Proposition 8 is Not About Black Homophobia

I have learned as both a pastor and also as a member belonging to several minority groups -- African-American, women and lesbian -- that a popular opinion on a civil rights issue does not always reflect the right choice. Too often the right choice and the moral high ground on an issue derive from small struggling groups trying both to be seen and heard among the cacophony of dissenting voices and opposing votes. And it is with these groups we see democracy's tenacity working, where those relegated to the fringes of society can begin to sample what those in society take for granted as their inalienable right like the right for all of its citizens to marry.

Last week we saw democracy work with the election of Barack Obama as our country's first African American president. My enslaved ancestors who built the White House could have never imagined that one of their progenies would one day occupy it. But we also saw last week on the same day how democracy didn't work for its LGBTQ citizens with the passing of Proposition 8, an amendment to the California Constitution eliminating marriage equality for same-sex couples after the California Supreme Court ruled in May that a "separate and unequal" system of domestic partnership for same-sex couples is not only blatantly discriminatory but it is also unconstitutional.

While California's gay community places blame on African Americans for the passing of Proposition 8, we were one of many interest groups backing the amendment. And although we are just 6.2 percent of the state's overall population we can't wash our hands clean by saying other interest groups are just as culpable.

Seven out of ten of us pulled a lever to deny another minority groups their civil rights. And while the pollsters and pundits say that religion was our reason, as African American we have always discarded damning and damaging statements and scriptures about us in the name of religion like biblical passages that either cursed all people of African ancestry (The Curse of Ham, Genesis 9:18-27) or advocated slavery (Ephesians 6:5-8).

Many Proportion 8 supporters voted yes believing the future traditional family was at stake. But when society narrowly defines marriage as solely the union between a man and a woman, it ignores the constant changing configuration of today's family units. And the African American community knows this best. While African American ministers will argue for the traditional nuclear family the stresses and strains of racism has and continues to thwart the possibility. So we created our own family structures.

Therefore, multiple family structures presented by same-sex marriages should not pose a threat to the African-American community because they are what have sustained, saved and are still saving African-American families. A grandmother or an aunt and uncle -- straight or gay -- raising us in their loving home have anchored our families through the centuries. And these multiple family structures, which we have had to devise as a model of resistance and liberation, have always, by example, shown the rest of society what really constitutes family -- its spiritual content and not is physical composition.

Unfortunately, civil rights struggles in this country have primarily been understood, reported on and advocated within the context of African American struggles.

The present-day contentious debate between black and queer communities concerning what constitutes a legitimate civil rights issue and which group owns the right to use the term is both fueled and ignored by systemic efforts by our government that deliberately pits both groups against each other rather than upholding the 13th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution that affords each of these marginal groups their inalienable rights.

While it is true that the white LGBTQ community needs to work on its racism, white privilege, and single-issue platform that thwart all efforts for coalition building with both straight and queer communities of color, the African-American community needs to work on its homophobia.

The blame of the passing of Proposition 8 should not be placed on the shoulders of blacks, Latinos or even religion, but rather the blame should rightly be placed on the shoulders of our government. To have framed our civil rights as a ballot question for a popular vote was both wrong-hearted and wrong-headed. If my enslaved ancestors had waited for their slaveholders to free them predicated on a ballot vote we all wouldn't be living in the America we know today. And Barack Obama would not be our president-elect.

Comments

[heydavemaine]

I have had to split my remarks into 3 posts due to their length.

Part One.

I thank the Reverend very much for opening a dialog not only on Proposition 8's passage & Obama's victory, but on the broader issue of relations between the African-American and LGBT communities.

As a white gay man who came of age in the mid-1960's, I was committed to civil rights for Black people, and was demonstrating against Viet Nam. Then, just as I reached my twenties, Stonewall happened, I came out and I recognized that I needed my civil rights and equality, too. The Women's movement in the early 1970s provided the socio-political analyses I needed to understand the context and source of my oppression and Lesbian separatism forced me to see that my white male privilege trumped even my gayness.

Through it all I was surprised time and time again by the rejection by African-Americans of civil rights for LGBTs and the accompanying anger towards us for asking. But racism was always so clearly more oppressive that I judged A-A homophobia as less worthy an issue to raise.

I was shocked when the Congressional Black Caucus refused to accept our inclusion in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and forced us to come up with the much weaker and narrow ENDA instead. But that was over 30 years ago.

[continued]

[joejoeme]

My only question to Reverend Monroe's thesis that the GLBT community needs to address our "single platform" racism and white entitlement. while the African-American community only needs to work on their homophobia, is that what other platforms other than African American ones is your community so involved in? I don't see your community stepping up in any meaningful way when it comes to GLBT issues nor have I seen a single representation in any pride event. or GLBT caucus.

It takes two to tango Reverend.

[Morcat]

You raise an excellent point that, in my opinion has not received enough attention. Americans of African American heritage have historically had no trouble ignoring the passages of scripture that labeled them as "less than" and less deserving of God's love and care than were white people. Why should the same not be allowed to gay people?

[Dehrenstein]

Speaking as a gay African-American -- and you'll note the gay comes first -- black homophobia has put me at odds with a comminity that's supposed to me "mine" for eons.

Yes African-Americans need to work on their homophobia and they should, start by remembering a few very important names: Bayard Rustin, james Baldwin, Lorraine Hansbury, Zora Nela Hurston and Langston Hughes.

YES, LANGSTON HUGHES!!!!!!

[nonamescreenname]

Right on! Really brilliant dissection of the true issues here. So smart. So true. So inspiring. Viva La Revolution!

[Finisher83]

"It is true that the white LGBTQ community needs to work on its racism, white privilege, and single-issue platform that thwart all efforts for coalition building with both straight and queer communities of color."

I am kind of taken aback by this assertion. Aside from the recent backlash following the Prop 8 vote last week, I don't know what racism specifically on the part of the "white LGBTQ community" Rev. Monroe means to identify. As for abandoning or expanding its "single issue platform," what are we supposed to do? Stop advocating for gay rights? Make renewable energy a new part of our advocacy? I won't get into how white privilege relates to being gay.

As far as I remember from my experinece in law school, whenever the Black Law Student Association needed support for something unpopular, OutLaws stood by and for them in the name of solidarity. I wish I could say BLSA always did the same for us. And every gay person I know, even those that wrongly blame "the black community" for the vote, still support the black civil rights movement.

I take Rev. Mornore's point that we need to stop blaming blacks for Prop 8 and change our tactics in educating people about and building support for gay marriage. But I'm not going to say we should give up marriage as our goal just for the instrumental purpose of building a coallition, and I'd like some minimal explanation before having my community be called racist.

[Calinative]

"The blame of the passing of Proposition 8 should not be placed on the shoulders of blacks, Latinos or even religion, but rather the blame should rightly be placed on the shoulders of our government."

You get to put ballot initiatives to a vote in California, so THE PEOPLE can decide the law. Blacks, Latinos and a lot of white people had a responsibility not to vote to take the rights of others away. They failed miserably. You can't simply blame 'the government' as an abstract because it's convenient. When it's supposed to be government 'of, for and by the people' , you have to blame the people.

[sherbug]

This is an issue of underestimating the black vote. Had the effort been made in the black communities to persuade them to vote No on this Prop, then there would have been more success.

The powers that be knew that the African American turnout would be very high, yet I would bet that most of the campaign money was spent in other communities.

The rest of this country must stop marginalizing the black community and or taking their vote for granted. If there had been boots on the ground, there would have been no surprises on this Proposition. They would have known how they were polling in the various communities.

Next time the gay community needs to be more organized and not just assume that they can slide in under the wire. Don't blame the black community, blame the lack of organization.

[gt2bme2000]

Bravo! What a nice perspective on what the real issue is. I am a gay white man with grown non white children and I live in California. Race should never be the blame. I appreciate Ms. Monroe's take on the issue and I support her views.

[GuiltyByStander]

Thanks Ms. Monroe for a calm, accurate analysis. I'm neither gay, nor black, nor Californian, but my experience here in Canada may be useful.

The Canadian government used a top-down approach in first agreeing with provincial gay-rights decisions and then enforcing them nationally. This looked like a classic protection of human rights FROM popular prejudice that you suggest should have been the responsibility of the State of California.

The interesting part was that, by and large, the Canadian human rights legislation was a step or two behind popular opinion. While there was lots of crazy noise, the majority had accepted gay rights in general and were more ready for gay marriage than legislators had believed. It was all fairly easy.

That kind of legislative change really doesn't happen without a degree of popular feeling to support it.

What's the difference between Canadian society and Californian? A major difference is the degree of religious faith. Canadians, relatively speaking, have had it with all that, while it appears that the majority of Californians aren't done yet.

I think the decision in California has a lot to say about the need for religious faith in a divided and insecure society. Better luck next time.

[michaelbennefield]

i dont think that it has anything to do with african americans. but i also think that a decision
has been made by the people of california and they should b happy. its only 2008 the gays have came a long way they should give it time mabe next time this prop 8 comes around they will overturn it..
i dont think that its right for a few judges to over turn the peoples decision. what is the point of putting it on the ballod if they are going to overturn our decision again

[Azieran]

Part of the job of the Courts is to protect a minority's rights from the majority. Many of the biggest cases in the U.S. Supreme Court's history have been decided in this manner. Also President Lincoln reworked how Southern society worked when he crafted the Emancipation Proclamation should he have not overturned the will of the Southern people? Yes he should have because it was the right thing to do no matter what the majority felt.

[AvrilGrace]

"but i also think that a decision has been made by the people of california and they should be happy. its only 2008 the gays have came a long way they should give it time mabe next time this prop 8 comes around they will overturn it.."

Come a long way? As opposed to what? Being beaten, tied to a fence post, and left to die? Newsflash!! Gay people are attacked every single day for being gay.

Why should they have to wait to be treated equally? It's only 2008? How long do you propose that they wait for equality? One year? Ten? Two hundred?

[Morcat]

I hardly think the people of any state have the right to vote an element into their state constitution that is Federally unconstitutionally, on the face of it.

[xdevildawg4u]

michaelbennefield. do you know how women won the right to vote? Do you know how Dred Scott, Jim Crow, segregation and anti-miscegenation laws (assuming you know what any of things are) were overturned?

You betcha, it was by "a few judges overturning the peoples [sic] decision".

Would you say that those judges were wrong? Do you think that women and African-Americans should have waited for their civil rights until they could have convinced the majority of Americans to support them?

Sincerely, I would love to hear you, and those who espouse your opinion, answer these questions.

[ActiveInAZ]

My opinion is that a lot of folks want to compare being gay, or being part of a certain religious group, as the same torment that we go through just for being black. It would be a good argument except for the fact that A) no one can tell if you are gay or not ( in some cases) B) no one can tell what religion you are. There is nothing that can compare to the years of torment and torture that we as a people, have gone through.

[ldavis24]

the reason it can be compared not to slavery itself, which was horrible in ways hard to describe, but to the civil rights movement is because being african american is something you do not choose when you are born. You are or you are not and your life is shaped accordingly. Being gay is not something you choose when you are born, you either are or you are not and your life is shaped accordingly.

People are not comparing the struggles the LGBT community are going through today to the misery that blacks suffered under slavery but the civil rights movement is something that can be compared. the LGBT community are going through years of struggle and misery today in this supposedly enlightened age and just because someone can't "tell" you are gay, which often times people can, more often than you would think, doesn't lesson the misery suffered by that gay person when they say the hatred directed at a group of people of which they are a part.

[kutkreata]

The problem here is a lack of respect from the White gay community to the African American community. No other group of people except for African Americans have been marginalized and told that what they experienced is the same as the gay movement. Complete lack of respect for the African American community allows the White gay community to insist that their experiences are the "same", "similiar" or "analogous" to over 400 years of oppression experienced by the African American community. Nowhere do I see these same White gay individuals insisting to other groups that their experiences are the same. I see no heated arguments with the Jewish people telling them that their oppression is similar to their families who experienced the Holocaust, or parallels to the Irish during their struggle. The very fact that members of the African American community repeatedly tell White gay individuals that their experience is not the same, yet they insist and argue that it is , is outrageous and speaks for itself. This is why the subject of White privelege amongst the White gay community MUST be addressed.

[Laryssa]

RIGHT ON! not to mention that the opposition to Prop 8, didn't get the word out to the minority churches --- Mormons supposedly spent 30 Million on Prop 8 -- perhaps a little time vs. damnation will go a long way!!! It's not over, don't give up the fight, but don't blame my people either

[BethlehemCitizen]

I don't want to play the "walk a mile in my shoes" game with anyone of any minority class. However, as a gay man who has experienced discrimination alone or as a couple with my partner, I have to tell you that many, many people can tell that I and/or my partner are gay. I'm sure almost every gay/lesbian person has experienced some form of discrimination based on just "looks," "mannerisms," holding hands, booking a hotel room, eating at a restaurant, etc. Just as some non-whites may be perceived as white, some gays/lesbians may be perceived as straight. The reverse can also happen. But that is all besides the point. What we need to hold up to the light is not the comparative torment from the injustice, but the discrimination or injustice itself. ANY injustice/discrimination toward ANY minority group holds significant torment for that group no matter whether you can "pass" or "hide" your association with a particular group or not. So, let's not compare our torments, let's work toward ending discrimination and injustices towards all minority groups.

[Azieran]

That's a pointless argument. Yes I can hide the fact that I am gay and if coworkers ask if I am married I can avoid the subject, and I can watch every word that comes out of my mouth so as to not out myself to people. But the question is: Should I have to? No I should not have to. While most cannot tell whether I am gay just by looking at me I have been discriminated against quite often once word got around. If there were a magic pill to make you white would you take it? I would certainly hope not because no one should be so ashamed as to hide who they truly are. So please drop the "my pain is greater than your pain" act because there's no point in it. Your own personal pain is always going to seem bigger to you and the same goes for me because we only truly experience our own pain.

[FriendOfJonathan]

So many false assumptions there. No one has cornered the market on being oppressed.

First off, anti-gay oppression is older than racial prejudice against people of African descent, by several hundred years at least. Before slavery, gays and lesbians were oppressed and persecuted, during slavery, and after slavery was abolished, gays and lesbians were oppressed and persecuted. People of color were not slaughtered in the death camps of World War II, nor were their survivors sent to prison when those camps were liberated by the Allies - as was the case for gays and lesbians. If you think you've been tortured, try being a gay christian teen. People of color at least are accepted in their own families, most GLBTQ people are not so lucky.

The fact is that people generally can recognize who is and who is not gay or lesbian, recent research shows that most people, gay and straight, have pretty darn good gaydar. Most important, no one should have to hide to have equality. No one should have to pass for white, no one should have to pass for straight, or Christian, or anything else, to have equal rights.

[justmeerin]

Good article, very good points.

[HuffPoFan]

After reading many of the post-election blogs on Prop 8, they are all starting to sound the same, each side trying to cover or excuse the racism or homophobia in their communities. If we excuse it in one community because of history or religion or education then we have to excuse it in every community and nothing changes.

LIke Barack Obama, my grandmother often made racist comments when I was growing up. She grew up in Chicago, went to church every Sunday, was not well educated and felt she was following her religion. I still loved her, but her racist remarks triggered some very big arguments between us. You can still love someone and call them on their behavior, parents do it all the time with their kids. It's more difficult when the offenders are older relatives, but sometimes it's the only way to push them to change. Don't cover, just be honest.

[jlotusflwr]

As a gay pacific islander I agree with the points you've presented in this article. I think that the LGBT community- as a whole- has failed to recognize issues that divide us. How can we progress when we're not united?

The outcome of Prop 8 has upset the community but it creates dialogue. Prop 8 and the election has forced a lot of uncomfortable truths to rise to the surface but now is the time for us to face them. I hope that we all can get angry together and turn it towards the real enemy: hate.

[KSD123]

Stop blaming LGBT folks.