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Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Casting Stones At Baylor
Casting stones at Baylor
The author donated thousands of dollars and hours to his Texas alma matter. Then the supposedly Christian university turned him away, citing his “alternative lifestyle.” No thank-yous, no apologies, and no refunds By Tim SmithAn Advocate.com exclusive posted, November 23, 2005
“To whom much is given, much is required.”
“Service without recognition.”
“Anything for Baylor.”
I internalized these credos as a member of the fall 1981 pledge class of the Baylor University Chamber of Commerce—the BU service fraternity known for championing all things green and gold.
Serving in this fraternity, I grew to love Baylor and developed an enduring commitment to help make the university the best it could be. When I was a student, from 1979 to 1983, Baylor taught me many critical life lessons: People come first, integrity matters, service makes a difference, and leadership counts. Most important, Baylor taught me the value of friendships—friendships that are like family. Because of all this Baylor helped make me a better person, so as an alumnus I wanted to give back.
After all, to whom much is given, much is required.
Since graduation, I have given Baylor my time, talent, and money. For almost a decade I returned to campus once a semester to lead case studies in the entrepreneurial finance classes—sharing some of my experiences with tomorrow’s business leaders. I also have given about $65,000 to Baylor in the past decade. I raised another $60,000 to endow a scholarship fund honoring a close business colleague and his wife, who met at Baylor almost 50 years ago.
Anything for Baylor.
I was thrilled in 2001 when Terry Maness, dean of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, asked me to serve on its advisory board. The board includes three dozen businesspeople who meet once each semester to provide real-world insight into issues affecting the vision and direction of Hankamer. I enjoyed giving back to the place that laid a solid foundation for my business career.
After such involvement at Baylor, you can imagine how my heart sank when Dean Maness called in September to kick me off the advisory board. His reason? He learned from another professor that I am gay.
Maness told the media he dismissed me from the advisory board because of my “alternative lifestyle.” We know more about the genetic origins of sexual orientation than we do about why someone is left-handed, but we don’t say someone lives “an alternative left-handed lifestyle.” Everyone is created in God’s image. Everyone.
At first Baylor’s rejection deeply saddened me. I felt much like some friends whose religious parents rejected them because of their sexual orientation. My past work for Baylor didn’t matter. My commitment and love for this university didn’t matter. My contributions of time and talent didn’t matter. Only my sexual orientation mattered.
Eventually my sadness turned to anger. How could the Hankamer School of Business, an academic institution charged with developing tomorrow’s business leaders, set this kind of example for its students? What message does this send to its gay and straight students alike? It tells them gay people are substandard and unworthy. It teaches straight students to turn their backs on the gay members of the Baylor family.
Furthermore, by its example, Baylor is failing to prepare its students for the real world, where this type of discrimination is already prohibited by written policies at about 80% of Fortune 500 companies. Baylor and especially its business school should be leading the way on issues of basic fairness in the workplace, not lagging woefully behind corporate America.
My rejection by Baylor stands in stark contrast to how my partner, Doug, has been treated by his alma mater, a church-affiliated college in conservative South Carolina. Doug recently served as president of his college’s alumni association. Together, Doug and I regularly attend events at his college, where we are welcomed with open arms by administrators, faculty, alumni, and students. They accept us as valued members of their school family. They accept us as valued members of God's family. All this in a church-affiliated school in a red state that’s even more conservative than Texas.
People often ask, “What would Jesus do?” I also like to ask, “What would the Pharisees have done?” The Pharisees were the self-righteous, legalistic religious leaders who drew Jesus’ contempt because they cared more about finding fault in others than in recognizing and correcting their own shortcomings. When I compare my rejection at Baylor to the open arms at Doug’s college, I must ask, “Who acted like Jesus? Who acted like the Pharisees?”
To whom much is given, much is required. Gay alumni, faculty, and students have given much to Baylor over the years, yet Baylor blatantly advocates intolerance and discrimination against gay people.
What would Jesus do? What would the Pharisees do?
Baylor’s decision to openly discriminate against me, and to do so in the name of God, is shameful. Just because Baylor has the legal right to discriminate doesn’t make it right.
Tim Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in 1983 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989. He served four years as CEO of a technology company with $130 million in revenues and 12 years as vice president of a Dallas-based venture capital firm. He now lives in Charleston, S.C., with his partner, Doug Warner. He can be reached at trumansmith@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
Friday, November 18, 2005
Why does society let this happen?
Why does society let things like this happen? In the following article you experience a little bit of what Lucas went through. Lucas was a victim of a hate crime, seven guys attack him and in self defense he killed one of them. Now this should be the end of the story right? Well its not. He spend a long time in jail and almost faced murder charges. Now was this because he was gay or a black gay men? Would he had been in the same situation if he was a rich white boy? Who knows? In any way this still a sad story that should be told.
J. The Gay Experience
Posted on Thu, Nov. 10, 2005
Gay man freed in killing
By ALYSHA BRENNAN & THERESA CONROY
abrenna@phillynews.com
LUCAS Dawson began carrying a knife after being attacked while kissing his male lover in a South Philadelphia Park four years ago.
Now, after a second assault by gay bashers - one of whom he killed in self-defense - Dawson's thinking about getting a gun.
The 21-year-old was cleared yesterday of charges in the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy who was among a group that attacked him near his East Mount Airy home on Oct. 29.
There was great relief at the Dawson home yesterday after the decision by a Municipal Court judge, but now the concern is his safety.
Last night, Dawson packed to leave home for fear of retaliation.
"I mean, seven guys jumped me, and one guy died," he said. "There's still six other people that want to hurt me.
"I fear for my safety, and that's why I'm moving away," he added. "I won't carry a knife on me anymore, but I am considering getting a gun permit."
David Diggs, the boyfriend of Lucas' mother, Lisa, said Lucas was not safe in the neighborhood any longer.
Lucas had been in jail since he was arrested after the stabbing of Gerald Knight, who was one of five to seven teens - all strangers to Dawson - who beat him and who he said called him a "faggot."
"My mom missed me while I was gone because I was always singin' up a storm," Dawson said.
Yesterday, he flashed a weary smile after Municipal Judge Gerard Kosin-ski dismissed the manslaughter charge.
Dawson, wisp-thin, frightened and frail, was released after the hearing.
Defense attorney Kevin Birley said Dawson had acted in self-defense.
"We can't forget that my client was a victim of a hate crime," Birley said.
"They wanted to hurt him. It wasn't that they were trying to get money or they had an argument with him," Birley said. "They simply wanted to hurt him so they kicked him and punched him... Even the first stab didn't stop the attack. It took a second stab to stop the attack."
Prosecutor M.K. Feeney said a jury should decide whether it was manslaughter or self-defense, but Kosinski disagreed.
"Looking at the circumstances here, I agree with the defense," Kosinski said after the preliminary hearing.
It was an unusual move for the district attorney's office to charge Dawson with voluntary manslaughter instead of a general murder charge. Feeney said in court that her office had made that decision after looking at all the facts.
"This is truly a tragic situation for everybody involved, and nobody should have to worry that when they walk down the street they should be attacked for their sexuality or any other reason," she said.
Dawson said the teens followed him as he headed for a bus stop. The teens taunted him for being gay and repeatedly threw a basketball at him, he said.
"One of them punched me in my lip," Dawson said in his statement. "Then, they all started punching me and knocked me to the ground. I was scared and I felt like if I didn't get up they would probably kill me. I felt a wave of strength and I got up... I took out the knife and waved it."
When Knight punched him, Dawson said he thrust the knife into his chest.
"I didn't think the knife went in because he kept punching me, so I stuck the knife in him again," Dawson said.
After the hearing, Diggs said the family felt sorry for the Knight family. "They lost their kid," he said.
The pain of that loss was evident on the face of Knight's father. When the judge announced the dismissal of charges, he exclaimed, "That's my son!" When approached outside the courtroom, he yelled angrily at a reporter, saying he didn't want to talk about his son.
"If you really wanted to know who he was, you should have come to the funeral," he
shouted.
At the Dawson home yesterday, Lucas said, "I want to put this all behind me. My life has been turned upside down and I have to start over."
"It makes me sad," Dawson added. "I broke down in court today. I never wanted to hurt anybody... . I was trying to get these guys away from me.
"My mom said, 'You might feel bad about killing someone, but if you didn't have that knife, somebody would be knocking on my door telling me my son's dead.' "
Lisa Dawson, 40, said she is happy to have Lucas back at home, and is looking forward to finally being able to sleep through the night.
"I'm relieved," she said. "The air feels clean again."
Dawson says he'll continue pursuing an acting and modeling career. "When I was in prison,
I got to thinking what I was going to do with my life," he said.
"I would like to help gay people so that this type of thing won't happen again," he said.
"It's just about ignorance, you know? I believe what you put out, you get back. And I want to give back."
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Bloggers Rant Nov. 10
Blogger's Rant
Well it’s that time of year. Every time there is an election there is someone out there that’s is trying to take our rights away. Well another election and another thing lost. Those Texas’ retards banned same sex marriage. I hate to say this but this doesn’t surprise me. The president we elected to protect our rights comes from Texas. Now you might say what’s the big deal. Well in the following article this explain how the Hispanics would benefit from marriage (or suffer). Well read on and get educated in the subject before it happens to you.
J. Nieves
The Gay Experience
Hispanic gay couples struggle more than white counterparts
A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Texas could hurt gay Hispanic couples more than Anglos because they have more children, make less money, and are less likely to be U.S. citizens, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said Tuesday. The group issued a report derived from 2000 U.S. Census data on Hispanic self-identified same-sex couple households a week before Texans vote on amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, which is already against state law.
The Census found about 105,000 U.S. same-sex couple households in which at least one partner was Hispanic. Most were in the Los Angeles, New York, and Miami areas, but Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio were among the top 10. The study concluded that the many benefits of marriage, such as tax advantages, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and Social Security survivor benefits, would be especially helpful to a large number of Hispanic same-sex couples.
T
he data showed that 66% of Hispanic female couples and 58% of Hispanic male couples were raising at least one child. That compares with 32% of Anglo lesbian couples and 19% of Anglo male couples, report author Jason Cianciotto said. Gay and lesbian couples in which both partners were Hispanic reported annual household incomes in the high $30,000s, more than $20,000 less than same-sex couples who were either white or had just one Hispanic partner. "Certain Americans are disadvantaged because of their racial or ethnic heritage," Cianciotto said. "When you combine that with the disadvantages people face because they are gay or lesbian, it becomes this double-edged sword."
But Pastor Adalid Verastegui of New Life United Methodist Church in Houston said his Hispanic congregants believe the proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage is a good idea. "The Hispanic tradition is to always have in the family a man and a woman in the home," he said. "Our culture doesn't accept this kind of behavior."
In Hispanic same-sex couples, 51% of the men and 38% of the women were not U.S. citizens, compared with less than 10% each for Anglo gays and lesbians. Sergio Sarmiento, a Colombian immigrant, said his six-year relationship nearly ended because of his immigration status. Immigration policy does not give status to same-sex partners of U.S. citizens. "Living day by day with the worry that your family can be broken apart is a very difficult situation," said Sarmiento, who got his immigration status resolved last year. "People in the Hispanic community, like me, are more vulnerable." (Associated Press)
Well it’s that time of year. Every time there is an election there is someone out there that’s is trying to take our rights away. Well another election and another thing lost. Those Texas’ retards banned same sex marriage. I hate to say this but this doesn’t surprise me. The president we elected to protect our rights comes from Texas. Now you might say what’s the big deal. Well in the following article this explain how the Hispanics would benefit from marriage (or suffer). Well read on and get educated in the subject before it happens to you.
J. Nieves
The Gay Experience
Hispanic gay couples struggle more than white counterparts
A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Texas could hurt gay Hispanic couples more than Anglos because they have more children, make less money, and are less likely to be U.S. citizens, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said Tuesday. The group issued a report derived from 2000 U.S. Census data on Hispanic self-identified same-sex couple households a week before Texans vote on amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, which is already against state law.
The Census found about 105,000 U.S. same-sex couple households in which at least one partner was Hispanic. Most were in the Los Angeles, New York, and Miami areas, but Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio were among the top 10. The study concluded that the many benefits of marriage, such as tax advantages, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and Social Security survivor benefits, would be especially helpful to a large number of Hispanic same-sex couples.
T
he data showed that 66% of Hispanic female couples and 58% of Hispanic male couples were raising at least one child. That compares with 32% of Anglo lesbian couples and 19% of Anglo male couples, report author Jason Cianciotto said. Gay and lesbian couples in which both partners were Hispanic reported annual household incomes in the high $30,000s, more than $20,000 less than same-sex couples who were either white or had just one Hispanic partner. "Certain Americans are disadvantaged because of their racial or ethnic heritage," Cianciotto said. "When you combine that with the disadvantages people face because they are gay or lesbian, it becomes this double-edged sword."
But Pastor Adalid Verastegui of New Life United Methodist Church in Houston said his Hispanic congregants believe the proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage is a good idea. "The Hispanic tradition is to always have in the family a man and a woman in the home," he said. "Our culture doesn't accept this kind of behavior."
In Hispanic same-sex couples, 51% of the men and 38% of the women were not U.S. citizens, compared with less than 10% each for Anglo gays and lesbians. Sergio Sarmiento, a Colombian immigrant, said his six-year relationship nearly ended because of his immigration status. Immigration policy does not give status to same-sex partners of U.S. citizens. "Living day by day with the worry that your family can be broken apart is a very difficult situation," said Sarmiento, who got his immigration status resolved last year. "People in the Hispanic community, like me, are more vulnerable." (Associated Press)
Monday, November 07, 2005
The Speech that didn't happen
Here’s the speech I promised.
The Speech That Didn't Happen
By Keith Boykin
http://www.keithboykin.com/October 15, 2005 04:18 PM
After eight months of discussion, four productive conversations with Minister Farrakhan and a heated exchange with Rev. Willie Wilson, the Millions More Movement March took place today and I was not allowed to speak. Although I believe we have opened the door for historic and positive dialogue with Minister Farrakhan, Rev. Wilson does not appear to be ready for such dialogue.
This is what happened today. After I arrived at the VIP tent shortly after 8 in the morning, my colleague Donna Payne spoke directly to Rev. Willie Wilson backstage, and he informed her that no one from the National Black Justice Coalition would be speaking today. Donna told Rev. Wilson that he was violating our agreement, and Wilson replied that the agreement was void because the Coalition had not responded by Friday. That was not true.
Rev. Wilson's excuse seemed a mere pretext to prevent us from speaking. Sadly, I am not surprised. He has been an obstacle to this process all along. Ever since his controversial July 3 sermon in which he blamed the rise of lesbianism for the problems in the black community, Rev. Wilson seems to have developed ill feelings toward the black gay community for responding to his attack. That was three months ago, and I had hoped to use my speech today to extend an olive branch to Rev. Wilson to move beyond our differences and heal our wounds, but his actions this morning made that impossible.
Today I am publishing the remarks I would have given at the Millions More Movement March had I been allowed to speak. The complete text is below.
Remarks Prepared for DeliveryThe Millions More March Saturday, October 15, 2005By Keith Boykin
Good Afternoon. Today I am honored to stand here at the Millions More Movement March as a representative of the National Black Justice Coalition, the country’s only national civil rights organization for Black lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. The National Black Justice Coalition strongly supports the goals of the Millions More Movement for unity and inclusion of our entire community.
In February of this year, Minister Farrakhan and I participated in Tavis Smiley’s annual “State of The Black Union” event in Atlanta. During a press conference that day, Minister Farrakhan announced that women and gays would be encouraged to participate in today’s March. “The makeup will be our people, whoever we are,” he said. Then he added, “Male, female, gay, straight, light, dark, rich, poor, ignorant, wise. We are family. We will be coming together to discuss family business.”
After the press conference, I spoke to the Minister and I introduced myself. “Minister Farrakhan,” I said, while shaking his hand, “My name is Keith Boykin, and I am a Black gay man. And I want to thank you for your inclusive comments about gays in the Million Man March.” Without missing a beat, Minister Farrakhan responded to me with a long, warm embrace. “Brother, I love you,” he said as we hugged. “We are all part of the family. We are all part of the same community.” That was an historic moment.
Ten years ago, I joined more than a million of my brothers on this very location for the Million Man March. At that time, there were no openly gay, lesbian or bisexual speakers at that March. This time, however, I am able to speak here today as an openly gay man because of the courageous leadership of one man – Minister Louis Farrakhan. I publicly and honestly thank him and salute him for the invitation to speak. The diversity of speakers assembled here today is a powerful signal that we in the Black community will not allow ourselves to be divided by differences of opinion, religion, gender, class or sexual orientation ever again.
As Minister Farrakhan himself said in August, “we must not allow painful utterances of the past or present, based on sincere belief, or based on our ignorance, or based on our ideology or philosophy to cripple a movement that deserves and needs all of us—and, when I say all, I mean all of us.”
Earlier this week, two of my colleagues and I sat with Minister Farrakhan, his wife, his daughter, and his son, and with Rev. Willie Wilson, the executive director of this March. Minister Farrakhan said it was the first time he had ever sat down with a group of openly gay and lesbian African Americans. Let me be honest. It was an intense, passionate and candid meeting where both sides shared their pain and frustration with the other. At the end of the discussion, however, we made progress. We realized that there are no “both sides” of the table. There is only one side, and that is the side of justice.
So today I accept the olive branch offered by Minister Farrakhan and Rev. Wilson and offer an olive branch of my own. We acknowledge the hurt and pain that has been caused by both sides in our past conflicts, and we fully commit ourselves to heal the deep wounds that have hurt us. Thank you, Minster Farrakhan and Rev. Wilson for the love.
We have disagreed in the past and we may disagree in the future, but we all agree that we must move forward together. We all agree that we will not allow ourselves to be manipulated by the media to create divisions among us. We all agree that we are stronger together than we are apart. And we all agree that the struggle for the liberation of our people is more important than our individual differences of opinion.
Fifty years ago, Ralph Ellison wrote, "I am an invisible man. . . I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. . . . When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination -- indeed, everything and anything except me." Ralph Ellison was talking about the invisibility of the African American, but the same could be said of Black gays and lesbians.
When Dr. King spoke at the 1963 Civil Rights March, he called on one person, Bayard Rustin, a Black gay man, to organize that march. When Duke Ellington performed “Take The ‘A’ Train,” he called on one person, Billy Strayhorn, a Black gay man to serve as his composer. And when Black actors and directors put on performances of “A Raisin In The Sun,” they call on one person, Lorraine Hansberry, a Black bisexual playwright, to serve as their muse.
Black culture as we know it today would not exist without the words of James Baldwin, the poetry of Audre Lorde, or the choreography of Alvin Ailey. That is why I am here today – to honor their legacy.
But I am also here to honor the living heroes and sheroes of today. My good friend Phill Wilson likes to say that our people cannot love us if they do not know us. So I want you to know who we are. I want you to know the activist Angela Davis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Alice Walker, the Grammy-nominated recording artist Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello, Editor-at-Large and former executive editor for ESSENCE magazine Linda Villarosa, and the former Adviser to New York Mayor David Dinkins, Dr. Marjorie Hilll.
And I want you to know the living male heroes. Men like New York City Council Member Phillip Reed, Former Mayor of Cambridge Ken Reeves, Mayor of Palm Springs Ron Oden, Bestselling Author E. Lynn Harris, and Harvard University Chaplain Rev. Peter Gomes.
And finally, I want you to know that we are your brothers and sons and fathers. We are your sisters and daughters and mothers. And we are your cousins and nieces and nephews as well. We cannot separate ourselves from the larger Black family because we are an integral part of the Black family. We raise our families, we send money to our nephews, and yes we sing in the choir as well.
The issues that affect Black gays and lesbians are issues that affect all Black people. Last year I sat in the living room of a young mother who had lost her child to violence in Newark, New Jersey. Her 15-year-old daughter, Sakia Gunn, was murdered because the killer thought she was gay. When black homosexuals and bisexuals are murdered, black heterosexual family members still have to bury their kin. What happens to Black gays and lesbians directly affects black straight people as well.
HIV and AIDS is the leading cause of death for young Black people, gay or straight. Forty-five million Americans do not have health insurance, and too many of this group are Black, gay or straight. Unemployment is still too high among Black people, gay or straight. We are all connected.
When Black people were forced to sit in the back of the bus, Black gay people were forced to sit in the back of the bus. When Black people could not vote, Black lesbians could not vote. And when Black people are beaten and abused by the police, Black bisexuals are beaten and abused by the police.
We share the same goals and aspirations as the rest of the Black community, but none of us can accomplish those goals without unity and courage. We all need courage in our lives. It took courage for you to come here today. It took courage for Minister Farrakhan to invite me to speak today. And it will take courage to heal the wounds that have divided us for far too long.
In the timeless words of Audre Lorde, "When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision – then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." So I say to you today: Be strong, be proud, be courageous.
The Speech That Didn't Happen
By Keith Boykin
http://www.keithboykin.com/October 15, 2005 04:18 PM
After eight months of discussion, four productive conversations with Minister Farrakhan and a heated exchange with Rev. Willie Wilson, the Millions More Movement March took place today and I was not allowed to speak. Although I believe we have opened the door for historic and positive dialogue with Minister Farrakhan, Rev. Wilson does not appear to be ready for such dialogue.
This is what happened today. After I arrived at the VIP tent shortly after 8 in the morning, my colleague Donna Payne spoke directly to Rev. Willie Wilson backstage, and he informed her that no one from the National Black Justice Coalition would be speaking today. Donna told Rev. Wilson that he was violating our agreement, and Wilson replied that the agreement was void because the Coalition had not responded by Friday. That was not true.
Rev. Wilson's excuse seemed a mere pretext to prevent us from speaking. Sadly, I am not surprised. He has been an obstacle to this process all along. Ever since his controversial July 3 sermon in which he blamed the rise of lesbianism for the problems in the black community, Rev. Wilson seems to have developed ill feelings toward the black gay community for responding to his attack. That was three months ago, and I had hoped to use my speech today to extend an olive branch to Rev. Wilson to move beyond our differences and heal our wounds, but his actions this morning made that impossible.
Today I am publishing the remarks I would have given at the Millions More Movement March had I been allowed to speak. The complete text is below.
Remarks Prepared for DeliveryThe Millions More March Saturday, October 15, 2005By Keith Boykin
Good Afternoon. Today I am honored to stand here at the Millions More Movement March as a representative of the National Black Justice Coalition, the country’s only national civil rights organization for Black lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. The National Black Justice Coalition strongly supports the goals of the Millions More Movement for unity and inclusion of our entire community.
In February of this year, Minister Farrakhan and I participated in Tavis Smiley’s annual “State of The Black Union” event in Atlanta. During a press conference that day, Minister Farrakhan announced that women and gays would be encouraged to participate in today’s March. “The makeup will be our people, whoever we are,” he said. Then he added, “Male, female, gay, straight, light, dark, rich, poor, ignorant, wise. We are family. We will be coming together to discuss family business.”
After the press conference, I spoke to the Minister and I introduced myself. “Minister Farrakhan,” I said, while shaking his hand, “My name is Keith Boykin, and I am a Black gay man. And I want to thank you for your inclusive comments about gays in the Million Man March.” Without missing a beat, Minister Farrakhan responded to me with a long, warm embrace. “Brother, I love you,” he said as we hugged. “We are all part of the family. We are all part of the same community.” That was an historic moment.
Ten years ago, I joined more than a million of my brothers on this very location for the Million Man March. At that time, there were no openly gay, lesbian or bisexual speakers at that March. This time, however, I am able to speak here today as an openly gay man because of the courageous leadership of one man – Minister Louis Farrakhan. I publicly and honestly thank him and salute him for the invitation to speak. The diversity of speakers assembled here today is a powerful signal that we in the Black community will not allow ourselves to be divided by differences of opinion, religion, gender, class or sexual orientation ever again.
As Minister Farrakhan himself said in August, “we must not allow painful utterances of the past or present, based on sincere belief, or based on our ignorance, or based on our ideology or philosophy to cripple a movement that deserves and needs all of us—and, when I say all, I mean all of us.”
Earlier this week, two of my colleagues and I sat with Minister Farrakhan, his wife, his daughter, and his son, and with Rev. Willie Wilson, the executive director of this March. Minister Farrakhan said it was the first time he had ever sat down with a group of openly gay and lesbian African Americans. Let me be honest. It was an intense, passionate and candid meeting where both sides shared their pain and frustration with the other. At the end of the discussion, however, we made progress. We realized that there are no “both sides” of the table. There is only one side, and that is the side of justice.
So today I accept the olive branch offered by Minister Farrakhan and Rev. Wilson and offer an olive branch of my own. We acknowledge the hurt and pain that has been caused by both sides in our past conflicts, and we fully commit ourselves to heal the deep wounds that have hurt us. Thank you, Minster Farrakhan and Rev. Wilson for the love.
We have disagreed in the past and we may disagree in the future, but we all agree that we must move forward together. We all agree that we will not allow ourselves to be manipulated by the media to create divisions among us. We all agree that we are stronger together than we are apart. And we all agree that the struggle for the liberation of our people is more important than our individual differences of opinion.
Fifty years ago, Ralph Ellison wrote, "I am an invisible man. . . I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. . . . When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination -- indeed, everything and anything except me." Ralph Ellison was talking about the invisibility of the African American, but the same could be said of Black gays and lesbians.
When Dr. King spoke at the 1963 Civil Rights March, he called on one person, Bayard Rustin, a Black gay man, to organize that march. When Duke Ellington performed “Take The ‘A’ Train,” he called on one person, Billy Strayhorn, a Black gay man to serve as his composer. And when Black actors and directors put on performances of “A Raisin In The Sun,” they call on one person, Lorraine Hansberry, a Black bisexual playwright, to serve as their muse.
Black culture as we know it today would not exist without the words of James Baldwin, the poetry of Audre Lorde, or the choreography of Alvin Ailey. That is why I am here today – to honor their legacy.
But I am also here to honor the living heroes and sheroes of today. My good friend Phill Wilson likes to say that our people cannot love us if they do not know us. So I want you to know who we are. I want you to know the activist Angela Davis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Alice Walker, the Grammy-nominated recording artist Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello, Editor-at-Large and former executive editor for ESSENCE magazine Linda Villarosa, and the former Adviser to New York Mayor David Dinkins, Dr. Marjorie Hilll.
And I want you to know the living male heroes. Men like New York City Council Member Phillip Reed, Former Mayor of Cambridge Ken Reeves, Mayor of Palm Springs Ron Oden, Bestselling Author E. Lynn Harris, and Harvard University Chaplain Rev. Peter Gomes.
And finally, I want you to know that we are your brothers and sons and fathers. We are your sisters and daughters and mothers. And we are your cousins and nieces and nephews as well. We cannot separate ourselves from the larger Black family because we are an integral part of the Black family. We raise our families, we send money to our nephews, and yes we sing in the choir as well.
The issues that affect Black gays and lesbians are issues that affect all Black people. Last year I sat in the living room of a young mother who had lost her child to violence in Newark, New Jersey. Her 15-year-old daughter, Sakia Gunn, was murdered because the killer thought she was gay. When black homosexuals and bisexuals are murdered, black heterosexual family members still have to bury their kin. What happens to Black gays and lesbians directly affects black straight people as well.
HIV and AIDS is the leading cause of death for young Black people, gay or straight. Forty-five million Americans do not have health insurance, and too many of this group are Black, gay or straight. Unemployment is still too high among Black people, gay or straight. We are all connected.
When Black people were forced to sit in the back of the bus, Black gay people were forced to sit in the back of the bus. When Black people could not vote, Black lesbians could not vote. And when Black people are beaten and abused by the police, Black bisexuals are beaten and abused by the police.
We share the same goals and aspirations as the rest of the Black community, but none of us can accomplish those goals without unity and courage. We all need courage in our lives. It took courage for you to come here today. It took courage for Minister Farrakhan to invite me to speak today. And it will take courage to heal the wounds that have divided us for far too long.
In the timeless words of Audre Lorde, "When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision – then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." So I say to you today: Be strong, be proud, be courageous.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Welcome!
Welcome to the new podcast/blogger from philly. Need any advise, or if you have any comments email me at thegayexperience@gmail.com
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