Julian Bond, activist and chairman emeritus of the NAACP, has just published a short but
very pertinent piece tying together the suicide of Tyler Clementi, the Eddie Long controversy, and the atmosphere of homophobia which led to both. It deserves a read:
Some who believe in Biblical literalism find sanction for their anti-homosexuality there, but selectively ignore Biblical injunctions to execute people who work on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2), to crack down on those who get haircuts (Leviticus 19:27) or to condemn those who wear clothes with more than one kind of thread (Leviticus 19:19).
We wouldn’t think of executing someone for having a Sunday job, but homophobia literally kills. We know Tyler Clementi’s name because his death has been in the news, but did you know about 13-year-old Seth Walsh of Tehachapi, Calif., or 13-year-old Billy Lucas of Greensburg, Ind., who also hanged themselves, or 13-year-old Asher Brown, 13, of Houston, Texas, who shot himself in the head? They all endured anti-gay harassment and bullying until the pressure became too great, as it apparently did for Tyler Clementi.
In the aftermath of the Atlanta scandal, many are given to call Bishop Long’s church “The Church of the Down Low.” This refers to the homophobia-inspired fear that forces many Black gay men into underground lives in a secret sexual world—secret even from family and friends—a covert world on the “down low.” The price some of us pay is AIDS.
As the Atlanta Constitution’s Cynthia Tucker wrote, “Bigotry fuels the scourge of AIDS in Black America, and the plague is making its greatest inroads into the population from which come the worker bees of the Black church: Black women.”
We need to sweep these prejudices away, as the Supreme Court did in 1967 when it eliminated the ban on interracial marriage.
America makes me sick. This is not the country I grew up believing in.
ReplyDeleteIn the America of my youth we were equal and free to do as we liked as long as it did not hurt anyone. Name calling, fighting, and telling lies are wrong. We welcomed people from everywhere and rejoiced in being a “melting pot”.
What happened!?
As a woman;
My education costs the same and I have the same bills but I will not make as much as a man at the same job. We can’t seem to pass an equal rights amendment after 40 years.
My reproductive rights are constantly debated and at risk of being changed.
Dead beat dads are protected because the states can’t seem to agree on going after them and we can’t use social security numbers to track them down. While there are services set up to help the single moms, there is not much out there for the single dads or the dad that wants his kids.
As a lesbian;
I am not allowed to get married, serve my country, and no federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Plus having to watch and listen to the lies and hate being spread around by people in power. Some of who are engaged in the very activities they spread lies about! What few rights as an American I can enjoy are scattered, partial, and change at the drop of a hat.
The gay community is no better. They throw money behind organizations and leaders that do little or nothing. We have our own forms of discrimination and because of the closet and those STILL in it, we have no real idea how many of us there are. The only time you can get a REAL crowd is for a party.
As a teacher;
I am responsible for so much and get paid squat. I have to work in a system that does not work and watch our kids fail behind other countries.
I see abuse by parents. I see abuse by the foster programs. I see kids abuse each other. The kids learn it at home and on TV. They see the election commercials where lies, misinformation, and bullying are how you get into office. They hear hate at church. Not all but many preach intolerance for other religions, races, and gays.
As a consumer;
Unfortunately most of the stuff I buy is made outside America. Thanks to deregulation, I watched my hometown die when the steel industry left.
I refuse to shop at a monopoly that hires cheap labor in other countries. It is the death of the American dream.
The media does have some redeeming values if all you watch is Nick at Night. Crime shows and most movies have become so graphic and violent that I wonder who are they trying to entertain. Is it really entertainment to watch how barbaric humans can be to other humans? We have desensitized our kids to the dangers of guns, blood, hate, and torture. How can we read the paper and be horrified by man’s inhumanity to man when we can’t wait for the next torturous, bloody, detailed episode of CSI or Criminal Minds??
I am not equal or free in my country. I am subject to ridicule and hate by turning on the TV, reading, the paper, going to work or school, or just walking down the street and my government allows it and so do you.
How can we feed our children all this and not expect them to want to kill themselves