Reply #2: That was not my point nor do I think it was the point of the author of the blog [View All]

[FreeState]

"I can see why some might like to believe that The Problem all boils down to black homophobia and black gays rejecting each other ("black on black racism"). But Kenyon Farrow sees it differently:"

I don think the original bog post I quoted tried to blame black on black homophobia solely on black on black racism. I read the whole blog post as a statement on both homophobia and racism in and out of the GLBT community (with it's root cause being white racism of black gays) and its effects on black gay men (the author is a black gay man). I did not see it as a post on blame but rather observation.

I also dont think Kenyon Farrow is correct in his assessment. While he has some good point - because there is certainly more work to be done - I dont buy his assessment that there was no black leadership in the gay rights movement in the 60s, 70 and 80's or early 90's just because HRC was so white. See: http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/04/07/images-from-early-gay-rights-movement/. Most gays would agree that HRC hardly makes up the gay rights movement - despite their marketing. In the 80's and early 90's Act Up was much more involved than HRC could have ever dreamed of. Even on DU to this day the vast majority of GLBT posters have very little respect for HRC in the whole (there are parts that are praise worthy but they fall far from where most gays I know would like them to be).

Out of all the helpful things in the article why did you chose to highlight the most contentious part and not even comment on it? What are your views on it? Do you feel its fair to say that gays are trying to "hijack their shit for their own gains"? If so how? I'd be curious to see some GLBT persons of color comment on what they think of that as well (as Farrow points out GLBT black's have a different experience). If you do feel that gays are trying to claim something that is not ours how do you feel we should go about changing the attitudes of GLBT persons of all colors so as to bring all sides together?