An Unpopular Opinion: Blacks, Gays, and Prop. 8

The injection of race into the analysis of Proposition 8's passage is extremely disappointing. A battle for equal rights has now turned into an issue of whites versus blacks. But while some black gays think marriage shouldn't be a priority and that outreach to African-Americans should have been stronger, journalist Clay Cane says he has a vested interest in inequalities related to both race and sexual orientation ... and he doesn't need someone to hold his hand to believe that marriage equality is important.

By Clay Cane

An Advocate.com exclusive posted November 20, 2008

An Unpopular Opinion: Blacks, Gays, and Prop. 8

The injection of race into the analysis of Proposition 8's passage is extremely disappointing. A battle for equal rights has now turned into an issue of whites versus blacks. It's sad to see the smoke screen of racism when rights are being denied from Americans who pay taxes and have served their country.

In the beginning, I wanted to stay out of this racialized debate on Proposition 8. However, after I read Jasmyne Cannick's opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times, "No-on-8's White Bias," I felt compelled to speak up. Cannick is someone I deeply admire and highly respect, and she is black and gay like me; however, there is another side of this debate from the black gay community.

In her piece she states, "I don't see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please." Cannick adds, "Some people seem to think that homophobia trumps racism." She explains, "There are still too many inequalities that exist as it relates to my race." Cannick lists important issues in the black community such as dropout rates, poverty, and incarceration.

As a black gay man, incarceration rates are as important to me as gay marriage. Dropout rates are as important to me as the fact that, according to the CDC, 46% of black men who have sex with men are HIV-positive. Poverty is as important to me as the fact that there are 30 states where gays and lesbians can be fired from their job with no protection from their government. As a black gay man who has endured the words "n****r" and "f****t", who lives in this duality of gayness and blackness, I have a vested interest in both inequalities.

Cannick argues that the white gay community "never successfully communicated" to blacks why gay marriage is an important issue. I agree there was a poor strategy on Proposition 8; however, I don't need white people to hold my hand into believing gay marriage is important. Black people are not docile bystanders who require whites to communicate that discrimination is wrong. Just like I don't need outreach from black heterosexuals to know that poverty is important.

Story continues on next page...

Page: 1 | 2 | 3

Clay Cane is a New York City-based writer who is recognized for contributions in journalism and activism. Read more of his work at www.claycane.net.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: Dijah
Date posted: 2008-11-29 9:49 AM
Hometown: Va Beach, VA

Comment:

I really enjoyed your piece Clay. Before I fully read it I followed the link to Jasmyne Cannick's piece. WOW That woman is really crazy. Who does she think she is? I don't see how she can blame white gay people for prop 8 passing. I also do not understand why she's convinced that gay marriage needs to be more important than wages or incarceration rates. More than one thing at a time can be of high importance. As an African American lesbian, I am actually ashamed of her and her views. She is not trying to address problems. She is assigning blame and being divisive. To truly be successful in our fight for equal rights, we as gay people need to come together and pool our resources. Instead of sitting around complaining that white gays needs to convince African Americans that equal marriage matters above everything else.

Name: Dijah
Date posted: 2008-11-29 9:48 AM
Hometown: Va Beach, VA

Comment:

Name: Chad
Date posted: 2008-11-26 12:54 AM
Hometown: Sacramento

Comment:

Right on Clay Cane! This is hands-down one of the best pieces that I’ve read in the post-Prop. 8 discussions and controversey. Good politics, sharp arguments – only thing missing is to quote Frederick Douglass, the black abolitionist: “they divided each in order to conquer all.” And to the unprincipled types who would rather conduct these navel-gazing arguments about which minority group can claim the mantle of being the most authentically and historically oppressed and discriminated against – well I’m really sure that this passionate debate has got Bush and Dobson and all of our common enemies just shaking in their boots. No, for my money, Cane’s arguments here for unity and solidarity are what will provide the kind of leadership we need to build a diverse and multiracial movement powerful enough to win justice and equality for all.

Name: Mack
Date posted: 2008-11-24 2:44 PM
Hometown: Philadelphia

Comment:

wonderful piece Clay! cannick is sometimes intellectually lazy; taking the expected position. it's funny that some of the same sentiments about the homophobia in Black communities came from those who expressed utter disbelief that good white folk could be racist. white people don't get to say if/when white people are racist. to think you can is a function of white supremacist thought. get over yourself. i think that for some heterosexist (not the same as homophobic) Black folk, the issue is not as easy as gay is wrong; it is that gay is white. and white is wrong. As a same gender loving woman of African descent, my work is to help other people of color recall, reclaim and celebrate homosexuality and gender spectrums in traditional, pre-european contact society. the same way Black do not own the term "civil rights", white do not own homosexuality.

Name: Becky
Date posted: 2008-11-24 12:18 AM
Hometown: Boston, Ma

Comment:

1. It would be better to compare the Black Community to the Hispanic Community then the Asian community as some Traditional Asian religions fully accept homosexuality. Also if you read Japanese Literature and Graphic Novels you will find more gay characters than in other places in the world. 2. Unfortunately in most Churches around the Country they still stick to the idea that Homosexuality is a sin. In the past 40 years public opinions about gays have risen tremendously. Gays are no longer being arrested for Sodomy. I think in Gay marriage though you have to wait. People are not ready. Even in Massachusetts there are groups ready and willing to try to tear down Gay marriage once it comes on a ballot. And we have less conservative areas than California does.

Name: Herold
Date posted: 2008-11-23 8:53 PM
Hometown: Miscatonic

Comment:

I read your article in Alternet... Your statement is well thought through and reasonable. It's easy to lay blame on one group for prop 8 because we're all disappointed. But it's not black people who are responsible for its passing. This is everyone's problem. Prop 8 passed because of everyone. Gay, straight, white, asian, black, pro-gay marriage, anti-gay marriage... All of us. If anyone takes the position that "I did the right thing and you did the wrong thing" then you're asking for a load of horseshit passed round and round, and we're all going to smell like a shit sandwich. We need to STFU and stop fighting. If we don't OWN the problem then we can't DO anything about the problem. Let's ask bigger questions, like what was prop 8 doing on a ballot in the first place? Who benefits when black people fight with gay people? Think about it. And so on and so on. Black people and gay people have bigger problems than each other.

Name: shawn
Date posted: 2008-11-23 2:32 PM
Hometown: new york

Comment:

Thanks for writing this piece, and I most appreciate that you didn't pander the black status quo: Blacks are the only people in the world discriminated against. I'm African American and gay, and frankly I'm sick of the nonsensical, poor-us, it's-whitey's-fault bullshit of the African-American community, exemplified by the defensive, indefensible posturing of Cannick and her ilk, whether academics, journalists or community folk. The herculean effort required to justify our bigoted, racist actions is just that, and I don't think even sympathetic thinking people are buying the spin. Here's the deal: The Black community's feet need to be held to the fire of discrimination, just as every other communities' does, no exceptions. Real World-actor Karamo Brown, whom you quote, said it: No more! Black gays and lesbians, and indeed everyone to whom civil rights-issues matter, have to make our intentions for full equality absolutely, uncompromisingly clear. Shawn

Name: John Egan
Date posted: 2008-11-23 8:20 AM
Hometown: Buffalo, Wyoming

Comment:

Sorry Clay - - But I have no respect for Jasmine Cannick - and I am profoundly disappointed at the pass she has received from so many in the GLBTI and African American communities and from those who are black and gay. Her LA Times article was filled with bigotry. Her implication throughout is that white gays are rich, pampered, and arrogant while black people face poverty, disease, and homelessness. Has it ever occurred to Ms. Cannick that although poverty, disease, and homelessness are worse among African Americans - that whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans also have to deal with these. If not, perhaps she should travel to Mendota where the population is less than 1% black. Her arguments about civil rights are just as offensive - coming straight out of the "But those people are different" school. Matt Shepard is just as dead as Emmett Till - and for largely the same reasons. Cannick is NOT someone I deeply admire and highly respect.

Name: Mark
Date posted: 2008-11-21 4:52 PM
Hometown: San Diego

Comment:

Part 2 One comparison is that both groups have been working together for civil rights all a long, even if they were unaware of it. Bayard Rustin was an openly gay advisor to Martin Luther King. He organized the most influencial marches and protests and was the idea man behind non-violent protests. MLK knew and defended Rustin when government officials tried to blackmail him and MLK. We now have an African-American/Black president. Liberals, Gays, Dems, and the black community worked together to make that happen. Throughout history African Americans needed friends in high places, judges, congressmen, and voters to gain civil rights. Gays have been there along the way supplying help, support, and votes. You need to ask, did African Americans do it alone? Did they have help?

Name: Mark
Date posted: 2008-11-21 4:50 PM
Hometown: San Diego

Comment:

PART 1 I think you are on the right track, but you miss a few points that the black community and the gay community need to bring to light. Both groups have had a history of oppression. Slavery for blacks, Concentration camps for gays, and we could go on with comparisons. In contrast to Blacks, Gays are the minority that is hated by all other minority and majority groups and their own families. I know I grew up feeling different and left out and knew my family would not accept me and since proven they wouldn't. I would have liked to have gone to my mom and been able to get comfort when I felt discrimination, but I would have only gotten more. This is unique to gays and can be the most damaging.

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.

Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.

Hungry Like the Wolf
A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.

The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.

The Pride of Antwerp
Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.

Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.

Top Political Blogs
From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.

The Diva of French Television
A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.