In Washington D.C., a two-block span of 17th Street NW will now be (also) known as Frank Kameny Way, in honor of the Mattachine Society founder who was fired from the U.S. Army Map Service in the 1950s for being a gay. What a great way to recognize a civil rights hero, right?
Not necessarily. There are at least 730 streets in the U.S. named after Martin Luther King Jr.; they are also among the most crime-riddled sections of their cities. And it’s not just because Chris Rock says so in his stand-up routines.
It goes like this: Rock says a white friend called him for directions. The man said he was calling from King Street.
“Run!” Rock tells him.
“I don’t care where you live in America,” Rock says, “if you’re on Martin Luther King Boulevard, there’s some violence going on.”
That perception of the nation’s 680 King streets too often matches reality, says Jerry Kolo, a professor at Florida Atlantic University. Once intended as a symbol of equality, the roads have become the dividing line between black and white America. The naming of streets has become a “tokenistic gesture” to appease blacks demanding equal rights, Kolo said.
“Many of us in the black community have gotten carried away by gestures that don’t mean anything but are showy, such as naming a street,” Kolo said. “I would love to hear voices saying, “Let’s look for more tangible ways of honoring Martin Luther King’s legacy.”‘
Does this mean a street named after Kameny is going to become a hot bed for drugs and murder and prostitution? Of course not. And getting just one street named after Kameny hardly predicts a wave of such activity. But let the debate rage on as to whether renaming the boulevard after a civil rights hero contributes to his memory, or tarnishes it by the seemingly inevitable seedy behavior that finds its way to (or already exists on) these roads.
L.Single
I am dumber for having read this.
DM73
WTF? Was this a desperate attempt of snarky humor? Well, that’s a big fail.
Drake
Obviously written by a clueless Queerty intern who has never been to DC, and seen what a desirable street has been renamed in honor of a TRUE GAY HERO. Focus on the man and his great works, Queerty, not the pseudo smart observation.
Eric
Why do I still read this site? Am I really THAT bored at work? I mean, I suppose that I am, but this is a sign that I need a new job.
Jon (the old cranky one)
F-U Queerty. . .F-U.
Jesse Helms
Is this old Queen still alive? I thought she died years ago. LOL
She’s and old girl. She has to be at least 100 years old.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
By saying there is rampart crime, drugs, and violence on a street named after a black, It seems that those on Queerty St. are implying that by naming a street after a prominent member of a group, those stereotypes of that group would mimic those living on said street.
If you follow that logic a street named for a Gay person the sterotypes would dictate there would be lots of rampart anonymous sex, orgies, fetish parties, and drugs on that street. I for one wouldn’t want to live on that street. (however I may consider a sublet for a few weeks……. :-p )
Jesse Helms
This old ugly gay Queen will be dead soon and forgotten. Most you homos don’t know this old hag and most don’t care. This old Queen and Helen Thomas would make a good couple, but both will be dead soon.
mconyc08
Queerty, what’s the point of having a “Flag the comment” option if it’s not correctly enabled?
There are plenty of comments here that are completely inapropriate and should be removed since they are only written to push people’s buttons and are not contributing anything relevant to the discussion.
There’s a big difference between freedom of speech and HATE speech. Way to run a “pro-gay” media property!
Jesse Helms
mconyc08 hey fool free speech includes your so called definition of hate speech. You are a retard homo writing the same thing over and over. Screw you and this old ugly Queen in the picture. He’s almost dead anyway. Good riddance. Why don’t you go sleep with old Frankie?
BT
What a waste of 2 minutes. I live right off the 2 block stretch of 17th street they are talking about. You can’t equate a gayborhood with an MLK boulevard- you have two totally different classes of people living on them. Plus, outside of a 1% slice of the gay community, nobody has heard of Frank Kameny.