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WHO'S PRIDE IS IT, ANYWAY?
Dealing with racism in Atlanta’s gay and lesbian communities
It's Gay Pride Week in Atlanta and you're at a happy
hour with several friends sharing a renewed sense of
affirmation and community.
The issue of racism intrudes into your relaxed, summer
aftemooa Do you...
(a) Say that it really doesn't matter because you don't have
anything against people of color?
(b) Feel helpless, become defensive and immediately ask
for a double of whatever you've been drinking?
(c) Get angry because you feel minority outreach is "their"
problem?
(d) All of the above.
Don't worry. Your answer isn't important. The fact that
you want to read the rest of this article is.
"Racism is alive and well in Atlanta's gay community,"
says J.R. Finney, a black man and former co-chair of
Black and White Men Together. "Why should I fight for
gay rights when these same people are racist?"
Several years ago, Finney remembers hearing the
owner of a gay bar in Atlanta remark how "dark it was" in
the establishment, and "he wasn't talking about the lights."
He also remembers when three picture IDs were common
at local gay bars and the cover charges were $3 for whites and $15 for blacks.
Though some changes have been achieved, Finney says racism in the gay community today
is more subtle. "When I see a guy wearing a confederate flag on his leather outfit in 1989, it still
makes me a little nervous."
The problems are clear. A closer review of the more than 70 gay and lesbian organizations in
Atlanta reveals few, if any, black members on the boards of directors. Few blacks participate in
gay religious organizations even though faith and spirituality are the cornerstone of African
American culture.
Perceptions of "personal power trips" overshadow the minority outreach efforts of
mainstream gay and lesbian organizations, Finney says. And very few gay publications feature
people of color in photos, news or feature articles, he adds.
One woman at Fourth Tuesday told this reporter that increasing minority participation was
"very important" to her group but that the board had to approve an interview on the topic. My
request for an interview was never acknowledged. Innocent oversight or racist reality?
"I thought the women's community would be different - more open and more honest," recalls
black, feminist therapist Marlene Johnson. "But I found out that even in an alternative culture,
there are rules on acceptable ways of being [a lesbian]. It hadn't dawned on me there would also
be racism."
Johnson, whose lover is white, also remembers "being ignored" several years ago at a
meeting of the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance. "Either you're invisible or they're patronizing
and treating you like an exception," she says. "Who needs that?"
Johnson says that without the necessary input from people of color, efforts to fight racism
often result in unrealistic, whitewashed solutions that appear condescending.
Racism from white people is based on their beliefs or their education, not on their experience,
she notes. "Black people's response to white people is based on a history of being mistreated.
How many white kids have ever been spat on or called names by black people?"
Jeffrey Laymon, Executive Secretary of the Metropolitan Atlanta Council of Gay and
Lesbian Organizations (MACGLO), takes issue with the fact that racism is prevalent in Atlanta's
gay community. "Most people want to involve gays and lesbians of color, but they don't know
how, and that's frustrating," he says.
How can the mainstream gay and lesbian community encourage more participation by men
and women of color? "Do more active outreach," urges Finney. '"Everyone's welcome'just
doesn't cut it," he states. "The gay community suffers from the good of boy syndrome just like
the white community at large. All of that contributes to the feeling that gay pride is for white
folks only."
There are "sensitive people" in organizations like MACGLO who would like to see things
change, "and I give those people credit," says Finney. "But you can't just talk about it" .
Dealing with racism is not a priority for the gay community, Johnson says. "When you've
been 'out' for a long time, you get comfortable and create a womb, even if it is a gay womb," she
says. "People don't say, Well, I feel comfortable now. I think I'll deal with my racism.'"
Laymon admits that personal agendas are a fact of life in every organizatioa However, it's
"fairly easy" for blacks to become actively involved, he says. "There is the feeling, though, that
because many whites have tried outreach and can't achieve
racial parity, we need to go on with our goals," he
comments.
However, when those activists raise important issues
about racism, white gays and lesbians become incredibly
uncomfortable," says Johnson. "They go into denial and say
that blacks are too sensitive and want special treatment."
Should the burden then fall on organizations like BMWT
and the African American Lesbian and Gay Alliance
(AALGA) to lead the education and outreach effort in the
gay community? Many people of color feel that it isn't their
responsibility to educate their white gay and lesbian
brothers and sisters about racism.
If the members of the mainstream gay community are
frustrated by the poor results of their outreach efforts, "they
really don't understand the nature of coming together," says
Carolyn Mobley, a founding co-chair of AALGA. "We can
add color to their activities, but they need to add a little
paleness to our setting at every level."
In addition, it is extremely difficult to be gay and black in
photo courtesy etc. Atlanta and still maintain strong connections with the
mainstream black community, according to Mobley and
Johnson. AALGA provides support to lesbians and gays working through the cultural alienation
that results when blacks openly celebrate their homosexuality.
"Black gay men are tolerated by the larger black community, but they're laughed at," says
Johnson. "Black lesbians catch hell" from other black women who feel they should maintain a
heterosexual lifestyle and bear children.
"It's important to have a place where all parts of you can be affirmed, appreciated and
understood," Mobley stresses. "Although many of our concerns are addressed by a lot of gay
organizations, people of color are slipping through the cracks at every level."
But AALGA cannot be a complete resource for other gay agencies until the minority gay
perspective is more clearly defined, she says. "We're only three years old. Right now, the focus
is on looking within and healing our own wounds."
At the same time, BWMT and AALGA recognize the urgency of accurately representing the
issues and concerns of people of color to the broader gay and lesbian community. BWMT is
continuing its efforts to cosponsor events with other gay organizations, Finney says. This fall,
for the first time, AALGA's Women of Color Caucus is sponsoring a city-wide lesbian
conference.
"It's wonderful that AALGA has found its heart," says Laymon. "And we’re anxiously
awaiting the time when we can all come together and find our niches in several organizations."
- Andrea L. Berry
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