Homophobia In The Black Community--One Man’s Opinion
The Chief Native American in Charge in the 1970 Dustin Hoffman hit comedy-drama ``Little Big Man’’ called Black people The Black White man. He also said we look better than White people, but are just as stupid. I would like to think things have changed and that we are NOT as stupid, but I have to wonder. We have allowed the Right Wing to wrap the issue of homophobia around the neck of our Black community like a noose & pull out Black votes for Republican ideas & Republican candidates. This has not helped our cause as a people nor has it helped our cause as progressive thinkers and activists.
Have you ever thought about how many Black men remain on the Down Low out of fear of retribution? There are probably many. There is a lot of acceptance of the idea that homosexuality is a threat to the Black family. I don’t believe that. What is a threat to the Black family continues to be homelessness, lack of jobs, White hegemony & White Supremacy. Thousands of Black children remain in adoption centers & adoption homes even as the Down Low issue is finally openly discussed among us. Who should be adopting these children and helping stabilize the Black community through doing so? Black middle income families with few or no children should be. But it’s not happening fast enough. These children need homes. We are not in danger of becoming extinct because of homosexuality & the Down Low. There is a very small minority of people who identify themselves as gay/or Same Gender Loving (SGL) in our community. We may, however, be in danger of losing another national election if this issue is not dealt with in an open & honest fashion. In 2004, Republicans took key states such as Ohio partly by circulating information that drummed up homophobia & sexually oriented hatred. Some gullible Black voters ate it up and helped provide a winning margin for Bush by accepting the ``threat to the family’’ argument on this subject.
Our churches, our colleges & our people in general need to know when & how they are being manipulated and we always need to be concerned when we see ourselves voting along Republican lines over a hot-button issue like sexual orientation or gay marriage. Isn’t this a personal issue anyway? Like Public Enemy said several years ago, ``don’t believe the hype!!’’
If ever there was an issue that was private, this is it. What happened to the Republican hue & cry for privacy and less ``government involvement in our private lives?’’ There is a Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, who was caught in the act in a men’s bathroom several months ago—but you didn’t hear me say anything much about hypocrisy. When political expediency is involved, they don’t worry about orientation so much now do they.
I just ask that we NOT let emotions run too high regarding the issue of homosexuality and homophobia in the Black community... We, as Black people, are a diverse group of Americans. Let’s take time in 2008, 2009 and onward to really consider this issue-- & NOT be manipulated by outside forces such as the Big Racist Goliath Media and the Republicans who have, generally speaking, been hostile towards us as a people, hostile towards our issues and who continue to be so—especially now that we have a Black man as President of the United States…
There are more related articles on www.btganda.com
Contact me at BrotheTracy11@GMail.Com
The Chief Native American in Charge in the 1970 Dustin Hoffman hit comedy-drama ``Little Big Man’’ called Black people The Black White man. He also said we look better than White people, but are just as stupid. I would like to think things have changed and that we are NOT as stupid, but I have to wonder. We have allowed the Right Wing to wrap the issue of homophobia around the neck of our Black community like a noose & pull out Black votes for Republican ideas & Republican candidates. This has not helped our cause as a people nor has it helped our cause as progressive thinkers and activists.
Have you ever thought about how many Black men remain on the Down Low out of fear of retribution? There are probably many. There is a lot of acceptance of the idea that homosexuality is a threat to the Black family. I don’t believe that. What is a threat to the Black family continues to be homelessness, lack of jobs, White hegemony & White Supremacy. Thousands of Black children remain in adoption centers & adoption homes even as the Down Low issue is finally openly discussed among us. Who should be adopting these children and helping stabilize the Black community through doing so? Black middle income families with few or no children should be. But it’s not happening fast enough. These children need homes. We are not in danger of becoming extinct because of homosexuality & the Down Low. There is a very small minority of people who identify themselves as gay/or Same Gender Loving (SGL) in our community. We may, however, be in danger of losing another national election if this issue is not dealt with in an open & honest fashion. In 2004, Republicans took key states such as Ohio partly by circulating information that drummed up homophobia & sexually oriented hatred. Some gullible Black voters ate it up and helped provide a winning margin for Bush by accepting the ``threat to the family’’ argument on this subject.
Our churches, our colleges & our people in general need to know when & how they are being manipulated and we always need to be concerned when we see ourselves voting along Republican lines over a hot-button issue like sexual orientation or gay marriage. Isn’t this a personal issue anyway? Like Public Enemy said several years ago, ``don’t believe the hype!!’’
If ever there was an issue that was private, this is it. What happened to the Republican hue & cry for privacy and less ``government involvement in our private lives?’’ There is a Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, who was caught in the act in a men’s bathroom several months ago—but you didn’t hear me say anything much about hypocrisy. When political expediency is involved, they don’t worry about orientation so much now do they.
I just ask that we NOT let emotions run too high regarding the issue of homosexuality and homophobia in the Black community... We, as Black people, are a diverse group of Americans. Let’s take time in 2008, 2009 and onward to really consider this issue-- & NOT be manipulated by outside forces such as the Big Racist Goliath Media and the Republicans who have, generally speaking, been hostile towards us as a people, hostile towards our issues and who continue to be so—especially now that we have a Black man as President of the United States…
There are more related articles on www.btganda.com
Contact me at BrotheTracy11@GMail.Com
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