Michael Simmons Challenges Homophobia in the African-American Community

March 12, 2008

Michael Simmons, an international human rights activist who,with his partner Linda Carranza, co-founded the Raday Salon in Budapest Hungary, recently wrote comments about his thoughts on the responsibility of African-Americans who are heterosexual to speak out against homophobia. Following are his comments:

“Unlike racism towards African-Americans, many of us (African-Americans), while being tolerant, look the other way when we see and hear homophobia. It’s not unlike how “liberal” White people look the other way when they see and hear racism. We allow people to quote ignorant and hateful words if they come out of some religious text. We fail to challenge our friends, family, spiritual leaders, and neighbors when they articulate some ignorant view of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folks. Indeed we will often defend their right to be hateful while we are pissed off at racist behavior of years gone by.

We are willing to deny people health care and other benefits solely based on their sexual habits. Accusing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of being petty and just looking out for “their interests,“ folks often get pissed off at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community when they press liberal politicians to address their rights fearing a back lash–a position we would not tolerate if it were race.

We all walk around quoting Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., saying that an injury to one is an injury to all while telling the African-American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to shut the hell up and wait until we are ready to deal with this lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender stuff. One does not have to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender or like LGBT folks to just leave them the hell alone and allow them to enjoy life. That is all most of us ask for ourselves. It shouldn’t be a complicated process for anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, to fight for LGBT people to have the same exact rights and benefits that heterosexual people receive. It ain’t profound and we don’t have to usurp anyone from power. ”

For more information about Michael Simmons, please visit http://raday.blogs.com/