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.
First of all, there is no such thing as homophobia, nor heterophobia as coined by the LGBT professionals to control the discussion regarding the the normalization of neurotic behavior and its associated paraphilias. Secondly, the discourse is about giving further entitlements and special treatment to neurotic adults without the benefit of replicable, empirical data. Anyone for MRI polygraphs? This argument holds no weight if the LGBT bodies continue to believe that race and socioeconomic status has any bearing on neurotic behavior.
What about racism in the queer community. Talk about the pink elephant in the room!
Eddie in LA you are right about what you are saying. And what I’m saying is in response to this column written. And no it’s not racist for you to speak up about your rights no matter what color you are and yes we all should call people out who opposses equality.
I can’t believe they still publish Whithers here. What an insult to every white person on the earth.
Man. Who knew I insulted that many people.
Be well Eddie!
Waiting for Black GLBT leaders to call their own community out for its homophobia would be akin to waiting for the Klan to admit they are a group of hater mongers and need to change their ways. With help from Americans of all racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, Black Americans were able to enjoy the Rights and Privileges afforded them in the constitution. The GLBT Community is also entitled to the rights of the constitution and most especially the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “Equal Protection Under The Law”. Until all Americans hold all other Americans accountable for their actions, we will never achieve our liberty. I am 57 years old and probably will not live to see, GLBT Marriage recognized in all 50 states and our territories nor will I be able to stand and salute my openly Gay brothers and sisters who have served so honorably in our nations military. No plagiarism intended, but “I HAVE A DREAM”…
Whoever said the “Down Low” is an issue doesn’t understand men or the “down low” otherwise known to us as “The closet”. The media and people love to seperate eachother from one another. The name Down low is just a way for somone to say there in the closet WITHOUT saying there gay.
Theres NO difference between a black man sleeping around on his wife and a white man sleeping around on his wife, but I guess down low sounds more “ethnic” and so it caught on.
If were going to confront an issue, why don’t we confront the reason why so many men feel they have to lie about what they like to do sexually, black or white or whatever?
I live in a predominantly hispanic neighborhood and the “down low” is a big issue here for the hispanic men here. Lets stop seperating our all to human issues into color.
Bigots are going to bigots no matter what skin color they are carrying around.
A massive educational campaign would be resourse intensive, and very time consuming, And for what end, It is ok if someone is homophobic, but just leave me alone. Don’t hit me upside my head. You see, Folks are not rag dolls to change as we see fit. It works both ways. Stop the acting out already.
TANK – you can only speak the way Mr. Withers says you can – because you are not black. If Mr. Whithers is not available – you can get an approval from Jasmine Cannick – lest you be pronounced a “white elitist” or “gay racist.”
I can’t believe they still publish Whithers here. What an insult to every white person on the earth.
So now we have culturally and racially specific forms of homophobia! Niche homophobia, if you will. We need to craft those messages to address the divergent and many different culturally and racially unique causes of homophobia (and types of it, too!)…else the message won’t be understood or relevant to their…what’s the word… Lived experience (the impenetrable and ineffable mystique that gives someone a special, privileged perspective that cannot be questioned and is infallible…*rolls eyes*). Oy gevalt.
Here’s the deal…regardless of culture, race or ethnicity, homophobia comes down to the importance people place on gender normativity in playing out sexism. Now Kanye West may have more of an impact calling out homophobia in the music industry and black community than, say, gene robinson, because he’s a black celebrity, but homophobia is the same everywhere it exists and exists for the same reasons…and it is EVERYONE’s responsibility to address it. Those who are in a better position to do it because of their celebrity status have more of a responsibility to do it…but given that it works the same way, it can be addressed the same way, too. If the target audience doesn’t listen because they don’t respect you, that doesn’t mean that you are in the wrong for confronting them…nor does it mean that they only respect people LIKE them.
However, everyone has a right and obligation to confront homophobia or any unethical social arrangement whenever and wherever they can…regardless of your social position.
Jessica, I think “alternative” sexual identities are heavily informed by the culture they come from. Calling black MSMs “really just gay and in the closet” seems as ignorant to me as previous ideologies that claimed homosexual behavior resulted when a man had gender identity confusion.
James:
“if those same black gays and lesbians note the role faith plays in black homophobia then we are not being honest about the topic?”
There’s a difference between “noting” and excusing. You’ve done more of the latter in your previous pieces about the exit poll data.
Arana’s piece is stumbling and awkward, and I disagree with his point that “whites” (whoever those seemingly raceless people are…critical whiteness, anyone?) should be removed entirely from dialogues about black homophobia. All gays and lesbians are the victims of black/white/latino/religious homophobia. Certainly, black should lead discussions on their own cultural understanding of homophobia, but getting other communities to understand it is key to making progress. Suggesting something similar, that black people should be removed from discussions latinos have about homophobia appears equally shortsighted in promoting limited community-internal dicussion.
Calvin – I couldn’t agree with you more. EVERY homophobe needs to be called out – no matter what color he or she might be. I’m not saying all homophobia originates in the black community or that the black community is solely responsible.
Over the years I’ve called out every white homophobe and every white racist, and I will continue to do so.
But read Mr. Withers’ column here – he tells this other columnist to shut up. No one has a right to call out homophobes if they are black – according to Mr. Whithers.
Mr. Whithers has pronounced the entire gay community as racist because we were surprised by the vote on Prop 8. We can’t even say we’re surprised without being called racists.
The real racists are people like Whithers and Cannick who say white gay people have no right to speak. I have no right to speak because I am white – that is racist.
PS – Jasmine Cannick is a racist.
This is a reply to Eddie in LA. You stand to be corrected. I agree with you mostly. I mean for black people earning freedom and rights is the same thing that we as LGBT community are going thru right now. It takes too much effort to single one group out when we have so many other groups that need to be exposed including the black community. Yet we don’t wanna start a huge uproar against a minority group that again suffered the restricition of the same rights we are after “Equality” On the other hand with that being said we as a black community should know about discrination 1st hand! There is no excuse for that at all! But lets starts with everyone! Not just one group!
TK – Keep quiet – the only people that are allowed to say anything on this are black people – James has spoken.
I know a lot of openly Gay Black guys. I also know some that have ‘experimented’ with men but refuse to say that they’re Gay. One of my friends (a Black guy) actually told my Gay teacher and I that his mother said homosexuality was the ‘White man’s disease’.