At last night’s Logo/HRC presidential forum, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton tried to steer the focus away from gay marriage and toward civil unions, John Edwards flat out said he was against it, Bill Richardson put his foot in his mouth, and Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel, from their luxurious spot at the longshot table, said everyone should marry who they love.
Of course, Barack Obama was asked the annoying question about comparing the black struggle to the gay one, to which he responded, “I’m always very cautious about getting into comparisons of victimology.” As everyone should be!
Really, the battle for the title of world’s most oppressed is old, it’s unfair, and people on each side of the coin have their own, very unshakable opinions. Beyond the obvious and the general, the two “struggles” are like apples and oranges to me. And even if they weren’t, what happens when someone is officially declared the winner of the “World’s Most Oppressed” competition? What’s the prize?
Nothing I would want.
[QT]
Apples and oranges indeed. By comparing the two struggles, and there really is absolutely no comparison at all, gay people basically ensure that the rift btwn them and the black community will widen.
Black gays don’t consider it apple and oranges. I can’t have that formed of an opinion on this. I’m not gay. I would like to think I’m open minded and somewhat knowledgeable, but I’m not going to front like I know what it’s like to be gay just like white people shouldn’t front like they know what it’s like to be black. I’m sympathetic. I’ll say that much.
I feel more underprivileged as a woman than as a black person. It’s odd, I know, but in this stage of my life, I’m seeing a lot of women who are making it a lot harder for others. I don’t think there’s a less cohesive or more denigrating group.
I disagree. Since moving to SF, three of my close homegirls are lesbians. Two black (married couple) and one latina. None of them make that comparison (and you know me - I like to start shit so you know I’ve already had this argument with them). They recognize that both struggles endure, but they are completely different. There are some ppl who are born gay and there are some ppl who chose to be gay like some of the lesbian chicks I’ve met up here (and a couple of the gay boys I know) who have spent most of their lives straight and then have decided that they would prefer to spend the rest of their lives with the same sex. Ok, fine, have no problem with that, but I can’t one day wake up and decide to be white. Being black is not an epiphany I came to. Apples and oranges.
^^Epiphany I had. That’s what I meant to say.
I noticed that a disproportionate number of lesbians and bisexual women were child or early adult victims of sexual abuse in one form of another.
Billie Holiday, Missy Elliot, Queen Latifah, Anne Heche, Janice Dickinson, etc. I don’t think it’s been researched that much, but as far as that goes, I don’t think it’s that much of a choice if you just have a very justified fear/disgust for a gender that victimized you. For many of the above women, it was long-term sexual abuse.
For the most part, I think people are born gay. There are few people I grew up with that surprised me when they came out.
I only have such discussions with one gay black man who feels constantly persecuted for his race, religion, sexuality, etc. He’s not African-American, so who knows. The homophobia in immigrant populations is out of control so I’m sure he gets more crap for being gay than for being black. He’s 5′6″ max, maybe 135 or 140 lbs and dresses like an exaggerated version of a Gap commercial. No giant black man fear going on.
[…] Candidates Have A Gay Old Time At Yesterday’s Forum - Stereohyped Obama resists oppression olympics. “Barack Obama was asked the annoying question about comparing the black struggle to the gay one, to which he responded, “I’m always very cautious about getting into comparisons of victimology.” (tags: barackobama racism homophobia) […]
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What do you think about this? When it happens?
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What do you think about this? When it happens?