#blacklivesmatter

[evilqueerpig]

Thank you for highlighting the fact that racism is inherent in the gay community.  Why would the gay community turn on each other other the issue of race?  Haven't we learned any lessons from the oppression we faced in the past?  Prejudices of all kinds are rampant among gay men, it's not just about skin color.  We should never accept prejudice.

Unfortunately, we haven't truly seen a united gay community since the Stonewall Uprising.  Some might say the early days of HIV/AIDS was a time of unity, but because it affected gay men, primarily, the lesbian community wasn't involved.  We shouldn't wait for another watershed moment to eradicate prejudice not only in the gay community, but across the board.  If each of us confronts prejudice wherever we see it, true progress is possible.

[genericuser]

Racism is a mental disorder and sadly far too many people are afflicted with it.  Personally I've never understood the logic of individuals who have a bias against others solely because of their skin pigmentation; frankly such behavior is illogical.  

 

The average life expectancy for humans continues to expand and technology has afforded us the ability to pretty easily travel to any place on this planet; I don't understand those who choose to live sheltered lives and have no desire to explore people and places that are different than ourselves.  

 

Racism exists but it doesn't have to.  However racism is fueled every day by the news media: 

-  Natalie Holloway or Laci Peterson go missing and it's the biggest news story in America for months.  No missing Black, Hispanic, Asian or Multiracial woman has ever been afforded such coverage.

 

-  Bill Cosby is accused of sexually assaulting multiple women [reaching an out-of-court settlement with one victim] and he is demonized every day in the news and it's forbidden to scrutinize his accusers.  Bill Clinton is accused of sexually assaulting multiple women [also reaching an out-of-court settlement with one victim] and the news media almost never mentions it; and when it is mentioned the accusers are belittled.  

 

-  In 2015 the United Nations Committee on Torture cited the United States for 348 violations of human rights and highlighted the shooting of unarmed men of color by law enforcement as a significant problem; you'd be challenged any news coverage of this.

 

-  Those who are outraged when an unarmed person of color is killed by law enforcement are characterized by the media as being against all cops.  Those who take the side of law enforcement in the aftermath of such incidents are characterized by the news media as being racist.  

 

Groups like #BlackLivesMatter will only feel like they have accomplished their goals when the majority of those wearing #BlackLivesMatter t-shirts or attending #BlackLivesMatter events reflect the diversity of America itself.  Why?  Because when ALL Americans unite to send a clear message that depriving one fellow citizen of his or her basic human rights is unacceptable, real reform will occur and it will become an imperative to weed out the circa 10% who use their position of authority to deprive individuals of their rights because of that persons race or class.   

 

"White racism may be Black people's burden but it is White people's problem; we must clean our house of racism."

-President Bill Clinton, October 1995 

[CumBustion]

Im a mixed Asian-White bottom. Several years ago I was deeply in love with a wonderful, caring man who happened to be Black. Most, if not all, of my friends, both male and female, regularly called me a "size queen" and had fun at my (and my BF's) expense, that I was only in it for the sex. While the sex was absolutely hot, it didn't overcome the fact that we were in love. Yet to my friends, their whole take on it was that, because I wasn't Black, that our relationship must be based purely on sex. "Just have fun fucking him." they'd say. My bf was relegated to a stud with a supposedly huge sex organ good for only sex, as opposed to a wonderful guy to love. As a non-Black man, I was supposed to find love with my own kind. Black men are only for sex, not for a "proper" relationship.

The part that was most fustrating, and I really felt bad for him, is that, because he was in the Marines, he could not live as he wanted to live. We could not publically express our affection for each other lest he be outted and kicked out of the military.. In public, I was introduced as his buddy. He sometimes went out for coffee or lunch with women for appearance's sake. Our love existed only behind closed doors or on vacation far, far away from other military bases. 

I remember when Obama repealed DADT (Dont Ask, Dont Tell). He was deployed to Iraq at the time. We emailed and phoned each other, talking about how life was gonna be wonderful now that we could be a couple in public. I sent him the news article of the Marine that publically kissed his BF when he returned from deployment and that when he came home, I wanted to jump into his arms and do the same. We looked up states that did gay marraige and how we might tie the knot shortly after he returned. 

A month before he was supposed to come home, I learned from a mutual Marine friend that he was killed when a car bomb exploded next to his Humvee. I found out "unofficially" five days after the fact because I wasnt part of his official notification paper because our "gay" relationship wasnt recognized by the military when he originally did the paperwork. 

Is racism alive in the gay community? I believe so. We face so many other types of discrimination, why do we implace more on ourselves. We should be embracing any and all of our brethren and facing the world together, not further sub-dividing ourselves along racial lines. 

[subbytch]

I don't know if we can ever escape racism. I think it's a bad byproduct of being human. Prejudices pop into our heads whether we like it or not. The only thing that can really be done to minimize it is to foster greater familiarity, shared experiences, and empathy, the main things that break those barriers down. Even then, I don't know if we ever really completely overcome all of our prejudices, or if we just break prejudice down into something much smaller, but still unfortunately there.

When I was a young gay-ling, I didn't find black guys attractive. Or so I thought. Good liberal me was upset by this. I wasn't supposed to be prejudiced, and yet I was.  Until the night I ran into someone who, today, would be the spitting image of Alfred Enoch (from How to Get Away With Murder), dicks got hard, and we fucked like bunnies. I like boyish guys or boyish-faced guys. Young twinks like Tom Holland or men like Ryan Philippe  -- or Alfred Enoch or Don Lemmon. That turns me on regardless of ethnicity -- or makes the ethnicity even more beautiful.

Admitting that feels stupidly racist. "After I fucked around with a black guy, I wasn't prejudiced anymore."  Especially so in a world where black people get the short end of the stick time and again. Yet, it's my story, for what it's worth.

[RideMyBlkDik]

On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 1:22 AM, wood said:

Racism comes in all forms and can come from people of all races and backgrounds.  In this particular forum there is an incredible amount of fetishisation when it comes to black men.  I dont think that automatically means someone is racist, but maybe those people should ask themselves some questions like, Would I date a black man? Would I feel comfortable bring him home to family and friends? Do I have friends I know are racist? Am I thinking about black men only as objects to fuck me? etc etc.

So for all the white guys on this site:

Would you date a black man?

Would you feel comfortable bringing a black man home to family and friends?

Do you have friends who you know have racist views?

Are you even slightly uncomfortable with this topic?

[Bicycledude]

yes, yes, no, no

Good questions!

[evilqueerpig]

I long for the day when this thread will be irrelevant, but I don't see it happening in my lifetime.  Racism may be the worst bias within the queer community, but it is by no means the only one. Whether we're bears, twinks, drag queens, leather guys or whatever the case may be, we've all felt the sting of being marginalized.  My first man gave me the best advice..."Sexy and love comes in all shapes, sizes and colors!"  Throughout my life, I've tried to live by those words.

Cumbustion, this is for you.  If your friends relegated your relationship with your black boyfriend to sex and labeled you a size queen, they are NOT your friends.  My condolences on your loss and I wish you happiness with your current boyfriend.  We fall in love with  man's heart, not his cock.  Apologies aren't in my nature, but if my bluntness offended you, it's not my intention.