Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: How not to begin a conversation about black homophobia
Contrary to some 365 chatter, I think homophobia among black folks needs to be discussed, and critiqued, for what it is: bigotry. It is true if you come screeching nonsense then I’m moving on. Unfortunately most of the time when the topics race, sexuality, and prejudice are in the mix, a mess is sure to follow.
Writer Gabriel Arana wants to talk about black homophobia but he trips over the topic before he even gets out of the gate. I’ll do my best to be polite, but his essay is filled with the type of misconceptions that kill any type of meaningful discussion. I’m not sure where to begin because his words are all over the place and some of his sources are dubious at best. Call me a snob but I trust this source on the “dreaded” down low, rather than the one Arana uses.
Aside from the nitpicking, his whole premise is slightly dubious because there have been conversations about black homophobia. Go here, here, here, here, and here. All those come up with a quick Google search.
However, with all that said, his last paragraph broke the deal for me.
“Finally, I think part of the hesitation in acknowledging homophobia in the black community is about privilege: Who gets to talk about problems in the African-American community? For members outside of the African-American community (read: White people) to critique its social norms is to invoke White privilege and call to mind the historical power relationship between blacks and whites. I think it would be best for LGBT folk who are African-American to lead the discussion, no less so because they speak from a position of greater understanding.”
So if I read Arana correctly, there needs to be some talking about black homophobia and it should be led by black gays and lesbians because of our “position of greater understanding”; however, if those same black gays and lesbians note the role faith plays in black homophobia then we are not being honest about the topic?
And why does he assume group membership implies an understanding of group dynamics. That’s some multi-cult noise we learned in school (and I’m a proud diversity baby), but it really doesn’t make any sense because it assumes black gays and lesbians speak with a singular voice. Keith Boykin equals Jasmyne Cannick equals James Withers. Or to flip the script, Dan Savage equals Andrew Sullivan equals Jennifer Vanasco. And isn’t prejudice so pernicious that what only counts is that it is called out, no matter who is doing the calling?
I’ll give Arana credit for taking on an important topic, but he’s going to end up talking to himself if this is the type of stuff he’s going to throw out.
I think the whole “Down Low” thing is what is causing some of the problem.
Black men that sleep with men (even some times) but can’t admit to to themselves or others due to their thinking that “Well I’m not gay or bi I just sleep with men sometimes” are deluding themselves and others.
Dude you ARE Bi or Gay, own up to it and ware it proudly instead of hiding behind a delusion. If you can’t deal with your own issues neither can others.
Finally, I was beginning to worry that Mr. Withers wasn’t going to write like he use to and give us something relevant to chat about. I appreciate the comments about group membership not being relevant to having a discussion or understanding of bigotry whether black, white, straight, gay etc. Many non-blacks marched and fought along side MLK and civil rights would have only been acheived by understanding whites. Equally in the gay community, we will never have full equality without those from the Straight community that understand the need for equality and do not view us as demented, evil, deviants. I don’t necessarily agree with the comments about those on the down-low…there are plenty of non-blacks who hide in the closet and have sex with men/women (are you listen Senator Craig?) so to single out black men who live on the downlow is ridiculous. Living in the closet is harmful regardless of race. Anyway, I have digressed, my point is that bigotry is an important discussion whether it is racial or sexual orientation and we as a gay community have our own work to do as was evident in many posts following Prop 8. Yes, we were angry (I still am)…but two wrongs will never make a right and until we embrace full diversity ourselves, how can we expect those outside of the community to embrace it (HRC are you listening??? Because you are doing a Sh*tty job including our Trans brothers & sisters).
Michael,
I am talking with the experience of the black men that I know and what I have heard other black gay men say. There are of course lots of other colors out there that can not own up to it but from what I personally see the problem is a very big one in the Black community, and it’s the view of others also. Also this is a topic about African Americans not the other groups so don’t even try to make me sound racist.
And speaking as a Nurse who knows, it is the biggest reason that African-American women are the largest growing group of people with AIDS. They think they are sleeping with a straight man but the man isn’t so straight and wont admit it. Thats a problem.
I have been to one too many parties where the so called straight black man has had to go around and tell everyone that he knows not to mention anything in front of his female date.
It stems largely from the bigotry and hatred of gay people from within the Black community. And yes it does happen in other groups but they are not the subject here.
Your position may or may not be the first time and place it has been posted in the gay community.
I fully agree with your position. This argument is not for the white elitists to take the “we know what’s best for the African American community” attitude.
African Americans leading the discussion is only more condescension if they are just front people for white gay interests.
African Americans need to lead more than the discussion; they need to lead the fight for gay equality in the African American community. This is primarily their community and their fight.
Black homophobia is however not without consequences to white gays. Proposition 8 is one example of this.
People say African Americans only make up 6.2 % of the California electorate, but they so make up larger percentages of states that have the most oppressive anti-gay laws in the nation. It is no coincidence that the southeast is the most hostile place for gays in this country and also has the largest percentage of African Americans.
People need to realize that these Black Evangelicals are cut from the same bigoted cloth that the White Evangelicals are cut from. The irony is that cloth was cut due to bigotry (The Civil War)
Condemning the hell out of the White Christian Right and giving non-whites cut from the same cloth kid glove treatment is a huge mistake considering whites are only 66% of the nation’s electorate and declining.
The bigger problem is that white liberals tend to have an even worse “we know what’s best for African American peers” attitude than gays do.
I am not aware of any of any predominately non-white ultra liberal or predominately non-white queer neighborhoods anywhere in the nation. Ultra liberal and gay neighborhoods seem to be a ‘White’s only” privilege in this country.
That has to change before the nation can change.
Ok Withers, then get this party started, missy!Let’s hear it.
The deafening message coming from the AA community, including the progressive/liberals, is that GLBTs have not suffered enough, been beaten enough, been killed enough to expect AAs to see us as either allies in the struggle for or deserving of equal rights. We have not put our message out correctly. We have not “outreached”/educated the straights. We have not, in short, held our mouths just right. The meta message is incredibly and transparantly smug: we are getting ours and don’t need you (anymore.)
Well, when I was young (think Watts riots), I came to an understanding of my own skin-privilege and unconscious bigotry. It was not an easy process, not pleasant, and was entirely facilitated by the lesbian feminist community, largely by white lesbians, because at that time and place, black lesbians were busy with their own issues and didn’t trust that white lesbians were struggling hard enough to be inclusive.
It is never easy to admit who you are when you are busy denying it, for whatever reasons. So I say this to you, Mr. Withers and to all the AAs who are so adamant about what we GLBTs haven’t done right and prescriptive about what we should be doing now: come to your bigotry honestly and deal with it yourselves. None of us are free until all of us are free. We merit equality by virtue of our humanity.
Jessica – sensitive much? I never infered anything about you being racist at all – in fact, I didn’t mention you at all. So maybe you need to check yourself as to why you took my comment personally. I simply stated that from MY POINT OF VIEW, being on the downlow isn’t limited to the black community and really I don’t see the validity of that arguement in context to the discussion. I do agree that the best thing any gay person can do is come out of the closet regardless of race.
Right on! I am not going to wait for or require black lgbt’ers to call the black community OUT on the carpet and hold them accountable for its virulent homophobia. That ignores the reality that the lgbt community in its entirety is victimized by it. I’ll hold it responsible when I see it just like I do every other community.
And if that entails that I’m somehow using my white privilege and thus being racist to some useless diversity studies grad students or anyone else, I couldn’t care less. At long last we’ve found something good that can come from white privilege! LOL!
My response to James: http://wharfandweft.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-incompetently-critique-and.html
The best way for a white person to begin a conversation about black homophobia is to not have one in the first place. IMHO.
To me it’s not so much that black LGBT folk would have any more great understanding about it since all LGBT folk are the recipients of it in some way or another. But the reason African-Americans should not only be the ones to lead the discussion but also be the sole LGBT participants in it is because only then will those African Americans(who love to throw out accusations of LGBT racism to blame others for their homophobia) be able to have an honest conversation on the subject without the distraction of the so called white privilege.
James – many of us hold the position that black homophobia needs to be addressed by black gay folks. – why? Because black ears are closed to white words.
You say that faith plays a major role – don’t you think it does for white homophobes as well? Do you think white gays have not had to address that with our families as well?
But first and foremost – the reason black homophobia has to be addressed by black gay people is because the minute any white gay tries to address it we are called racists and Nazis. In short, we’ve been threatened into keeping our mouths shut.
So James – our mouths are shut.
So get yours moving and quit living off the blood and sweat of your white gay brothers and sisters. Go to work in the African American community and fight homophobia – or live with it.
I think that this column is right on the money. I am a black gay man and I think that that black people need to be educated about it and it IS Bigotry. It’s no difference with any other race. They all need to be exposed. People need to stop jumping on the band wagon and think for themselves and honestly alot of people including some blacks don’t. Just my two cents
Well Calvin – let’s start with the black homophobes in our own gay community. Let’s take the “down low” guys to task. They are just taking the easy way out. I see them no differently than gay Republicans – they live on the freedom earned by others and then stab them in the back.
“So get yours moving and quit living off the blood and sweat of your white gay brothers and sisters. Go to work in the African American community and fight homophobia – or live with it.”
Sincerely,
James