This week I felt that all of intersections collided together. This past Monday, Freddie Gray, the 25 year old Baltimore native who was killed while in police custody, was laid to rest. Following his funeral, several Baltimore citizens took to the streets to protest. Several people were injured and property destroyed. The incident was characterized as a riot. I am being very careful in how I describe this incident because I wasn't there and I am not going to contribute to the inaccurate characterization of this event.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard the oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that could lead to marriage equality in all 50 states. It was great to see a diverse array of people protesting outside of the Supreme Court in support of marriage equality.
The Intersections
As a black gay man, I am apart of both of these movements. As a black man, I understand what it feels like to be discriminated on the basis of race and feel that your life innately is not considered equal to white lives. I understand what it feels like to be denied equal access to upward mobility because of your race. I understand and have experienced negative experiences with law enforcement without provocation. Freddie Gray was killed while in police custody and no one has been punished. This creates the feeling that as a black man, my life and the lives of other black people are considered to be expendable. So, I understand why what happened in Baltimore happened. When you see all the systemic issues that you deal with as a black person come to a head with no solutions in sight, you get mad. Let me be clear. I support civil disobedience. I support protesting. I do not support theft. I do not support the destruction of public property, especially in our own neighborhoods. However, I do think we need to be careful with how we characterize what is going on in Baltimore. I completely disagree with a lot of the coverage that characterizes all the actions taking place in Baltimore as being criminal actions. I disagree with the arrests of people who at exercising their rights to protest. They should not be characterized as thugs or any other derogatory terms because it diminishes the legitimacy of their protest.
On the other hand as a gay man, I am happy to see that marriage equality is upon us. However, that is just the first of many issues that needs to be addressed for the LGBT community. We need protections in employment and public accommodations. We also need greater protections for our transgender community. We need to decrease the racism, homophobia, Effemiphobia, and transphobia that occurs within the LGBT community.
Rioting to Effect Change
Rioting is a form of civil disobedience that has effected great change in America since its inception as a country. The American Revolution started as a riot against Great Britain, which lead to the creation of the 13 colonies. The Stonewall Riots lead to start of the Gay Rights Movement, which has lead to Marriage Equality. Now, we have Baltimore and the Black Lives Matter Movement. All of these are forms of political upheaval and civil obedience and all should be considered as equal and valid. Unfortunately, because Baltimore and the Black Lives Matter Movement are being lead and centered around Black people and people of color, it is negatively characterized. Their protest is legitimate. Their concerns are real. Their lives are equal to those in all other movements and should be treated as such. So the media, needs to check their language and not mischaracterize or delegitimize what is going.
Where Do We Go From Here?
My hope is that once white gay men receive the right to get married that they do not stop supporting the gay rights movement until full equality and inclusion. It also my hope that all disenfranchised communities start seeing the commonalities in our movements. The Black Lives Matter movement needs the supporters of Maarriage Equality and the supporters of Marriage Equality need the supporters of Black Lives Matter.
It is important that those at the center of the issue be centered. In your support of these movements, make sure that those that are at center, remain in the center and do not coopt the movement. Be in support but don't off center it. Let them speak for themselves and their lived experiences, and don't challenge it or delegitimize. Support it and emphatize.
If we truly want their to be All Lives Matter we need to support each other's movements towards that central goal.
The riot in Baltimore is the same as the riot in Stonewall. When you get tired sometimes you have to throw a shoe and sometimes you have to throw a cinder block.
I stand with Baltimore. I stand with Black Lives Matter. I stand with Marriage Equality. I encourage you to stand for the social change that is necessary to positive changes in all our lives and to not buy into the negative rhetoric and characterizations that are detracting away from the central issues that need to be addressed.
Your always,
The B.G.M.
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