“Instead of slandering me or telling me how I should express myself, it would be best if you read his own words for yourself.”

Instead? Eddie, dear, I can assure you I am quite capable of slandering you, telling you how you should express yourself AND reading Mr Withers’ words for myself. It really isn’t an either-or situation. I’m more than capable of doing all three.

As per your delightful challenge, I’ve just finished reading everything Mr Withers has posted in the past year. I have found several comments he’s made where he’s said he’s not racist. I have found several comments he’s made that suggest that sentiment is not quite true. I have concluded, as I believed before, that Mr Withers is not a racist. He does seem to have an attitude towards white people, though it is no more pronounced than anyone else who feels the need to constantly assert their pride in their cultural heritage.

We can see in his picture that Mr Withers is black, yet he feels the need to remind people of this fact on a fairly regular basis. I have noticed that people with this tendency, both black and white, tend to reinforce their statements of racial identity with correspondingly derogatory attitudes towards other racial groups. Such people generally have low self-esteem and try to compensate by constantly professing their pride in various personal characteristics – their race, sexuality, religion, etc.

Given the tendency Mr Withers has to only respond to what he perceives as personal slights, frequently in an arrogant or belittling manner, I would suggest that rather than being a racist he is a man of low self-esteem who feels the need to offer himself constant reassurance, normally by commending himself on those personal attributes over which he has no control. Specifically, his sexuality and race. In order to do so, sometimes this compulsion requires him to make comments belittling other races, and heterosexuality, in order to create a pretense of superiority.

It’s rather sad, actually.

However, I did find several examples of overt racism from you, Eddie. Here is one particularly vile example:

“Since the passage of Prop 8 – all of my liberal daydreaming about buying the world a Coke and singing in perfect harmony has come to an end. Fact – Blacks are the most racist and violent people in the county of Los Angeles. Fact – Blacks are the most violent people in the county of Los Angeles. Fact – Blacks have every single educational opportunity as anyone else in the county of Los Angeles. Fact – Black kids who study are told they are “acting white.” Who cares what the black community thinks? It will reap what it sows. We shall overcome them. They will continue to suffer as long as they wish to suffer, so let them suffer. I have no more patience for them – or for their apologists.”

Perhaps before you go accusing people of racism, you could take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror. Mr Withers has his faults. He is a flawed human being, like the rest of us. However, you sir are a vile bigot and I would be ashamed to breathe the same air as you.

Read it or can it.

In subsequent columns (to which you refer) – he has reiterated his same racist views against white people.

James is a racist.

One doesn’t have to use the word “honkey” or scream “kill whitie” to be a racist.

James has written several racist columns on this site. His words are published for you to read.

Instead of slandering me or telling me how I should express myself, it would be best if you read his own words for yourself.

I don’t need to read through his previous comments. I agree with you to an extent. I agree he has a bias against white people, whether he’s consciously aware of it or not. However, I have seen no evidence that he is a racist. I must admit there were a couple of months where I didn’t visit this site and perhaps that was when he made this entry you talk about where he called all white people racist, but I can’t comment on something I’ve never read.

My point was not about whether or not Mr Withers is racist, though my personal belief is that he is not. My point is that it is getting very boring seeing you make the same comments time and time again regardless of what he says. In the above post he criticised Obama. He did not rip into him as perhaps you feel he should have, and I certainly agree that his criticism is somewhat timid compared to what I’ve seen from him in the past, but his comments above do not reflect your assertion that he is praising or supporting Obama. Far from it. His post above and many others he has made recently have been critical of Obama and his abject failure to offer any meaningful support to the gay community.

It therefore makes you look foolish, and bores others including myself, when you level the same old accusations at him. You come across as a mindless troll just looking to provoke. If that’s your intention, keep doing what you’re doing, but if you’re looking to address his comments in an intelligent manner, try reading them before you reply.

Let me be clear – I don’t like Mr Withers. I find him rude and obnoxious, I find his politics questionable and some of his thoughts ill-conceived. However, he IS an advocate for the gay community, he genuinely believes in the cause of LGBT rights and even when he’s wrong his posts are thought-provoking and frequently stimulate the sort of debate this site needs.

I don’t like him, I frequently disagree with him, but there is no doubt in my mind that he is an asset to this site. I wouldn’t invite him around to my house for dinner, but I would proudly stand alongside him in the fight for LGBT rights – and based on your behaviour in your many posts, I certainly would not say the same about you.

If you disagree with him, say so. I doubt you’ll get much of a response as he only seems to reply to what he perceives as personal attacks, but at least you’ll be demonstrating you are a thinking man with a valid opinion rather than a tiresome troll who can only make the same baseless accusations time and time again.

Before you prejudge me or resort to childish name calling, perhaps you could do your research.

James hates white people. Read his own words.

I will never excuse him for it.

To be frank – I excused James for a very long time. When he wrote a column damning all white gay people as racists, it was just too much.

James is one of the most racist contemporary writers I’ve read and I’m amazed they publish him here.

First of all, I did not make that charge. Eddie did. I merely agreed with it, though not to the extent where I would call you racist. It is entirely possible to hold a prejudice without being a bigot. I have a prejudice towards Christians based on my past experience with them, which makes me naturally distrustful of them. However, that prejudice is not sufficient to manifest in the form of discrimination or hatred.

Your past writings have illustrated a bias towards white people. I’m not going to trawl through them now looking for examples, I am merely making a statement based on an impression I have that has come from your posts here. If that impression is wrong, I apologise, but I think you and I both know it’s not. Again, I’m not saying you’re a bigot, I’m saying that perhaps there is some underlying distrust or animosity towards white people that some of us have picked up on.

Second of all, when a person comes on here to defend you against the wildly offensive and almost certainly libellous accusations of a nutjob, it’s nice if you actually acknowledge that rather than picking out the one line in my ten paragraphs that you take exception to. I know you’re big enough and ugly enough to take care of yourself and don’t need others rushing to your aid, but when they do a little gratitude would not go amiss, particularly if you then intend to challenge them on something they’ve said.

Now, as I’ve said before, I disagree with some of your politics, but at your heart I believe you are a good advocate for the gay community, an intelligent man and an asset to this site. I do not think you’re a racist, though I do think that, like most humans, you have your prejudices. If you are not aware of them, perhaps you should listen to those of us who have picked up on them in your writing and carefully consider whether our opinions have merit before getting on the defensive.

Eddie is clearly a cretin who lacks the intelligence to discuss issues clearly or even comprehend exactly what you’re saying. I don’t think I need to provide evidence of this – his assertion that you’re defending Obama in your post above is evidence enough. However, he and others, including myself, have picked up on a…tension, shall we say…that you seem to exhibit towards white people.

I’m not saying that this “tension” is without cause or that you are a racist, I’m simply saying I’ve seen it, I’m not the only one who has, and perhaps there is a reason for that?

“I agree that he has expressed opinions in the past that indicate an underlying prejudice towards white folk.”

A charge like that is going to require proof.

Sincerely,

James

I most certainly do NOT think that excusing homophobia based on a person’s skin colour is acceptable. Bigotry comes in all colours and persuasions, and in fact the worst incident of bigotry I’ve encountered in my life came from a black man. I simply disagree that Mr Withers is letting Obama off the hook because of the colour of his skin.

As for your assertion that Mr Withers is supporting Obama, that’s simply ridiculous. I have to wonder if you and I are reading the same things. What I see in this post by Mr Withers, as well as several other posts he has made recently, is criticism of Obama.

Sure, I will grant you that the criticism is not as strongly worded as I might have liked, but there is a big difference between gentle criticism and support. He is not a cheerleader for Obama and your continuing assertions to the contrary only succeed in making you look stupid and petty.

I agree that Mr Withers appears to go easy on Obama when it comes to criticism. I agree that he has expressed opinions in the past that indicate an underlying prejudice towards white folk. I agree with you when you say that he would be a little less timid with his criticism if the remarks had come from Pat Robertson.

However, ambushing him in every thread calling him a racist and accusing him of supporting Obama when he clearly is NOT only serves to make you seem foolish. If you have something to say, say it, but repeating the same accusations every time is pointless, and frankly it’s becoming boring.

James wrote several column condemning white gay people as racists and making excuse after excuse for South Central’s support of Prop 8.

Now he adds insult to injury by supporting Obama while Obama calls us pedophiles and animal rapers.

I will never let James forget his racism until he recants it. James hates white people. If Pat Robertson had compared my marriage to beastiality, pedophilia and incest, he’d have been all over it. Obama does it, and it’s all ok. South Central KO’s gay marriage in California, and that’s our fault.

When is a black bigot’s homophobia his own fault?

Isaac – I’ll give you a call when your opinion starts to matter to me. Until then, save yourself some keystrokes.

James will never be excused for his racism.

I will never shut up about it, no matter how much you try to belittle me or take my right to call him out on it.