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Gay isn’t the new black

By on November 6, 2009 2:20 am in Columns / 57 comments

 
Gay isn’t the new black
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As a black woman, I have experienced discrimination two-fold.

There have been many times when I was excluded from participating in a group because I wasn’t of the right ethnicity. I have also seen the invisible “boys only” signs hung up not on doors, but etched on the hearts of those who still believe it’s a man’s world.

My identities as being a woman and African American have greatly shaped many of my viewpoints and the way I perceive the world. This is not a bad thing.

I also know discrimination can come in multiple forms. As someone who is not of a major social group, I can see why some people might equate being black with being gay. Or even say gay is the “new” black.

From the outside looking into this viewpoint, here are some reasons why I strongly believe gay is not and never will be the new black.

An ethnicity cannot, and never will be a valid comparison to a sexual orientation.

I am black. I am heterosexual. My ethnicity and preference for men are two separate categories that do not relate to each other. For example, it doesn’t make sense for me to say, “being heterosexual is the new white,” just because a majority of a population is heterosexual; like the majority of the population is white.

I cannot change myself from being black to another ethnicity while, with homosexuality, sometimes people can choose to become heterosexual.

The argument also can be raised that with bisexuality, is that still the new black?

I have an understanding of both sides of this issue of gay being the new black and why this statement is logical to some people. What I do not understand is that when I hear arguments about why being gay is the new black there are claims that, “black people should know where we are coming from, especially with them always being discriminated against.”

I have empathy for anyone discriminated against, whether they are gay, straight, black, white or blue.

But because of reasons beyond my control, I cannot relate to sexuality as being the same as an ethnicity, or the new version of black.

Of course I do not speak for all black people when I say gay is not the new black. And I am pretty certain not all gay people feel that they are the new black. With this sensitive subject in mind, there may be wrong or right answers but, for now, just let the data speak for itself.

That is the most important thing.

 

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  • Ann

    I totally agree with Sherri on this issue. For those like Daniel who erroneously believe: “We all saw Michael Jackson change from a black man into a white man.” How can you actually believe that? In fact what we all witnessed was an African American man’s skin become lighter. Michael Jackson remained African American until the day he died.

    Lightening the skin does NOT change ones ethnicity! And by the way, gays can remain in the closet until they choose to come out, African Americans cannot. So gay is not and never will be the new Black.

    There are countless people who have chosen to leave the gay lifestyle and now live heterosexual lives.

    This was not the caustic article some have tried to make it out to be.

  • Kevin

    Please add my name to the long list of others who have decried this drivel. I am truly appalled at the total lack of journalistic integrity as well as editorial oversight here; a very cursory amount of research in any decent library would have yielded this author with enough material to know that same-sex attraction cannot be changed or redirected. It is not, and never was, a choice.

  • MM

    While I agree that blacks experienced much more discrimination, I completely disagree with this statement…

    “I cannot change myself from being black to another ethnicity while, with homosexuality, sometimes people can choose to become heterosexual.”

    Um…gays can’t choose to become heterosexual and I find it extremely offensive that you would imply that. Being gay isn’t a choice. This whole sentence should have been completely taken out of the article. If it had been, you would have had a much stronger argument. Know I question your sincerity about this issue.

  • Laura

    Hey. Who said “gay” was the new “black”? I’m a black lesbian female. I have three kinds of discrimination coming at me. But I do equate being lesbian and being black as similar. For me, I was born female. I was born black. And I was born gay.

    This who “gay” as the new “black” thing I think you’re referring to is some Central Michigan culture thing, so I wish this article was better articulated.

  • Pip

    Just like Michael Jackson chose to bleach his skin, gay men can choose to have sex with women. Does Michael Jackson’s skin “condition” mean that his genetics will create male babies that look like deformed white women? No. Does a gay man having sex with a woman mean that he won’t be attracted to men anymore, and develop a desire to play with vaginas? No.
    Its like you said, being a straight black woman doesn’t make you an authority on white gay men (or any other minority group apparently). So why don’t you just shut your trap, or at least read a few articles for publishing your own on topic you know nothing about.

  • blaqmarc

    I had a conversation with a fellow college student who's lesbian, she told me that her professor that happens to be black, was making odd remarks about gays. Everyone knows she's the only gay female in the classroom she was mad about it and debated with him about his remarks. He simply said that he has gay friends so it's ok he's just joking. She asked me how could she have a meeting with his employers, so he'll be made not to insult her or anyone that's gay again. She also ranted that how would he like it if she made black jokes about him and she's going to make that question before him and his bosses.

    I stopped her right there, I said she'll lose that fight, when she said why I laid it out for to understand easily. I told here that you can't bring 500 years of oppression from one race to use as a weapon, it'll backfire, gay or straight you can pick or choose who you want to have sex with. Either by dating, meeting or payment sex has no colorlines, only the person of color does and here's a great analogy I used I said if we were walking down the street towards a group of people of other races and there are no blacks, I'm the only black person there then I asked her how can these people know if you're gay she thought for a moment then replied, I have to tell them I said I can't tell you that I'm black…that's the real prejudice. I told her to tell the teacher's bosses privately what happen and if it happens again you will get the LGBT community after the college and it'll make great news on CNN, FOX, MTV, ABCNEWS, NBC, etc. Let them know how much negativity is being brought on gay students in an Art school that has LGBT support sessions every quarter, it'll blow up in their faces and you didn't use the race factor. I don't know what happened after our discussion but hopefully she came out on top.

  • marlon

    hey i was reading your article and you made some pretty interesting points but where i was a little counter oppressive was where you said that gays can choose to be hetero. and you know what you are completely right but the gay person would not be comfortable with doing that only because society wants to. without any offense to you or the rest of the “black” community, it almost like saying colored people can choose to be “white.” there are procedures to change ones skin tone, but you see question is would you do it only because of social constructs?

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