posted Mar. 3, 2012
Okay, so it's 2012, we've had the Civil Rights Act passed (1965), three or four actors/actresses win Academy Awards, a plethora of black and black-themed television shows with positive African American images over the airways, yada, yada, yada! One would say, "You've come a looong way baby!" And they'd be right...
BUT...we still have idiots like Sheriff Joe Apaio of Arizona staging investigations of President Obama's birth certificate, claiming it to be a "fraud, and questioning his eligibility to be president", an asshole in Alaska filing suit against his presidency on the grounds of "questionable citizenship", and a FEDERAL Circuit Court judge, Richard Cebull, circulating a racially-charged email stating, "Obama's lucky he wasn't born a dog...". And we're expected to think the United States is "through with its racism"...REALLY???
And as the rest of society goes, so goes the LGBT community...yes, there is still some remnants of racism and attitudes of "white privilege" in the LGBT community, as much as some would deny it (I mean, this community is suppose to be one of the most acceptance and inclusion, right?).
What's got me talking like this, you may ask.
Well, recently an African American transwoman I greatly admire and respect, Ms. Monica Roberts, award-winning author of the Transgriot, an African American themed blog, was published in another African American themed internet publication, EBONY.com. This article was her "spotlight" of African American transpersons who have proven to be trailblazers in the transgender community; the transgender community being a segment of the African American community who have gotten little enough attention for positive things...we are readily given enough attention when it's regarding the negatives...prostitution, larceny and victims. So WHY is that this article was barely three days old when a person felt the need, via the HUFF Post 'comments' section, to question Monica's effort, calling it "just another effort to divide us racially"! If she (and I think she must be transgender by the use of the word "us") wasn't already thinking racially 'divisive', it seems to me she would have applauded Monica and thanked her for information about her African American transsistas that she didn't have before; hell, I wasn't aware of some of them myself!
WHY is it that we as an African American community, let alone the African American transgender community, always find the need to justify our pride in our heritage, accomplishments or attempts to do for ourselves to some folks?? After all, very often the struggles we face as transgender persons is compounded by our race. Why shouldn't we revel in the fact that we overcame an obstacle in spite of it?
LindaCON's comment reminds me of an incident here in Atlanta, where a group of us (multiracial, by the way) attempted to put together an organization aimed at helping transgenders here find jobs to reduce the number of commercial sex workers (there was a big broohaha about the number of them in Atlanta's Midtown area at the time). Because the predominant number of "working girls" at the time were black, we named the group the Transgender Persons Of Color worker's project (TPOC). As soon as TPOC got a little publicity in the local LBGT publication, the Southern Voice, a white transgender woman (mind you, this girl had already had a job that she'd gotten herself fired from) wrote a 'letter to the editor' questioning "why we weren't helping any white trans people?" AND SHE'D NEVER ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT US OR BE A PART OF TPOC's EFFORTS; she was merely going by the name. (NOTE: Do you think NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] means there are no whites involved in it? You would be mistaken.) I suppose it's okay if we were to just sit back and continue to be victims, and not try to do for self...
As God is my witness (and He knows my heart), I am as non-divisive as ANYONE; I get along with anyone that treats me with the respect that I give them, no matter what cultural background they come from, BUT I refuse to neglect, ignore or deny my heritage! I applaud Monica Roberts for her continued effort with this respect, giving our young African American trans women & men the information, education and history, with pride in something they themselves can move forward with...and lest we forget, this same education can be of benefit to all other trans cultures who have the open-mindedness to see it as such...think about it.
Bravo, Cheryl! You say it like it is! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMisha.
As a white person I'm going to have to say this is BS. Point one, I challenge anyone to find a whitebreed American these days.. when it come to Whites we are now lumped with Latino's or Anglo saxon without spanish descent. If you really look around whites are a minority... It's the Latinos who are a majority, even Blacks are more populated than whites. Enough said on that.
ReplyDeleteWhy anyone has to use a race issue, in a Transgender issue is beyond me... Don't we have enough problems just trying to be women or men? I find it more common than not.. That the race issue get thrown around and used against White people who are clearly these days a Minority.
Go to any Government Office and you will find the majority of people working there are either black, or latino. If me as a white person asks for assistance or asks to start a strictly White Organization.. the supposed minorities would be up my ass with descrimination charges.
Think about that to all of you who have started strictly Black or Latin Projects. Is it okay for you to exclude me, but not okay for me to exclude you? Just saying, as a white if I speak up I'm Racist.. but when you speak up what are you?
I am allowing this ONE post of this nature just so folks can see how even here, you asinine idiots will continue to spew your vitrolic idiocy!
DeleteCommon sense puts the LIE to your every word; if the numbers were as you say, the sheer numbers of blacks & hispanics would be reflected in Congress via voting more of them into offices of decision making in this country, you racist, bigotted idiot! I don't mind a differing opinion, but it should at the very least be FACT-based...
And whites are always filing "reverse discrimination [yes, THAT'S how it's spelled, moron]" charges; usually successful too, when they feel they've been excluded (which doesn't happen nearly as often as we were excluded [more successfully I maight add] in years past; we're more accepting/inclusive).
NOTE; It's also interesting that you would post as "Anonymous"...got a sheet you hide under too?
"Why shouldn't we revel in the fact that we overcame an obstacle in spite of it?" All the more reason you should never have to justify your pride in holding up each others' achievements. People of color STILL have to work 10 times harder to receive a fraction of the trust, credit, recognition, pay, etc. You really are one of the least divisive people I've ever met. I thank you for the times I've been outraged about an issue where I've learned so much from you and have had to step back and put myself in my rightful (whiteful?) place and watch what battles you pick and how you combat them. I feel honored to have the chance to witness your wisdom at work in activism and social justice. ♥
ReplyDeleteThanks Cheryl for telling it like it T-I-S is in this post.
DeleteWe are not a post-racial or 'colorblind society and not even close to it. Me or any other POC pointing out that reality doesn't make us 'divisive',it means were are being honest about what's going on in American society.