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Loading ...The Prop 8 effect: Anger between blacks and gays
When Rev. Wanda Washington arrived in Milwaukee to start up a church to serve the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood, she didn’t know exactly what she was in for.
Most recently an associate minister at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, a largely black church that welcomes LGBT members, Washington was surprised to find that in the more conservative African American community of Milwaukee, providing a safe spiritual home for LGBT congregants was dangerously controversial.This past summer, two years after she opened the doors of Grace United Church of Christ, Washington began to receive hate mail, anonymous letters arriving nearly every week telling her that she was doing the devil’s work and was going to hell. Her message of God’s fully inclusive love wasn’t going over so well with some people.
“Some people join because they like my preaching, but then they see who we totally are” – that is, welcoming even to members of the LGBT community – “and they do leave,” Washington noted.
Tensions between the African American and LGBT communities frequently don’t take such concrete forms as hate mail and empty spots in the pews. More often, they take the more subtle forms suspicion, disregard, and missed opportunities.
Next page: The Prop 8 effect
But Angelo, make no mistake – I totally believe you. My sense of the “Log Cabin” group has always been that they were a bunch of white racists that were more concerned with the Almighty Buck and their issues with race than anything to do with GLBT civil rites. In that regard, you’re perecption is because of the company you keep.
Jeremy,
Jungle fever?, you can’t get over your jungle fever? Thanx for objectifying me. How is that statement itself not racist?
Ah, Angelo – you’re a “gay Republican” – well, that pretty much sums up why you feel the way you do. (self-loathing queens that the Log Cabin types are). I am quite honest in my assertions and you do not speak for me or for that matter, a quite sizeable (majority?) of other “gay, white, male” people who DID support Obama. Speak for you “gay-Republican self”. I don’t belong to that sad collection of people.
Remembe folks this is STONEWALL 2.0 ….. ALL rights of ALL gays and their families, and allies are important. None over another! Just get out there and get noisy.
Are you part of the solution or part of the problem. Join the TELL 3 Action. Talk to 3 differen people every day about why equal civil rights for ALL are important to you as an American.
I was aghast when I read the headline, bu the read the story! It is happening, does happen. I have a friend in LA who is 1/2 black goes to a evangelical church, says her pastor ’saved’ her life. She is a friend because we are both fans of GAY singers.
But she voted for Prop H8!! Couldn’t talk her out of it.
That is in California. The rest of the country is so far behind as to be unbelievable. That is why the Pastor in Milwaukee should have known and connected with PFLAG’s there to support her.
gays are black too. and latino. and all the other flavors under the sun. Don’t generalize; don’t stereotype… that’s what is being done to us. We are all promiscuous meth addicts who can’t get enough of sleeping with as many men we can before we get HIV and spread it to the heterosexal population. We fully intend to corrupt the youth and have them all catch gay so they can enter our world of disease and immorality. Thats a scary picture isn’t it? Have you seen “Club Monster”? or someting like that… the story of Michael in NYC? These salient moments are those that scare people away from us. Our half naked sexual liberation marches down the busiest streets in the world cause shock and awe and while we tell the world we’re here.. we’re queer… they’re making up their minds whether thats a god thing or a bad thing. Lets get the majorities and minorities together under that rainbow flag and paint some better pictures. Like me… and others like me… soldiers hiding out in the big bad military fighting for them every day knowing what they say, think and do in order to keep me down. Think about the first soldier to be injured in Iraq “Alvez?” probably wrong and i’m sorry… but he was injured in the line of duty for all americans. Lets paint a picture of our great role models, our atheletes. lets promote a quasi gay history month that isn’t forced down anybodies throats as so many mandated history months are these days… but a little more subtle so people get to know us passivley. Who we really are. All of us and every color.
Yes I was mad coz most blacks, latinos and republicans don’t support gay marriage.But I love black people especially men. I can’t get over my jungle fever, I just can’t. No offense on Blacks folks.
I don’t understand how an individual can speak for an entire group. The work to gain acceptance in the African American community must come mainly from African American LGBT talking to their families and friends and most importantly coming out. Homophobia is mainly a result of religious teachings and not race or ethnicity. We need to stop generalizing that “this” group hates “that” group.
CHRIS SULIVAN.
I am a gay republican. Gay white males hate Obama more than us republicans do, I guess because or Rick Waren? or maybe its the black thing.Be honest, at least I am.
Stephen – There is no doubt that there is anger and tension that is being misdirected and remarks like those said to you have no useful place in our community.
By the end of the day, you will see a bunch of racist comments on this blog.I can promise you that. Thanx Jennifer Morales for opening up this can of warms!
Thanks for that ignorant sweeping generalization Angelo, but please, do us a favor and speak only for yourself – not for “gay folks” in general “especially white gay males” specifically – because you are obviously only projecting your own issues onto many other people – quite erroneously. If it weren’t for all those supposed “white males (that) hate black folks” – there would be no “President Obama”.
I was told to go back to mexico by two white guys during a rally. They told me that sixty something percent of latinos took their rights away, so I have no right to be in USA!
All I know is gay folks, especially white males hate black folks,and most black folks are homophobic. They are even.
Yes, it is an effort that must go BOTH WAYS.