B.G.M. Reminds You That We are BLACK, GAY, and PROUD

Over the weekend, across the U.S., several cities celebrated LGBT Pride. In addition to that, they also celebrated the landmark Supreme Court Decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which made marriage equality legal in all 50 states. On Friday and Saturday, I celebrated in Houston because I was happy to see our society move one step closer towards the ultimate goal of equality for everyone.  On Sunday, however, I was reminded by just how far we have to go and how little we have moved as a society. 

On this blog and in my life, I am very unapologetic about being a BLACK GAY MALE. The reason why I have to assert all these identities is because people often feel that one aspect of my identity is negated by the other or that because I embrace one aspect that I forget the other. For example, this weekend while I was celebrating Gay Pride, I was also hurting over the fact that in South Carolina several more churches have been burned to the ground. Some would say that because I am Gay and was celebrating marriage equality, that that makes me anti-black. Some would say that because I embrace Gay Culture that I do so at the expense of my blackness. Some would say that because I don’t produce children that I am not furthering the Black Race. To them I say BULLSHIT, I AM STILL BLACK AND GAY.

I embrace all of myself. I am very proud to be a Black man and I embrace my culture and my history. I also deal with the racism that I encounter within the LGBT community. For example, someone took it upon themselves to create an image of two people standing on an Olympic podium with their rainbow fists in the air similar to Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s symbolic and iconic gesture at the 1968 Olympics.

However, this image is offensive to me as a BLACK man.  The image negates the fact that it was celebrating BLACK achievement in the Olympic Games , BLACK people standing in solidarity with BLACK people, and the blocking out of BLACK people in the LGBT movement. The image could have easily been two BLACK GAY MEN who stood proudly with their BLACK FIST in the air clad in rainbow. Instead someone once again did not take into consideration the historical significance and the contribution of BLACK people to this country and to the LGBT movement.

Also, during this weekend I have seen white men going to twitter and using the hashtag #TakeUsDown to mock White Privilege and to assert that it is fake.

These images reflect how a large part of our society negates the oppression and hatred that Black people experience on the basis of race. It shows how our culture and experiences are not equally treated. It shows how while I may be able to get married today, I could be killed because I am Black. It shows how many people will smile in my face but behind their eyes and within their hearts they do not see me or others like me as being equal to them and want to mock the actual struggle that we face each and every day.

I have seen that the KKK is planning a rally in South Carolina to protest the removal of the Confederate Flag from the State Capital.

The Confederate Flag is NOT a symbol for Southern Pride. It is a symbol and reminder of a time when Black people were enslaved in this country. It is a symbol of a group of people who would like to return to the days of Black enslavement.For those who assert that the Confederate flag is a symbol of anything else, take a good look of who is standing around with you as your supports. The KKK stands for racial oppression and hatred and if you stand with them on this issue, you are also tacitly supporting their bigotry.

All of this happened over the weekend while I was celebrating Gay Pride, and it OFFENDS ME AS A BLACK MAN.

My Blackness and My Gayness are all a part of me. They are both equally important to me. I deal with racism and homophobia equally. They both hurt equally as much when I receive it from white, black, gay, straight, people. I know thousands of people turned their social media profile pics to rainbow to show support for the LGBT community, and I am happy that they did that. However, we need to also remind people that while we are celebrating we still have a long way to go and that there are people who live at the intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation and that one aspect of their identity does not cancel out the other aspects of who they are.

I am happy that Seek The Poet created the profile pic that I am using now and the profile pic of others who proudly proclaim that they live at the intersections of LGBT and Blackness. We Exist!!! We feel the pride of having marriage equality. We feel the pain of racism and stand with our brothers and sisters in South Carolina and everywhere else. We are BLACK, GAY, AND PROUD…and DON’T YOU FORGET IT!