I don’t like writing things like
this because many White people are too quick to agree with criticisms of People
of color, but are absent when it comes down to acknowledging Black liberation,
or any type of Afrocentrism in a positive way. My fear is that this may be used
to solidify stereotypes about black people with Afrocentric leanings. Be that
as it may, I feel it’s necessary to set the record straight. To be clear this article
isn't intended to claim that all Black people (Afrocentric or not) are
Homophobic. Its intent is to acknowledge the problem of anti-gay bigotry in Black
communities and make clear my opinions about this form of bigotry.
Homophobia is just that, a phobia,
an irrational fear. Too many of my people feed into the strange idea that gay
equals bad, or weak. Sorry (not really), but I just can’t fuck with that. I don’t
care what tradition one claims to follow, or what pseudoscientific study one
chooses to bend their mind around; if you’re trying to be free of the white-supremacist
power structure you're deluded if you think being anti-gay is the way to do it.
The frustrating thing is that many
so called conscious Afrikans think they’re fighting a European agenda by being
homophobes, when in reality they are being duped into following an agenda so discussing,
and idiotic that most whites won’t allow it in their circles. As a matter of
fact, most of the Whites who go for this anti-gay stuff are, typically, of the
same conservative strand that think Black people are inferior. When have Eurocentric
forces ever fed Blacks anything but garbage? Now many Blacks are allying
themselves with the most destructive elements of Western imperialism and
pretending that it’s somehow a way to gain freedom. Ridiculous!
Right now, there are rightwing
Whites who strive to do missionary work in Africa. Why? Because they believe
that those Blacks aren’t corrupted with thoughts of liberation, like us
Americanized Blacks. They see Africans as dumb and gullible. They want to bend
Africans to their will. Hasn’t this always been the case? If these people had
it their way most Africans would be expendable soldiers in their unholy war for
power. Manufacturing a fake enemy is the oldest way to rally desperate people,
and many people in Africa are in desperate positions. Many Blacks throughout
the world are in desperate positions as well, so who better to exploit. The reality
is that Black people are being conned again, but it’s not all the “White-mans”
fault. We’re perpetuating this nonsense and justifying Nazi style ideologies, all
while pretending to be Pro-Black.
The idea that homosexuality is
robbing Black men of their manhood is garbage. Who decided what a man should be
like, or for that matter what a woman should be like? Perhaps when the entire
universe was created and all life everywhere in the world was magically conjured
up, some powerful being proclaimed “No Gays!”, but somehow gays appeared anyway.
Of course we see homosexuality in other organisms in nature, but who needs
science when it’s not convenient. No, with all the beautiful diversity in the
world somehow men and women can only be one way. Women should submit to men,
and not feel oppressed. Men, on the other hand, should be the masters of the
house and their dicks are their royal scepters. Now this next part is the most
important; men should only have sex with women because it’s gross any other way…
I mean it would kill all life on earth if they did it any other way… yeah,
yeah, that’s the ticket. Come on Black people we’re smarter than this.
I understand the actual arguments
that fuel anti-gay agendas. One is the idea that the traditional family must
remain intact in order for Blacks to succeed, and that family is led by one man
and his wife. There’s no accounting of whose tradition that is though. Another argument
is that Black men are being de-powered with the loss of their manhood through
taking the submissive role of a woman during sex. This second suggestion is
based on so many offensive ideas I don’t want to commit the time to address
them. The pseudoscientific idea that gays cause HIV and Aids is another
motivation for people to reject homosexuals. By that logic heterosexuals may as
well be blamed for all other diseases. Come to think of it I’ve never seen a
gay person with chickenpox. Gays are pedophile is an excuse for seeing
homosexuals as immoral. This idea rests on the notion that heterosexuals don’t
commit crimes of that nature. And last but certainly not least; the idea that
homosexuality is bad because God said it is. Well I can’t argue with that,
rather I won’t bother to argue with that. To me the “God made me do” it
argument is just as valid to me as the “devil made me do it” argument. There’s no
need to argue against an idea that places responsibility outside of the physical
world. I instead would spend my time arguing against the negation of
responsibility. There are more justifications to be anti-gay out there, and
they like all hate ideologies start with the hateful conclusion then formulate
justifications for that hate. So yes, I understand anti-gay arguments, I just
don’t agree with them.
Don’t get me wrong, I see how many liberal Whites are willing to acknowledge issues that face homosexuals, but
pretend that racism isn’t a problem. I see how Black men are lampooned and
clowned for the amusement of white people. The feminization of Black men is
just as much of an issue for Black men as it is for women, that is, if you care
about women’s liberation. What I mean is if feminization equals
subordination then I personally don’t support it for any group. Think about it;
patriarchy is so oppressive to women that being likened to a woman is seen as a
form of humiliating oppression. The feminization issue actually speaks more to
how women are treated in our society. I’ve witnessed White people try to frame
arguments in ways that put Black people, particularly men, in direct opposition
to women, and homosexuals. The thing is that the issue here isn’t White people its
Black people, and what we do. So the question is; are we going to be part of
the oppression of another group of human beings?
I am Black, intentionally, and proudly
and I know that many other Black people like me reject anti-gay bigotry. I’ll
end this by acknowledging that clearly I have a fundamentally different value system
from some of my people. Here’s where I stand: To me liberation isn’t based on
following some antiquated tradition mindlessly. I reject the idea that preserving
gender roles, which I find oppressive, are the key to success for Black people.
I am inspired by my African ancestry, and consider my spirituality to be
Afrocentric, but I look to the future for answers, not the past.
