In hopes of a healthy forum ...
bv
Rupert Kinnard
“ Future features [w ill] include articles
about older gays, gays involved in hetero-
marriages, gays and alcoholism, physically
challanged gays, gays in prisons and
unlearning racism,”
Just O ut. Vol. 1, No. 1
This quotation appeared in the editorial of
JUST OCIT’s premiere issue. Already in the
first four issues there have been articles
about being married and gay, being gay in
small rural towns, and alcoholism. In this
issue Black Lesbians and Gays United
(BLGU) join the efforts of JUST OUT by
tackling a host of topics which relate various
struggles to each other, in the form of a
m onthly column. In this first column I can
only attempt to give my perspective as to why
there is a need for the exchange which will
hopefully take place in this space each month.
There is support from other members of
BLGU on many of the views expressed in this
article and we will also submit future articles
either expanding on subjects discussed here
or introducing other concerns of the black
lesbian and gay community.
O ur first few editorials and articles have set
the stage for dialogue and a healthy exchange
of information. It will continue to be a
challenge for this paper to spark controversy,
but the gay com m unity can benefit greatly
from the different perspectives of lesbians
and gays of color and other minorities. Natur­
ally, one could assume the community would
be interested in BLGU’s perspectives on
racism.
For many people racism is an ugly word. It
is no wonder that when confronted with the
possibility of being labeled a racist’ people
react negatively. Most of the discomfort stems
from not only being unaware of what the
word means but more importantly not under­
standing the many various ways racism man­
ifests itself in an individual and our society.
Not many white people experience a need to
understand the subtle (and many times not
so subtle) nuances and shadings of institu­
tionalized racism. Most black people are not
afforded that particular luxury. These facts
are very real to people of color, but when
insensitivity, ignorance and a condescending
attitude prevails when a white person is con­
fronted with his or her racism, it becomes
extremely frustrating.
There is a statement by the National
Education Association which reads: “WHO
IS RACIST? All white individuals in our society
are racists. Even if a white is totally free from
all conscious racial prejudices, he [ she]
remains a racist for he (she ] receives
benefits distributed by a white racist society
through its institutions. Our institutional and
Just O ut Decem ber 9-Dec ember 23
cultural processes are so arranged as to
automatically benefit whites, just because they
are white. It is essential for whites to recognize
that they receive most of these racist benefits
automatically, unconsciously and uninten­
tionally."
I can imagine that such a statement would
be hard for a lot of people to read and under­
stand. As a male in a male-dominated soci­
ety, I believe such a statement could also be
applied to sexism in our society — a difficult
pill to swallow. But it takes a strong will to be
open enough to learn before one can ever
reach an understanding of how racism can
be automatic, unconscious and unintentional.
Many people are aware of the exchange
which took place in the letters column of
another local gay newspaper concerning the
incident of a white, gay male dressed in black
face as Aunt Jemima during Lesbian & Gay
Pride this past summer. The letters in defense
of the drag’ were prime examples of unen­
lightened attitudes; one dared to go so far as
to refer to black people as negroes' and not
only supported the image of Aunt Jemima,
but the image of Beulah and singing black
slaves as well. The attitudes revealed in the
subsequent letter columns could not help
but illustrate the need for education and
awareness in this com m unity... particulary if
the com m unity is sincere about wanting the
input of black people.
A similar but lesser publicized controversy
appeared within the pages of the Seattle gay
newspaper LIGHTS, when a woman pointed
out what she considered to be a racist pas­
sage in a recently published gay guide. The
exchange which took place in the letters col­
umn of the next three or four issues con­
trasted with the Portland exchange. Persons
involved were willing to admit to bad judge­
ment in allowing the statement to be printed
and more importantly, they were willing to
listen, learn and try to understand, without
becoming defensive. The letters became part
of a healthy exchange, in which readers could
examine their own views.
The single most important aspect of being
confronted with racist attitudes is to realize IT
DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERCEIVED AS A
PERSONAL ATTACK! How can anyone come
to grips with racist and sexist attitudes if we’re
too defensive to open up and accept the
perceptions of our harboring such destruc­
tive attitudes? In the case of the Seattle inci­
dent, the racism was pointed out in an
attempt to calmly and rationally explain the
paper's editorial responsibility to try and
purge itself of its own racism, before per­
petuating more racism throughout the com ­
munity through its articles. The letters here in
Portland denouncing the Aunt Jemima inci­
dent calmly and rationally explained why a
white male dressed in black face as a
derogatory stereotype (especially during a
lesbian and gay pride rally) was not tolerable
and IS racist It was not an attempt to chastise
but an attempt to educate. There should be a
great need for people who would deny the
racist ramifications (not the intent) to under­
stand why it was so difficult to see the incident
for what it was.
There are other concerns throughout the
black lesbian and gay community. Given the
reluctance to addres its racism, what part do
we as black people play (if any) in a gay
liberation struggle? What are the ramifications
of a gay club advertising a bartending job in a
gay newspaper specifically asking for a GWM?
There is a lot of work to be done. Let us hope
for a healthy exchange within these pages —
exchanges which can benefit us all.
COMING
SOON
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