February has been celebrated as Black History Month in the U.S. since 1976. Although this month may be the shortest of the year, at least the nation recognizes blacks’ struggles, whereas gays still seek to be fully recognized.
Since the 19th century, blacks have fought to secure their civil freedoms while being subjected to lynchings and segregation. With the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans continue to rejoice in this victory, annually.
Similarly, the gay rights movement has seen its share of danger and discrimination over the years. Starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the LGBT community has fought for humane treatment, yet, been subject to prejudice and physical punishment. Although it could be true that the abuse toward blacks has been more outright for longer, it still seems to me that the extent of both social groups’ experience with hate is similar and that gays continue to face hardship in the 21st century.
Martin Luther King Jr. said in his 1965 commencement address to Oberlin College, “We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny … I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be.”
It upsets me that there are people who endorse civil rights, yet, still allow gays to be bashed. If King were alive today, he would assert that prejudice based on sexual orientation is a discrimination issue in the same way that racism is.
His legacy lives on; Black History Month first encourages people to reflect on what African Americans went through to achieve equality. But it should also encourage people to think hard about allotting the LGBT community the same civility.
Prejudiced people tend to find something that isn’t the norm and ostracize it. It began with skin color and gender because those characteristics can usually be seen by anyone at a first or second glance. But homosexuality doesn’t have a defining physical feature.
As former Massachusetts Represenatitive Barney Frank said “No black child has to come out to his parents when he’s born.” While skin color is obvious at first sight, orientation goes largely undetected. And it is not customary to ask about a person’s sexuality after learning his or her name.
Unfortunately, there are social stigmas linked to both race and sexual orientation. Some whites believe blacks have lower human capital while some straight men fear the presence of gays as if they are a sexual threat. These assumptions prevent the acceptance of a person as human.
In April 1998, Coretta Scott King, King’s widow, called out to the civil rights community to speak out against homophobia, arguing that such prejudice “seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity, and personhood” and that it “sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group.”
During this speech, on the 30th anniversary of her husband’s assassination, Coretta Scott King continued on the topic of gay and lesbian rights.
“Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people,” she said.
I believe it is only fair for those who struggled with their own civil rights to respect the fighters for gay rights. Blacks who oppose gay marriage or the right to raise a child might have lived in a world in which most of the things seen around them support the idea that a man and a woman are the best couple to form a family and raise a child. But this seems to me like a homosexual who might have lived in an all-white community and assumed that Caucasian is the best kind of human. They might believe that the dark-skinned person is less of a human based only on color, but just because this is the status quo, it doesn’t mean it’s true or that this belief should be reinforced.
Regardless, white male privilege and heterosexuality still dominate modern life. So whether the struggle is African American or gay American, the civil rights campaigning of both groups is truly similar. One may be white and straight, or gay and black, but it is progress that makes us all American. Blacks secured equal protection from hate in society in all states just a few decades ago, and gays are now fighting for the same recognition in their marriages. I envision that, slowly but surely, Americans who believe in freedom from oppression will allow the LGBT dream of equality to come true.
All people should realize that although we might be different, none of us are alien to the human species. The best way I see to ensure that we may all live truthly is to provide equal opportunity in this life, whether it be in the workplace, in public service or with marriage. Don’t hate on diversity; appreciate people for how they are, regardless of race, gender or orientation.
