Racism in the LGBT community

Racism in the LGBT community is defined as racial prejudice between gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons.

Because the LGBT community spans all ethnicities, races, and cultures, it is realistically improbable for racism to be entirely absent therein. The importance of racial tolerance and diversity, especially in a community which already receives so much discrimination from homophobia, has been publicly stressed by many LGBT celebrities.

Many people have and express a preference about the race of their sexual partners; this is not typically considered racism. Rather, racism within the GLBT community is much the same as racism outside it.

In daily life

Examples:

*According to a study conducted in 2008, racism against gay Asian/Pacific Islander men leads to socially and contextually prescribed sexual roles for that may also contribute to the practice of unsafe sex among this group. [ [http://www.springerlink.com/content/n301522v67775426/fulltext.html "A Qualitative Exploration of the Relationship Between Racism and Unsafe Sex Among Asian Pacific Islander Gay Men"] ]

* According to a survey conducted of LGBT African-Americans in nine U.S. cities in 2000, a third of respondents reported negative experiences in predominantly white LGBT organizations and with white LGBT persons in bars and clubs. [cite web |work=hrc|title=Walking the Walk|url=http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News3/2003_Dec/Walking_the_Walk_Black_GLBT_Americans_Make_Gains.htm |accessdate=29 January |accessyear=2007]

* In 2005, Les Natali, the owner of a gay bar named Badlands located in San Francisco, was criticized by the city's Human Rights Commission who determine that 13 instances of racial discrimination by the staff occurred. Examples include refusal for entry by African-Americans, white patrons being served first even though African-Americans were first in line among others.cite web |work=Keithboykin|title=Gay racism in the Castro|url=http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2005/05/04/gay_racism_in_t|accessdate=29 January |accessyear=2007]

* In 2006, there were reports of some verbal attacks on gay Latinos by gay whites in The Castro district of San Francisco. John Mendoza, a protest organizer against racism in the Castro, said he was told by a gay white male to "go back to Mexico, you fucking wetback, where you belong".cite web |work=BayAreaReporter|title=Latinos stage Castro rally against racism|url=http://racerelations.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php%3Fsec=news%26article=772 |accessdate=7 December |accessyear=2006]

In the media

Examples:

* Gay drag queen Chuck Knipp has been criticized by anti-racism advocated (both gay and straight) for his character, Shirley Q. Liquor. Knipp performs his act in blackface, and makes comments about blacks and black culture which some people consider offensive. Several protests have been made, in which Knipp had to cancel several of his shows.cite web |work=Keithboykin.com|title=protests close|url=http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2002/09/18/protests_close|accessyear=2007]

* Some LGBT media outlets have been criticized for not putting a racially diverse representation of gays and lesbians in their works, like magazines such as "The Advocate" and gay-themed television shows such as "Queer as Folk". [cite web |work=James Bohling|title=Frontiersnewsmagazine.com|url=http://www.glaad.org/poc/api/embracing_diversity.php|accessdate=30 January|accessyear=2007] [cite web |work=Keithboykin|title=Where are the black gay couples in the media?|url=http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/2001/08/01/where_are_the_b |accessdate=29 January |accessyear=2007] However, recent shows such as LOGO's "Noah's Arc" are working to put more gay people of color in their media.

* The late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe produced a work called "The Black Book" which many gay, African-American artists have called fetishistic, racist, and demeaning. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/08/08/bamapple08.xml] [http://www.glbtq.com/arts/mapplethorpe_r.html] [http://www.icp.org/site/c.dnJGKJNsFqG/b.3830011/]

References

ee also

James Baldwin (writer)

External links

* [http://www.youth-suicide.com/gay-bisexual/racism-gay-lesbian/index.htm#introduction "Racism Issues in Predominantly White Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Communities; North America - Europe - Australia"] - a more detailed look at racism within gay communities.
* [http://www.colorq.org/Articles/article.aspx?d=2000&x=gayracism Interviews with LGBT persons of color]
* [http://www.darkmatter101.org/site/category/issues/3-post-colonial-sexuality "Racism in the Closet: Interrogating Postcolonial Sexuality"] - a special issue of "darkmatter" journal.
* [http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2006/76/gaysofcolor.html "A Different Shade of Queer"] - An article examining racism in the gay community.