Crossing the Gay Color Lines

Questioning Homophobia in the Black Community

One often unspoken assumption — on the part of white gay people and possibly among black gay people as well — is that many African Americans don't support gay rights because of widespread homophobia within the black community. But like many issues that cross race lines, the reality is much more complex.

"I certainly would take issue with gay people who suggest the black community is more homophobic," McCullom said. "Jerry Falwell isn't black. George Bush isn't black. Most people in the Republican party — they aren't black."

Daniels acknowledged, however, that coming out as a gay black man may be harder than coming out as a gay white man. "I think it takes a real man — at least if you're African American — to come head to head with your family, with your society, with your church, with your friends, because it's so taboo, so deep." And yet Daniels feels that it may be the openness of coming-out that actually makes the black community uncomfortable, not the sexual identity itself.

"I think a lot of black men are fine with homosexuality," said Daniels. "This is the big misconception." In recent years, the phenomenon of black men who sleep with other men "on the down low," but do not identify as gay or bisexual, has been covered on Oprah and in the New York Times.

Daniels continued: "The DL (downlow) is so powerful and so widespread that I can't even begin to articulate it. It is cool and accepted that men are sleeping with men. I think that no one would have a statistic for that. It's so rampant, it's wild."

Taylor believes that the notion of black homophobia is something new. "The current strain of homophobia or fear of gay people in the black community is probably a latter 20th century construct," he said. "You hear people talking all the time about the gay and lesbian involvement in the black church. And I want you to understand — that was never a cloaked presence."

Taylor explained that religious homophobia in the black church was fomented in the '80s by AIDS, the loss of black men to prison or death during the crack epidemic, and financial seduction by politically motivated, conservative white evangelicals.

In the '80s, the so-called Moral Majority "realized that the way to start getting black people at the table was to bring the pastor to the table," said Taylor. "And they started this from these faith-based initiatives, which was essentially 'here's more money,' and [if you want to keep this money] these are the things that need to come out of your mouth. White evangelicals put fear in the pulpit. … We were never ostracized from our community [before then]."

Racism Within the White Gay Community

One thing that all five men agree on is that a major issue that is rarely addressed is not homophobia in communities of color, but racism within the white gay community.

"You're talking about African Americans being prejudiced," Daniels said. "I mean gay men are prejudiced against gay men [of color]."

Fixx said: "You have the homophobia within the black community, which is just the same as the racism that's still within the gay community. I think that's the comparison that no one is really addressing."

Ultimately, Polk believes, the comparisons that gays make between their struggle and the civil-rights movement ring hollow. "The truth of the matter is white gay people don't really care about racist and racial issues," Polk said. "They really don't. There's just as much racism within the gay community as anywhere else. You would think gay people would be less racist, but they're just as much."

Part of the issue, McCullom suggests, is the gay community's inability to even recognize racism when it exists. He gives the example of Shirley Q. Liquor, a white drag queen, who performs as a black female character in full makeup with a heavy — and questionable — accent. Black activists have been protesting the routine for years, arguing that it is an offensive caricature reminiscent of blackface minstrel shows.

"And the white guys don't think there's a problem with it," McCullom said. "They just think it's hilarious."

McCullom also sees Shirley Q. Liquor as a missed opportunity. "It just would have been great if so many more gay activists would have just latched onto it and came out publicly against it. That way they're sending a message that they're condemning racism. And that way they're endearing themselves to black audiences." (GLAAD did finally come out against Shirley Q., but only recently.)

Racism within the white gay community extends beyond not recognizing racism, however, into social arenas. Daniels related a recurring theme with his gay, African American friends: That white gay men were perfectly happy to have sex with them in the dark, but didn't want to be seen with them in public. He also explained: "I have gone to clubs, and not once, not twice, not 10 times, not 20 times, but many times throughout West Hollywood — where it's simply not [OK to be black] — you would get the once-around."