a world without plantations

by Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano

Earlier this week a person sent an e-mail through the Gay Men’s Health Summit listserve about a posting on Chicago’s Craigslist Rants & Raves section. The posting was about racism in the gay community and called for organizations to take action in addressing the issue. The e-mail implied that racism was more prevalent in the gay community, which was later addressed in an e-mail response by another member of the list serve. Finally, another member sent an e-mail inviting the group to look at homophobia in “… white, black, brown, yellow, green, blue and red cultures.” Below is a response:

Call me ignorant, but I thought yellow and red were inappropriate terms in referring to Asian and Native communities. I do not know what green and blue cultures are, but I will assume the terms are not used to dismiss the importance of identity. As a Chicano, I take the term brown rather seriously and would hope it would be respected as such among my colleagues.

In any event, I’d like to take a step back and not assume that a conversation on racism in our communities can be resolved in one or two e-mails. I agree on the previous posting that racism is not unique to Same Gender Loving, Queer, Two Spirit, Transgender, Intersex, Bi, Lesbian, Gay, otherwise-identified and non-identifying communities.

Similarly, I do not think that people of color are more homophobic than white people. Interestingly, I have not seen this notion challenged as much outside of communities of color. Perhaps an opportunity to look at the deep seeded racism that allows this thought to thrive.

I would invite us to challenge our internalized needs to defend our privilege by jumping so quickly into ways ‘others’ oppress us. I do not mean to dismiss the fact that there is homophobia in communities of color. I have certainly had my share of homophobia within my own community and do not intend to point fingers at the homophobia of other communities while my own is running rampant.

There is no accident in the way people of color have been strategically, institutionally and historically marginalized from participating in the civic process of this country. Sadly, mainstream (and I use this term loosely) LGBT organizations also have much room to grow in their efforts to include all of us as well. I do not think this exclusion is necessarily strategic, but certainly institutional and historic. A diversity committee on the board of a national organization does not constitute inclusivity. Hiring a person of color to deal with all people of color ‘matters’ is not inclusivity. Until we see a shift in a rigid white-middle class-gay male-dominant paradigm, people of color will continue to be left on the side of the road. Having a movement large enough to fit us all means that the agenda must be shared. I do not believe the agenda must be agreed on entirely, but there must be enough room for all of us to be engaged on our own terms.

People of color are expected to assimilate or at least acculturate into a white society. We are expected to learn the language, rid ourselves of our accents, learn when to be quiet, and swallow inappropriate behavior toward us. Whereas non-people of color are expected to be “culturally sensitive” and “tolerant.”

I am not interested in a world where these expectations and roles are inverted. I am, however, interested in a world where neither are expected and we grow the courage to deal with what is really going on, instead of dancing on the outskirts of the problem. I see us benefiting more from figuring out ways to coalesce. We have tried pointing fingers at each other with minimal results. After decades of experience, this movement remains in the dark ages. The time to become culturally sensitive is over. It is time for us to deal with the core that continues to emanate illnesses, such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, sexism, lesbophobia, aidsphobia, xenophobia and so many other phobias and isms that permeate the air we breathe and share.

Only together can we overcome the barriers that have been placed before us. Marriage discrimination (to provide an example) will be difficultly overcome if we keep reinforcing conservative’s messaging that this is a white middle class gay male issue, by following white middle class gay male-exclusive agendas. I do not ask that we disregard this part of our community, but ask that this part of our community work with the rest of us to create a movement large enough to fit us all, whole.

I do not dream of a world where people of color own the plantations. I dream of a world where plantations do not exist.

Paz,


Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano

Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano is a Queer Xicano Poet, Dreamer and Activist, born in San José, California, raised in Estación Adela, Chihuahua, and now living in Austin, Tejas. Lorenzo’s work has been called “uncompromising and hopeful, cínico y cariñoso,” “inspiring… provocative,” “landing so deep/you bleed without feeling the cut.” He is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-Nominated Santo de la Pata Alzada: Poems from the Queer/Xicano/Positive Pen. Further information is available on jotopower.com and godisbrown.blogspot.com