers based on narrowly defined physical types, frankly) in the name of a particular aesthetic component of sexual desire.
Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt, wore it out. It’s now just a facet of life as lived by gay men of color, and speaking solely for myself, I’ve learned to deal with it.
Frozen North
I agree with Matthew about gays being more likely to have friendships outside of their ethnic group.
But I strongly disagree with the “more likely to date outside of their ethnic group” part. You only have to look at all the profiles that say unabashedly “no Asians/no Blacks” or “whites…ahem.. Caucasians only” to see this played out. As a percentage of ads, I see this tendency FAR more often in gay ads than str8 ones.
(Ironic no? str8s will date a different race, but not befriend them. gays will befriend them, but won’t date them. And everybody is looking somone hot.)
Not that I’m saying you have to like one or the other, but I think the commentary points to an underlying stereotype with definite racist undertones. As if all Blacks/Asians/Hispanics etc all look and act alike.
Cody
Oh how ironic…it’s funny that LITERALLY every time I’m called a faggot etc. on the street, it’s by an African-American. I’m not even close to kidding…it’s just been my experience.
Jerry
But Cody, are they African-American gays calling you a faggot? And are they fucking you when they’re saying it? If that’s the case, then you’re saying something germane to the argument concerning racism in the gay community.
James
Maybe a place to start is to acknowledge that even minority groups are not immune from backward thinking when it comes to “the other.”
Lance
It’s most likely black heterosexual men calling Cody a faggot, well at least that is true in my experience. I am also a gay black man and I’ve found racism in the gay community quite rampant. True, there is this idea that gays are more likely to date outside their “ethnic” group and therefore are more open minded around issues having to do with race, but if my experience is indicative in anyway, the opposite must be true.
Earlier I read a comment where someone stated that you’d think blacks or other ethnic groups would be less homophobic because of the long history of oppression they’ve experienced. In the readings I’ve done, I’ve learned that oppressed people often exude the same level of oppression in order to sustain themselves as those who oppress them. White dominance and patriarchy has ingrained a certain degree of subordinance in the minds of blacks and other ethnic groups. It’s almost like there is this constant competition going on in the minds of the oppressed to justify one’s own value against what white domance has taught us about ourselves.
The fact also remains that white gays don’t have to think about issues of race and therefore can easily say that racism doessn’t exist or isn’t as prevalent in the gay community. I’d argue that it’s more prevalent but it’s rarely discussed and often simply swept under the table.
Lance
James, if i may respond to your comments.
Well, yeah…but clearly it can’t be that simple. Minority groups are people, just like whites so of course we are not immune from backward thinking when it comes to the other. The difference though is that minority groups don’t have any power with their backward thinking, but whites do.
John
What some of us don’t seem to understand is that sexual intimacy isn’t the sum of tolerance. Dating outside of your race is the not necessarily being against racism.
Here in Los Angeles, there are many white men who date Mexicans because of a sexual fetish. When their Mexican boyfriends are out of ear shot, however, the anti-immigration hate speeches start flying in earnest. And it’s not as if the Mexican guy doesn’t know what’s going on. More often than not they put up with it because of the free gifts and what not.
There’s certainly no mutual respect within these relationships. It’s all about using other people to get what you want.
nystudman
John’s right. i look at a hot man as a hot man – don’t care about race, adn I’ve had plenty of guys of every color, etc. That said, I don’t think it’s necessarily inherent to prefer sex with other white men, any more than, say, a smooth man wants sex only with other smooth men, tall with tall, etc.
There’s a definite demarcation between sexual preference and friendship. I get a little tired of people screaming “discrimination” because people prefer a certain type or types in bed. That’s what makes it horse race!
handsomefanboi
I don’t see that much racism in the Gay community… What I do see are either guys with colorblind sexual attractions or guys who prefer men from a specific race (possibly their own, possibly another racial type). I don’t think this has anything to do with racism. Just because someone isn’t physically attracted to a particular race, doesn’t mean they are a racist. I believe that due to their own experiences with being a persecuted minority, gay men are more racially tolerant than straights.
Giovanni
“I get a little tired of people screaming “discrimination” because people prefer a certain type or types in bed”
You know what they say No rest for the weary…
akaison
To have a half way descent conversation one must actually well- you know learn how to read. here’s the deal- the article when talking about whites dating blacks is referencing a common situation that I and every black gay friend I have have dealt with. The white guy who wants us to fuck them, but dont want to date us because we are black. That’s the specific issue. It’s not a matter of attraction or not attraction. it’s a matter of saying I’m attracted but you are aren’t good neough for me because of race. in other words turning race into a fetish.
jeff
I used to not be racist until I moved to the south. Down here they all want handouts and think I owe them a living. I can’t wait to move away from here to where there are some white people. I know they aren’t all like that, but they are down here.
Cody
Frankly, I think African-Americans are far more racist than the majority of white people. This issue is so tired. Of course there are racist people out there…as well as homophobic, sexist, etc. Personally, I don’t care! However, if a certain group regularly insults me…I’m gonna say it!
Pandora
“White gay men see these incidents as examples of a homophobic African American culture. Straight African Americans see a cynical media exploiting caricatures of the angry, ignorant black man. Neither appraisal reveals the more complex truths about why GLBT people and African Americans still eye each other suspiciously across the cultural divide. -James Hillis”
James Hillis is a good writer but he lost me as a reader right away by starting the article with absolutes.
Example:
When he wrote “white gay men see…” or “straight African Americans see…” is to imply all feel / think that way – which is not true.
Some may feel or think that way, but not all. It’s an important distinction that should be made before we head into a conversation about race and sexuality.
I appreciate the men speaking candidly about so many issues that they have experienced but was a little surprised at their lack of qualifiers in their statements. I don’t mean to harp but
example:
“Part of the issue, McCullom suggests, is the gay community’s inability to even recognize racism when it exists. He gives the example of Shirley Q. Liquor, a white drag queen, who performs as a black female character in full makeup with a heavy – and questionable – accent. Black activists have been protesting the routine for years, arguing that it is an offensive caricature reminiscent of blackface minstrel shows. “And the white guys don’t think there’s a problem with it,” McCullom said. “They just think it’s hilarious.”
All the white gays? umm..I don’t think so.
Over generalization doesn’t help a conversation.
Lord knows we’ve all made that mistake.
I would love for them to do a follow-up with these men after they have had a chance to read the feedback from readers. Then a third conversation perhaps with a woman or latino or asian etc.
“Polk believes the correlations that gay people often draw to civil rights ends up alienating the black community. The civil-rights struggle “is still a very painful scar for the black community,” Polk said. “So when the gay community continues to reference that, it just brings up all these painful issues and memories. And it doesn’t necessarily help to encourage the black community to have these conversations.”
I don’t think white gay people are going out of their way to appropriate the “Black experience” instead it is a way for them to relate their struggle to the society at large that discriminates against them.
It might not be the best analogy use but there probably isn’t anything else to comparable for them to use.
Many in the Civil Rights movement were straight white men and women as well as black and white gays/lesbians.
It is for many people – a shared experience.
If all we talk about is how `our group’ suffered more than `your group’ we’ll never get anywhere.
In the early 1960’s, some in the black community (when describing the evil legacy of slavery) used the phrase “genocide” – it has been argued that this was appropriated from the Jewish groups who used that term to describe the horrors of WW2. My point – we all look for inspiration – from whomever came before us. Ghandi was influential to MLK and the movement as a whole etc.
If you look at the two movements (gay and black civil rights) side by side you will see that the two overlap and have grown up together.
There are problems to be sure, but more dialogue is needed to build bridges. It’ll take effort from all sides to leave our prejudices behind and actually communicate with one another.
I am hopeful for all of us, in this crazy rainbow tribe of ours.
Waddie G.
Gays cause homophobia. You know why? When we cannot stand together — i.e., only white people dominating the national gay organizations, Blacks who date Blacks getting sneers and geers from white patrons and bartenders at predominately white gay clubs, and organizations like GLAAD targeting only Blacks celebs (Isaiah Washington) about homophobia and not white ones like Anne Coulter, then we as gays will never be accepted by the heterosexual mainstream because we divide our ownselves.
faith
People use the word Homophobia to looselyPhobia means the fear of, I don’t agree with homosexuality but phobia, I don’t fear homosexuality either. You sexual preference & race are 2 differ things, hence Color & sexual preference. I was born Black, i CHOSE to fornicate & chose to date men. The funny thing is people who claim they are Christian, say its wrong to fornicate, lie, steal, rape ,kill but GAY “christians” wants special provisioning in the bible were as there sin is permissable & the others sins aren’t (this is to people who claim christianity) Now i distinctly remeber reading that homosexuality is a sin just like the other, (romans chapter 1) So how can i go to a church that says some sins are okay(i.e,gay) & the other’s are wrong. My point is If you say you are christian be it don’t pick &choose the bible verses you want to live by to justify you sin. Using the term God loves everyone will not get you in heaven , yes he loves us , but what is the purpose for HELL?(point intended)Back to RACE. It has been a fact that white people feel as they should not aplogize for slavery because, (black folks hasd slaves in africa bla,blah) You have to understand they white have always have a superior attitude, also they tend to be on the more mental side, there are more white mass murderers, from the beggining of time including from slavery(then white people have the nerve to be afraid of us & our crime today) when they have commited so much rape,murder, pedifilia, etc. for a lifetime, Aren’t germans white i.e.Adolf Hitler…. they would rather talk about us in welfare, wedlock.etc & then complain about us wanting handouts. example, Then have the nerve to talk about OJ, when they have a consistent history of murder. At the end of the day they will continue to make excuses on why they did what they did, But there time will come & i will be laughing. (karma) I wonder if black folks where to go to europe back then & do what they did to use & drag them to America (there song will be very different) but since white folks have that superior attitude they would say BLACK FOLK OR NIGGERS LACK THE BRAIN POWER TO DO WHAT WE DID, TRADE SLAVES for guns & THEN IN TURN ENSLAVE THEM. BREAK A DEAL WHICH WAS SETUP TO TRICK THEM anyway. ( sounds like corporate America Huh? Which is mostly white.I don’t need your handouts or your sorry’s.
Sazriel
Faith I agree 100%
HH
FUCK ALL GAY PEOPLE. THEY TO FUCKING SENSITIVE.
christopher tang
fuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the assfuck gays in the ass
Stan
I’m sick of hearing about how the gay community is racist. Please stop judging an entire group of people as racist. Not all gays are white and all this just divides the community. There is some racism in the gay community, yes, but the extent of it is exaggerated. These are division tactics , they divide our community. Gay knows no color. Gay is not white. There is nothing racist about being gay
If you agree with me, thank you.