Remember when Obama got all up in the faces of black America and told ’em how The Gays are still being persecuted too? One of the most prominent black women in the country didn’t get the message — and is endorsing a bigot for governor of Virginia.
Having founded BET and sold it for a shit ton of cash, Sheila Johnson is rich beyond belief. Billionaire rich. And what’s she doing with her power and influence? Backing Bob McDonnell for Virginia’s CEO.
Johnson likes him because of his fiscal savvy.
You’ll hate him because he’s staunchly opposed to marriage equality and, notes Rod 2.0, tried to block the reappointment of a judge not because she was gay, but because she violated Virginia’s anti-sodomy law. Because there’s a difference.
How about we take this to the next level?
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So much for one community joining hands with another. What’s next, the National Organization for Women backing anti-gay marriage Meg Whitman for governor of California?
AndTom
Can any group of people still claim persecution when they vote away equality for others? It would seem if a group has advanced that far that they no longer recognize in equality they must be doing well.
Brian
She’s black?
Dabq
Never heard of her, but have her husband, so, not so sure about her alleged ‘prominence.’ That said, this should not be a shock, after all she and her husband, who is still seething that HRC didn’t win, owned BET and got filthy rich, one of the most homophobic, misogynistic channels on earth.
Mike
Are you saying all African Americans are against gay rights just because this one woman is?
Random Gay Guy
cough race baiting article cough
Seriously, is there any other reason for this article? Sheila feels that McDonnell is the guy that can bring around VA’s economy. The world doesn’t revolve around lgbt issues. Most heterosexuals don’t take lgbt issues into account, and they definitely don’t make them the number one concern, when they are choosing a candidate to support. Sheila is concerned about the economy like most people in the US right now.
I hate McDonnell with a passion. I think he would be the absolute worst thing to VA. However, I respect peoples decision to support him because they want to. Queerty, this tactic is shameless.
Trent
@Brian: LOL! I thought the same thing, and I AM Black.
AndTom
@Mike: Not sure who you mean, but I am not referring to all but a lot. View the breakdown on racial lines for the prop 8 vote. You can find the link on this site.
galefan2004
While I don’t think that NOW would get involved, you would be amazed how many women’s interests groups go on the attack against gay rights. Its almost like they know we can please their men better than they can and are afraid that their husbands who only married them to remain in closet will dump their sexually retarded asses if they get to marry the gays.
sal(the original)
BET=the mould im told i should be and thank goodness i have two working brain cells that allow me to think for myself.that channel is sad anyway
sal(the original)
mold*
Dabq
@AndTom: Give me a break, this chick is looking at her taxes more than anything else, do you really think she speaks for or even deals with the average black or gay person? Those little people don’t matter to her. And, since you are talking about how people voted, how did Latino’s vote or Asians in that Prop 8 thing that the ones who were against it refused to get any people of color into helping until the last minute? And, how many gays in Calif didn’t even bother to vote on election day? What about the white conservatives in the Central Valley who out number blacks in the state? How did the black vote in Alameda County go since it has one of the highest black populations in the state? This is where the posters here really show how clueless they are when they believe this site and CNN as the whole truth and nothing but the truth and carry the same negative stereotypes that they claim they hate.
prissysissy
One billionaire businesswoman, who hardly looks black despite being one, supporting an anti-LGBT candidate for business reasons should come as no surprise. Comparing that to NOW support Meg Whitman is juvenile analogy, but not surprising considering its Queerty. One woman does not make for an organization (unless you are Maggie Gallagher), neither does she represent anything in her racial community.
prissysissy
@ANDTOM #7: 49% whites supported banning gay marriage in CA. By your reasoning, that makes a LOT (even if not all) white people into homophobic bigots. Welcome to the real world .. ?
AndTom
@prissysissy: Yes i would agree with your assesment of my logic i would call 49% of white people homophobic bigots. Sooo when you say welcome to the real world is that some how your signal that you have given up on hope of trying to bring that number down, is it just a for gone conclusion to you.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
I thought Bea Arthur passed away…
prissysissy
@ANDTOM – have you heard of Nate Silver and his polling website?
He did a study on the correlation between various factors and voting for Prop. 8. Guess what – race had less to do with a person’s vote than education and income. And he gave a brilliant explanation on how that explains the high % of blacks voting for Prop. 8. Look it up, its not rocket science, unless of course statistical correlation is as arcane to you as string theory.
AndTom
@prissysissy: You seem to want to attack my intellect, which in turn says volumes of your debate skill. In an effort to end our discourse i would like to tell you that you are having issue with comments of your own making, I care nothing for how this group or that group voted I think a lot of people in CA voted away equality for some. But now back to my original comments being. “Can any group of people still claim persecution when they vote away equality for others? It would seem if a group has advanced that far that they no longer recognize in equality they must be doing well.” I only sited prop 8 statistics in support of my original comment, which it does, no matter what percent you show that percent obviously has forgotten the struggle for equality. If you would please, attack these comments, not ones that you think I have issued.
RainaWeather
What is the point of posting this? And I bet most viewers of BET are white anyway.
Dennis
I believe there used to be a colloquial term that could be used to describe her, “high yellow”.
She made her fortune taking black people’s money, and supports the republican agenda? My term for her is “money grubbing b*tch”…just another rich asshat. Black, white or high-yellow, the only color that matters to most billionaires is green.
Paul
She’s allowed to back whomever she wants. It’s called a choice. PA Democrats voted for Bob Casey for Senator even though he is pro-life – a traditionally Republican position.
alan brickman
women hate gays because they hate men….
schlukitz
@Mike:
And are you saying that we should not call this woman on her bigotry because it might offend some members of the black community?
You might try taking note of the fact that it is the LGBT community that is the offended party here, not the the black community.
I don’t have much patience with or pity for stone hurlers crying persecution when they are called on their homophobia and bigotry.
Anthony
Queerty this might comes as breaking news to you but people are allowed to vote for whomever they want. Are you trying to tell me because she is black she is automatically supposed to support the Democrat. Please Queerty GET OVER YOURSELF. Virginia has a constitutional amendment declaring marriage a relationship between a women and a man. The founder of BET or even the governor of VA can’t change that.
schlukitz
@Random Gay Guy:
cough race baiting article cough
Race-bating my ass. She is using her position, wealth and power to support a homophobe for public office. That deserves being called on by the LGBT community. Is she were white and got called on this issue, would that still be race-baiting?
The world doesn’t revolve around lgbt issues.
Thank you for your apologist comment. Apparently, the flagrant violation of your rights as a gay person is of little concern to you.
Perhaps the time has arrived that the “world” began to give a little more thought and concern to the issues of LGBT people. We pay taxes too, you know? That means we should have representation as American citizens, not having to make excuses for the blatant bigotry and homophobia of our appointed leaders whose salaries we pay.
However, I respect peoples decision to support him because they want to.
Then it probably goes without saying that you also respect the peoples decision to support Yes on Prop 8 in California.
Queerty, this tactic is shameless.
Correction. It is YOU who is shameless!
Kathy Middlesex
Just to put this in context a little more those non-Virginians… We have a lot going on right now. This past year a non-discrimination policy was proposed to the General Assembly and failed. We have no law that protects anyone’s employment, whether it’s race, gender, religion, sexuality, etc. Right now we just have an executive order that says don’t discriminate. Bob McDonnell is strongly against the executive order and as Attorney General has written an opinion that it is against Commonwealth law.
He is also against allowing public institutions of higher education having like any autonomy. He caused a lot of problems when George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the College of William & Mary wanted to host the Sex Workers’ Art Show in spring of 2008. GMU and VCU ended up not hosting it. WM did, but in the process our Board of Visitors members who were up for confirmation were called into Richmond and questioned about it, trying to get them to cancel it. WM also received budget cut threats because of this. Bob McDonnell was one of the most vocal opponents.
Yes, people have the right to vote how they want, but this is a crucial time for LGBTQ Virginians and McDonnell would be very bad for us.
RainaWeather
@schlukitz: He’s saying that the fact that she’s black is irrelevant.
RainaWeather
@schlukitz: If she were white and Queerty criticized her for specifically being a white woman who was homophobic, then it certainly would be race baiting. What was the point of mentioning that she was black? How often does this site, or any site really, mention the race of homophobes when they are white? Oh that’s right, NEVER. Because apparently white people are individuals and the rest of us are fucking clones!
schlukitz
@RainaWeather:
That’s pure bullshit and you know it. Whites are being called out all the time.
Haggard. Craig. Ensign. Foley. Sanford…to name but a few. All of them white…and there’s lots more.
Take the time to read some of the other articles on Queerty for crying out loud.
RainaWeather
@schlukitz: Are you dense or what? When blacks on this site are called out, it’s for being Homophobic and BLACK. When whites are called out, it’s just for being homophobic. All those people you named never have their race mentioned, yet this woman does. Why? Why was it important to mention that she is black? How is that relevant??? Why is she a prominent black women and not just a prominent woman? The reason I say this is precisely because I read the Queerty articles and see the differences in reporting.
schlukitz
@RainaWeather:
Good grief! You’re not RainaWeather; you’re a fucking typhoon!
A person can be identified as straight.
A person can be identified as bi-sexual.
A person can be identified as Catholic.
A person can be identified as a Muslim.
A person can be identified as Italian.
A person can be identified as a coal-miner.
A person can be identified as a President.
A person can be identified as a paraplegic.
A person can be identified as a social worker.
Absolutely no one would take any issue with any of the above terms.
Are we being anti-religious if we identify someone as as Protestant?
Are we being racist if we identify someone as a white?
Are we being disrespectful is we identify someone as a doorman, a waiter or a sanitation worker?
Are we being bigoted if we identify someone as Asian?
Are we being discriminatory if we identify someone as gay?
Are we persecuting if we identify someone as Jewish?
Are we being offensive if we identify someone as a Native American?
But the minute we identify someone as black, people like you come teeming out of the woodwork screaming racism!
The “N” word was way over the top and totally unacceptable to black people, just like the word “faggot” is way over the top and unacceptable gay people.
No one with a shred of intelligence or sensitivity would dream of using that degrading and demoralizing term anymore. Yet the term “fagot” continues to be used with regularity and impunity.
Then came the term “mulatto” and “Negro”. Neither of those terms were acceptable either and it was the black community itself that insisted on white people using the term “black” when referring to them.
Now, it appears, that the use of the term “black” is not acceptable either. Can you please tell us what term is acceptable and one which we whites will not get called on?
I think we honkeys (the derogatory term blacks use to describe us) ought to start a movement to strickin the word “white” from the English language because it is offensive and not politically correct.
I say we we go for the term “Color challenged”.
Would you please refer to us as such in the future, Raina dear?
I will take it as an personal ethnic slur if you continue to refer to me as “white”.
Meanwhile, you can continue to refer to me as a “fagot” with impunity.
RainaWeather
@schlukitz: I’ll call you whatever the fuck you want to be called. But, as for your main point, when a person’s race, religion, ethnicity, job, etc., has nothing to do with the actual subject at hand, then yes, I would call it discriminatory because it serves no purpose other than to paint a group of people as scape goats. Of course, I don’t mean only when talking about blacks, it’s just that on this site it usually happens to blacks. And what would make you think that I’ve ever called someone a “faggot?” Are you assuming I’m homophobic because I’m black (even though I frequent a gay website and have never made anti-gay remarks)?
Do me favor: The next time you see a white person’s race mentioned in a post here, I want you to let me know.
Joanaroo
Actually, wasn’t BET sold to a white-owned company or at least tne CEO is white. I remember both blacks and whites wondering what was going to become of the channel. Whether this lady is black, white, red or purple, I’m surprised she’d back this man who doesn’t have much moral character.
Joanaroo
Just googled-The Johnsons sold BET for $3 billion to Viacom in 2000. Since then they both have become hnteliers and are involved in other businesses-Mrs. Johnson in VA. That’s why BET has become sort of a MTV/Nick At Night channel and Tavis Smiley was dismissed and has been with PBS. Like I said, regardless of race, don’t know why anyone would back this guy for Gov.
GregorVonK
When someone who’s suffered at the hands of bigots turns around and embraces bigotry him/herself, then it DOES say something about us all as human beings. And actually, I’d be the first to admit that the “something” it does tell us about is more nuanced than your typical Queerty post might suggest. But just as African Americans may take umbrage at white middle class gays who have the audacity to compare their situation to that of blacks, so might some gays feel indignant when SOME blacks embrace homophobic policies or beliefs.
Ultimately, of course, everyone is an individual and responsible for his/her own beliefs and statements–and the effects of same. But one can still legitmately wonder why thus-and-so individual, who has almost certainly experienced bigotry in his/her lifetime, can comfortably embrace policies (or the pols who express them) that are discrimatory toward someone else.
It’s a fascinating question really–a reminder that most of us wear blinders at least some of the time, on at least SOME of the issues.