but, the posters on this site will ensure that i dont make your mistake by supporting a group, white gays, that dont support me. Thank you John Egan, i will live regret free thanks to you!

That does not imply that all African Americans voted for Prop 8 or that there are no gay African Americans. It simply acknowledges that African Americans as a group, voted strongly against equal rights for GLBTI people when they, as a group, have been the most visible recipient of the benefits of the civil rights movement – in which I participated.

My sense of betrayal is profound.

Some have stated that they will burn black churches, that is racist. Many have spoken of “the blacks” as a localized group. No one of intellegence,including myself, has said that homophobia does not exist in ALL ethnic groups including those of colour, but i have read pure clinical racist bigotry on this site. This is not about race but about education, but many whites have said that that is not an excuse. True, but it is THE answer.(if you like it or not) Low education whites and browns are more likely to be bigoted against others. THIS IS FACT, but it is easier to blame “the blacks” because educating them would take energy and effort on your part..god forbid. It would require compassion and understanding and most of all it would take time and WORK! I guess gay rights are not worth that to you.

Before it was sold, 365gay was my favorite site for important gay news. Now i see it as a place for white people to show their racism.
Ross, if that is not you, I am sure that from reading these posts, you know of whom I speak. I fight racism and homophobia every single day of my life and have spoken at many forums on race and homophobia. But this site has made me tired and for the first time in my life I am re-thinking my career.

Obama has stated his desire to repeal DOMA, which is the true issue, not this state by state bullshit! He is against dont-ask-dont-tell, he is for civil unions for all same sex couples. This is much more than McCain( who won 27% of the gay-white-vote), Bush and even the Clintons. But, many whites on this site blame him for prop 8 and wish they did not vote for him.
When he makes these things happen, those of you that have shown your true colors, dont avail yourself of any of them.

And to the poster stating that next time he will not defend Obama when called a monkey again, dont be surprised when you are not defended when called a fag..again.

diego: et.al. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I made any racist statements, here, on another website, or indeed during my entire life! My frustration with this issue is not with black people. I do not “blame the coloreds” as James puts it. My frustrations stem from a CULTURE that professes to not judge people because of petty differences, yet turns around and refuses to acknowledge that they our discriminating because of PETTY DIFFERENCES. (caps are for emphasis, not out of anger)

There is a great difference between what I am saying, which is criticism of a CULTURE versus racism. Don’t see the difference? Watch that video of the guy at the McCain/Palin rally with the Curios George doll with the Obama pin on it. THAT is racist. The day after the election on the campus of a Texas university (I forget which one) nooses were hung in the trees. THAT is racist. There are reports from election night at that same campus; a group of Obama supporters where chanting Obama’s name in the halls of their dorm; a secound group declared that if they saw a black person after dark they would jump him and assault him. THAT is racist.

I have done nothing CLOSE to that, and yet I am being accused of racism. I find that personally offensive considering just how much support I have given the African-American community. I have protested the death penalty in this country mainly because it disproportionately affects black men. I donated to the red cross after Katrina because I saw what the Bush administration refused to do. Hell! My first boyfriend, who I still love very much even to this day is black. I am not racist. I am merely critical of PREACHERS who lead their flocks towards intolerance, regardless of their skin color.
To say I’m racist when I say that black people are capable of intolerance is in and of itself racist.

Earlier on here someone said that what is being said here is being reported in the black community. I see no problem with non-gay African-Americans being informed. If they cannot read my comments and see the difference between my positions and racism, then they consider criticism of their clergy racist, and their is nothing I can say or do to convince them otherwise.

But we cannot live in the past. Prop 8 passed. I have done my mourning on the subject, and now look to the future. We must step up. We need our own leaders again. People who will be well known because they lead a community of people towards equality. Not because they already are celebrities. If Obama is the new MLK, then we need our new Harvey Milk.

This is not the first skirmish we seen on this battle line. The first time any federal glb civil rights legislation was proposed, it was in the form of an amendment to the original civil rights act. The Black Congressional Caucus demanded that we not be given the same status. And we still have a standalone separate bill, ENDA.
Whether or not is reasonable for AAs and HAs to oppose marriage, 35+ years later it is UN-reasonable to continue to deny us access to the protections of the original 1964 act. Let’s start there and work up. We DO need to confront homophobia wherever it may be.

Yes the Democratic Party has two groups that don’t see eye to eye on same-sex marriage. And maybe we have to tolerate that. But
just as the party would never tolerate openly racist actions on the part of our constituency, it should not tolerate openly homophobic actions of the part of AAs, who just a year or so ago pushed through a rule to limit the delegate affirmative action plan to groups who have historically had their voting rights denied. This was in direct response to a request by the GLBT caucus to be given the same rights as African-, Hispanic-, Asian- and Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. This was not a difference over marriage, it was a general refusal to acknowledge that we face discrimination too. As someone who lived through the sixties and who actually followed affirmative action regs in hiring, it was never based on voting, it was based on our failure to provide equal educations.

What I think we need to face is the basic rejection of lgbts as equals and failure to acknowledge us as allies by communities of color. If only it WAS limited to opposition to same-sex marriage

Oh come on. My post is not that confusing. Here is the bullet point version.

1) if Prop 8 fails, race talk will dominate the conversation.

2) Prop 8 failed for a number of reasons, one of them being a high number of black and brown folk who voted against same sex marriage.

3) homophobia in the black community needs to be fought against, just like we fight against homophobia wherever it comes from.

4) the Democratic Party gets votes from two communities that don’t see eye to eye on marriage rights.

Don’t know how clearer I can be on this.

Sincerely,

James