Marriage equality is not enough!
That is easy for me to say, as someone enjoying heterosexual privilege? I have been married to the person I love for over a decade and there was no traveling to a different state then our home state to have our marriage legal. So my saying marriage equality is not enough could be taken as comments from a heterosexual male who is blinded by his own heterosexual privilege. My comments are deeper than that, and are not influenced by my privilege.
My words are influenced by those who do not have the protection of heterosexual privilege.
On Saturday May 5th at Crossroads Church Kansas City, Mo., the Black LGBTA Think Tank of Kansas City held our first meeting. We are a group of people from diverse backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities all united to address the issues impacting the black LGBTA/SGL community of Kansas City. On this day, our first task was to identify the top five challenges that face the Black LGBT/SGL community of Kansas City.
They are:
- Church Based Homophobia/Heterosexism
- Racism
- HIV/AIDS
- Homelessness
- Apathy and Self Loathing
- Lack of spaces of support
- Hypermasculinity
- Lack of community involvement
No one spoke on marriage equality. Is that to say that marriage equality is not important? No way. What it says, is that there are some issues that if not addressed now, will continue to destroy and kill our LGBT/SGL brothers and sisters. These issues will continue to destroy and kill; emotionally, physical, spiritually and mentally unless we go beyond the politics and glamorized rally of the day. I am not downplaying the importance of legalized marriage and marriage equality. What I am doing, is screaming at the top of my lungs that Marriage Equality is Not Enough!!
We must not forget that church based homophobia and heterosexism are destructive obstacles in the lives of black LGBT/SGL people.
We must not forget that racism is still a destructive obstacle in the lives of black LGBT/SGL people.
These two issues by themselves fuel; HIV/AIDS, homelessness, apathy and self loathing, lack of spaces of support, Hypermasculinity and lack of community involvement. This is why unabashedly I declare that “Marriage Equality is Not Enough!”
Continue the fight!!
Rev. Gerald Palmer, MSW
For more information on the impact of racism and religious based homophobia please see these:
Homophobia, Hypermasculinity and the US Black Church
Elijah G. Ward
RACISM IN THE GAY COMMUNITY AND HOMOPHOBIA IN THE BLACK
COMMUNITY: NEGOTIATING THE GAY BLACK MALE EXPERIENCE
The Church Has AIDS: Essays on Sexuality, Sexual Orientation, Taboos, and the Black Church
In case I forgot to tell ya, you rock!!