The Purge
A common argument in the gay rights movement is to equate the struggle for sexual equality with the struggle for racial equality. A fair argument.
A common argument on the other side is that gay people never suffered the level of indignity that black people suffered. This is a myth. Here's a good example. It's horrifying.
posted by Ryan Ringer @ 9/19/2006 09:02:00 p.m.
3 comments
3 Comments:
I think it is only true that gays suffered less discrimination in the sense that one can effective hide that they are gay, whereas one cannot hide being black, so if you go back 50 years ago when almost no one admitted to being gay that was probably true. However, today, I would argue gays are probably less not more tolerated than blacks. Racism has thankfully become socially unacceptable pretty much everywhere, but in far too many places, homophobia is still acceptable.
Put it this way - at a time when the federal government hired black people, being gay was sufficient cause to be fired. (Not to mention put it jail.)
Excellent post Ryan. I'm always disgusted to hear that argument come up. As if there is some kind of hierarchy in the struggle for human rights.And our long struggle is worth less than those of others. I particularly hate it when this argument is made by black people themselves. Despite the fact that so many gay white liberals risked their lives during the civil rights struggle in the Deep South.Despite the fact that a great gay man named Bayard Rustin organized the amazing Washington March. Despite the fact that even the brutish slave owners recognized the fact that black people could fall in love. While we were denied, and still are denied even that. Which is the worst crime of all.
It's time for all oppressed people to join forces to fight the bigots.
Instead of fighting themselves...
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