Reply #14: I think PaulHo hit on something here, it is a function of *class* [View All]

[bluedawg12]

It's not racial in a genetic sense, in that there is:
a.) no aspertions being made about someone's inherited charecteristics
2.) Nor is there any thing such as race, genetically.

However, external appearances and ethnicity have a long history in this country.

Next, one might also argue that class is defined by ethnicity, in that forms of discrimination based on appearance of ethnicity lead to limitations and oppression.

The way this informs the debate about the "gay" community and the AA community is as follows:

On the one hand, gays did not understand any disproportionate numbers favoring Prop8, and took it as a sign of prejudice against gays.

On the other hand, AA have said that gays are a predominantly white political movement.

Some (of both groups) have said, gays did not do enough to reach out to the AA community.

Others, within the AA community have said that, for example, marriage issue is not a black gay (SGL) issue, it is a white issue.

So, I was reading some internet info and ran across an article that seemed up beat, about AA gay activism and support for marriage equality.

http://www.waynebesen.com/2008/11/attend-this-event-if-you-live-in-la.html#comments

Official Statement by leading BLACK LGBT organization on this weekend's political action supporting the repeal of Proposition 8
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Ron Buckmire, Board President of the Barbara Jordan/ Bayard Rustin Coalition, released the following statement regarding the Black GLBT March and Protest planned for Leimert Park on the morning of Sunday, November 23, 2008.


"African-American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans have something unique to add to the multiple activities attempting to repeal Proposition 8. The Jordan/Rustin Coalition supports, endorses and will participate in any and all peaceful and lawful actions involving our own communities which support this goal. We are excited to announce our participation in the community grassroots organized rally for LGBT rights this Sunday at 11am in Leimert Park (corner of Vernon and Crenshaw).

"As we await the California Supreme Court's decision on the legal status of same-sex marriages entered into between June 17 and November 4, the Jordan/Rustin Coalition will continue to work in the many communities we are part of to engage in discussion about equal rights for all LGBT Californians. We encourage our many allies in the LGBT and African American communities to join us in grassroots activism in hopes of change."
........

I was ready to post that as good news, then I ran across Jasmyne Cannick's new blog about that VERY same, "out reach", "bridge building", group as "white controlled."

At first I thought she was off the mark, but then, I thought about her point, the the Jordan/Rustin group, while named after two gay AA's, was not working in black communities, nor centered in one, it was in West Hollywood and therefore, more of a front, or prop, than a real grass roots AA -gay/SGL community based group.

http://www.jasmynecannick.com/blog/?p=2864

"The gay community is using the Blacks as a scapegoat for the passing of Proposition 8—but they’re not alone—believe it or not—there are some misguided self-hating Blacks joining them in that call. This by the way is going to do nothing to soothe relations Blacks both gays and heterosexual who always seem to be caught in the middle. Are Blacks homophobic? Yes, that’s no secret. However, that’s a discussion for us to have with each other on our terms and in our community—not to be discussed in mixed company or to be confused with the racism in the white gay community, which is a separate issue all of its own. And even though I may be unhappy with the position of Blacks on gay issues—that’s our dirty laundry."

<snip>

"And in their hurriedness to promote marriage for all above all else to Black people—they failed to understand that it probably isn’t a good idea to start a Black gay group and then hire someone who is not Black to run it. But that’s just what they did.

So let’s stop and recap.

The folks in West Hollywood wanted to organize Black gays around marriage so they started a “Black gay civil rights group” and named it after two prominent Black gay people—one a lesbian woman the other a gay man—who I will add, were both involved in interracial relationships.

They set up a store front office in—where else—West Hollywood with the rest of the gay marriage mafia, but remember, this is a Black civil rights group. (PLEASE SEE EXHIBIT A- Location of JRC to actual Black community 20 miles) Then they hire a non-Black person to head up the group’s efforts to mobilize Black gays by holding the occasional town hall meeting in that “safe” Black neighborhood of Leimert Park and occasionally a dinner at Derrick’s Jamaican Cuisine in LaDera Heights, another “safe” Black neighborhood."

.........

My conclusion, not being from California, is that there is some politics going on with-in the State, that are broken down along community lines, even though they share the same issues of orientation, there is a mis-communication and some bad vibes pre-dating PHate8

Then, for the rest of us GLBTQ's outside of the State, this seems pretty confusing, because much of this may be regional as opposed to national. I hope so, and I also hope that it get's worked out.