Darius Dupins/Staff Writer
Just incase it wasn’t made clear, it’s Black History Month. A month dedicated to the recognition of the many accomplishments and contributions of blacks, as well as a time to educate non people of color in the basics of black history: The Middle Passage, cotton, slavery, slave spirituals, the whipping, cotton, the N-word, the lynching, more cotton, Abraham Lincoln and then freedom.
In all the talk of the fearlessness of Harriet Tubman, the boldness of Rosa Parks, the inspiration that was Martin Luther King Jr. and the groundbreaking achievement of Barack Obama, the lives of black LGBT are often left out of the scope of black history. Bayard Rustin, the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., Angela Davis, Emil Wilbekin, Janet Mock are amongst the many others who deserve just as much recognition as the black trailblazers that don’t identify as LGBT.
With shows that represent queer people of color such as “Master’s of None,” “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Orange Is The New Black” and Fox’s mega-hit, “Empire,” the time has come for the black, queer community to be recognized for our impact on culture and most importantly, history.
Why is it that we don’t celebrate our gay, history making trailblazers? Homophobia is a disease that runs rampant in the black community and creates an opportunity to silence the voices of the black LGBT community. The hypocrisy of it all is baffling, as well. Blacks should be able to relate to the plight of the gay and lesbian community. The 300 years between 1654 and 1964, if you recall, brought a lot of resistance and hate against black people.
I remember hearing the adults and elders of the church I grew up in condemn the gay community and go as far as using the “homosexuals are child molesters” rhetoric along with other run of the mill stereotypes about the gay community. The church is a staple in the black community and a lot of people claim to have religious reasons for their disapproving views on gays.
The justification of using religion and the Bible to refuse someone to the right to love and marry is wrong. The very same Bible that the black church is using to defend their views is the very same book that Southern slave owners used to justify slavery.
What I think is interesting about this is that it’s common for the musical leaders in southern Baptist churches to be gay men. In the church I grew up in, there were three men who lent their musical talent to the church and were gay. It was bizarre because it was a thing all the adults knew about but didn’t discuss.
My stance on proper representation is extremely important. It has been a great two years for queer POC in regards to media and entertainment. Our stories are finally being told authentically and the overused gay, black best friend troupe has become a thing of the past; Though the voices of the queer men and women who came before us have been silenced and forgotten.
James Baldwin has taught me a great deal about white privilege and the complicated, disturbing life of the African American. Baldwin, one of the greatest orators of our time and probably the brightest, has the potential to influence more of a niche audience. One of my favorite moments from Baldwin came in 1965, at a debate between he and William F. Buckley, a well-known white conservative where Baldwin and James debated about the “American Dream” and how it was made possible at the expense of blacks. A hideously loaded statement, I may add.
Baldwin’s use of rhetoric alone is a learning opportunity. Baldwin utilizes rhetoric as it was intended to be employed, a tool for persuasion found in law, dealing with justice and injustice.
Along with Baldwin, we must celebrate the black, queer women and men who made it possible for gay men like me to dare; dare to be more than the depression statistic, dare to be more than expected and dare to remain authentically gay, black and proud.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of FIU Student Media Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
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