Where are the GLBT people of color?

[freestyle]

I'm just posting this because it seems that we are the invisible multiple minorities. Gloria Hull wrote a book on Black women called All the Women are White. All the Blacks are men. But Some of Us are Brave. The same thing applies to GLBT people of color. It could be retitled All the Gays are White. All the Blacks are Straight. But Some of us are Brave.

It just annoys me no end to read about the alleged higher homophobia among communities of color, but then no GLBT people from those communities are interviewed. Oprah will talk to closet cases and DL brothers, but I have yet to see couples raising children. Maybe I missed it. You'll hear from HRC or NGLTF, but not the National Black Justice Coalition or LLEGO. And it happens here too. If you don't know ask somebody. Atleast you will get a few diverse views. I'm rambling and ranting, but the invisibility is tiring.

So, where my fam at? I know we're here.

I cross posted this at the GLBT forum, but I know that we all need to be whole people, so it is here as well.

[ContraBass Black]

1. I know one.

A couple of years ago, he was representing the Young Democrats in a forum opposite the College Republicans in front of a predominantly black, straight audience. The audiencw was with him all the way until the topic turned to GLBT rights. Then some of them began to voice dismissals like, "We can't hide being black. You can't hide it. But you can hide being gay."

[freestyle]

2. Yes, we can be our own worst enemies.

The advocacy of dishonesty has always bugged me. I want to ask people who support hiding if they would pass for white or otherwise not black if they had the features to do so. Either way, it is a denial of self and of truth and is corrosive to the soul.

[bliss_eternal]

3. I've asked people that question--

if they would pass if they could, when they've brought up the whole issue of being gay not showing. They usually just look at you like you have four heads.

Unbelievable.

[bliss_eternal]

4. The more I think of it,

the more this bothers me. Someone like Oprah really should have open and out glbt people of color on her show, not just the closeted. Glbt that have adopted and have families should be featured to show they ARE families.

I watched the 'down low' show that she did, and found the author disturbing. I am very troubled by the fact that he openly admits that he sneaks around in order to sleep with men, but won't acknowledge that this means he is a closeted gay man. :banghead:

I'm also very concerned that black religious culture is creating this subculture of men. It is so ingrained that being gay equals being 'wrong, bad or evil' they won't and can't accept who they are. For so many churches to speak of 'love' and 'acceptance' it is appalling to me that they are failing their communities this way. They aren't healing anyone with these teachings--they are in my opinion crippling a culture, diminishing self esteem and stunting the growth of many.

[wildeyed]

5. Here is an interesting article that was in the NYT Magazine

this weekend. It talks about 'covering', about how it is ok to be gay, as long as you don't act too gay, or to be black as long as you don't wear cornrows. He is also advocating a new direction for civil rights work.

The Pressure to Cover

By KENJI YOSHINO
Published: January 15, 2006
When I began teaching at Yale Law School in 1998, a friend spoke to me frankly. "You'll have a better chance at tenure," he said, "if you're a homosexual professional than if you're a professional homosexual." Out of the closet for six years at the time, I knew what he meant. To be a "homosexual professional" was to be a professor of constitutional law who "happened" to be gay. To be a "professional homosexual" was to be a gay professor who made gay rights his work. Others echoed the sentiment in less elegant formulations. Be gay, my world seemed to say. Be openly gay, if you want. But don't flaunt.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/magazine/15gays.html?pagewanted=1