Adding insult to injury, Geoffrey a black gay student at UCLA, joined a massive protest outside the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Westwood. As he was marching with his “brothers,” folks in the crowd turned on him calling him the n-word twice. Here is his account which was posted in Rod 2.0:Beta and other gay blogs:
“It was like being at a Klan rally except the Klansmen were wearing Abercrombie polos and Birkenstocks…. A young WeHo clone said after last night ‘the n…s better not come to West Hollywood if they knew what was best for them’. ”
Another black protesting for gay rights, Ronald, claimed that three older white men shouted, “Black people did this, I hope you people are happy!” Black gays are suddenly aware that there are some real racial tensions within their movement.
Jasmyne Cannick, a black lesbian writer for the Los Angeles Times, reported that many white gays were simply hurling expletives at every black person they saw at their protest rallies. In her view, black gays had bigger fish to fry than the issue of marriage.
Cannick’s analysis on Proposition 8 in California was clear and penetrating. She said, “Because I don't see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please. At a time when blacks are still more likely than whites to be pulled over for no reason, more likely to be unemployed than whites, more likely to live at or below the poverty line, I was too busy trying to get black people registered to vote, period; I wasn't about to focus my attention on what couldn't help but feel like a secondary issue.”
As I completed the Larry King interview, I awakened to the fact that we are going to see more national violence and vindictive behavior by a mobilized gay community that has picked up an entitlement mentality. Their violence and rudeness will be tolerated by those that view gays as victims of a gender biased culture that must be reformed.
Dan Savage, also a guest on Friday’s program, summarized the change in gay political engagement by saying, “No more Mr. Nice Gay.” This phrase was cute, but carries a threat of more violence and name calling. Churches are being vandalized in California, pastors have received death threats, and there is a general sense that gays will now try to intimidate those they cannot woo. Although the 80 demonstrations for gay rights conducted this past Saturday were peaceful, don’t expect this front to remain calm, cool, or collected!