So I am sent this article in the mail about how “Gay is not the new black” which, in essence, says:
The 40th anniversary of Stonewall dominated Gay Pride celebrations around the country, and while that is certainly a significant moment that should be recognized, 40 years is nothing compared with the 400 blood-soaked years black people have been through in this country. There are stories some blacks lived through, stories others were told by their parents and stories that never had a chance to be told.
While those who were at Stonewall talk about the fear of being arrested by police, 40 years ago, blacks talked about the fear of dying at the hands of police and not having their bodies found or murder investigated. The 13th Amendment was signed in 1865, and it wasn't until 1948 that President Harry S. Truman desegregated the military. That's more than an 80-year gap.
Not to be flip, but Miley Cyrus is older than Bill Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell." That doesn't mean that the safety of gay people should be trivialized or that Obama should not be held accountable for the promises he made on the campaign trail. But to call this month's first-ever White House reception for GLBT leaders "too little too late" is akin to a petulant child throwing a tantrum because he wants to eat his dessert before dinner. This is one of the main reasons why so many blacks bristle at the comparison of the two movements -- everybody wants to sing the blues, nobody wants to live them.
Even though that was the core of the article, I can sum it up even further: Blacks had to endure more, so STFU gays.
Nothing is worse than one group of people holding their horrendous treatment over another group with pride; as if that will help either group succeed in their struggles or even reach common ground.
Needless to say, the author is dead wrong. The LGBT community should not have to suffer for as long as anyone else in the hands of bigotry and prejudice just because they did not reach some threshold of mistreatment. Ignorance and blind hate in any form is wrong and we should not only expect but demand that the President of the United States and our government as a whole work to ensure everyone is treated with fairness and respect.
In addition, all people should be working together to make our nation live up to these commitments. It is silly and childish to do otherwise.