OMG: Why Gay is so NOT the new Black

With the National Equality March in Washington D.C. this weekend I have no doubt that once again there will be talk of Gay being the new Black, and I have an issue with this.

When the Advocate news magazing ran a cover a few months ago proclaiming Gay as the new Black it turned a lot of heads, angered many, and was lauded by others (I was not part of that group).

While there are many similarities between the struggle Black and Queer people have faced for civil rights there are many differences as well.

First, and most notably, by in large, being Queer does not make one a visible minority. Yes there are some who are obviously Gay or Lesbian but for the most part you can’t tell walking down the street. Race on the other hand is just a tad more noticable.

Second, Black people, primarily in the US, have faced generations of socio-economic oppression which has led to statically larger percentages of people belonging to the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum, less access to education due to low funding for schools, and less access to community/recreational facilities, which has created an unfortunate cycle of poverty and crime within many communities around the U.S. and in parts of Canada. The Queer community on the other hand has larger percentages of people from all socio-economic backgrounds. In fact Gay men on average have a larger disposable income than their heterosexual counterparts.

Third, the Queer community has people from all races, ethnicities, and religions. This has actually made it easier for people to bring about positive change within their communities because there is a less us vs. them mentality. On the other side of the coin the Black community could be said to have strength in solidarity and, for many, shared experience.

Fourth, Black people were brought to the U.S. as slaves, f’n slaves people! Queers were in the Americas since the first wave of people crossed from Russia into Alaska some 10,000 years ago and we’ve just kept popping up ever since.

Fifth, Queer people do not have a history of family members who have been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. We have a community but we typically do not join this community until we are in our teens or older.

Sixth, people don’t know what causes someone sexual orientation (although we have a pretty good idea) but we know it’s genetics that makes the colour of ones skin.

Seventh, Black people were never disowned by their family because of the colour of their skin (with a few exceptions where the baby’s skin tone may have been a “surprise”), where as the majority of the Queer community has lost, or fought hard to have, their families support and love .

Yes both Queer and Black people have been killed because of who they are (the punishment for homosexuality was hanging in the States back in the 1800’s). Both have been denied rights by the government. Both have suffered the wrath from religious institutions, many “Christian” churches stood against interracial marriage citing the exact same reasons they do today against same-sex marriage. Black people were not allowed to serve in the military at one time, and when they were allowed it was not alongside white troops for quite some time. Black men were labelled as criminals, Gay men and Lesbians were and are labelled as deviants, pedophiles, and criminals. Many black people were (and still are) locked up simply because of the colour of their skin, many Queer people were locked up, or sent to mental institutions simply because of their sexual orientation. Their have been hundreds of years of racial discrimination, and there have also been hundreds of year of homosexual discrimination. However the struggle that Black people have gone through to gain equal rights has faced (and still faces) different challenges, and it also has different strengths.

To say that Gay is the new Black is like saying Christianity is the new Judaism. Yes they have many similarities but they also have many differences.

Slainte!