Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Recognize the connection

In his book, Dangerous Liaisons: Blacks, Gays and the Struggle for Equality, author Eric Brandt notes the similarities between the struggles of people of color and the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered [GLBT] community.

“Many have pointed out the parallels between the lynching of James Byrd, Jr. in Texas and the murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming,” he writes. “And the erosion of affirmative action in last November’s election seems to have gone hand-in-hand with the defeat of equal rights initiatives for lesbians and gays in states across the country.”

Yet despite a shared history of oppression, Brandt notes that racial and sexual minorities have not always banded together. He cites as examples black leaders who oppose gay rights, and gay organizations that discretely exclude blacks.

Workers at the University of Massachusetts Stonewall Center, an on-campus GLBT resource center have for years worked to bridge the gaps between these groups, and to establish a haven for GLBT people of color. It was in this spirit that the Stonewall Center held its Third Annual African American/Latino/Asian/Native American [ALANA] barbeque last night.

“There are different issues that people of color who are queer face than your average whites,” said Stephen Pereira, Assistant Director of the Stonewall Center. “I’d have to say that I, as a queer person of color, have different issues than the average white gay man. There are different cultures, with different views on gender.

“We try to be very aware of the programming we do, and reflect every segment on campus”, he said. “We want to have a safe place for queer people of color to meet.”

“I think there’s always work to be done on a personal and community level,” he added. “I think that queer groups are responsive to racial issues, but only to a point – it definitely could be better.”

Trevin Lau, a multicultural career counselor at Mount Holyoke College’s Career Development Center, attended the barbeque. On her backpack was a button that read, “Racism-Sexism-Homophobia. Recognize the Connection.”

“I think that [issues of race and sexuality] are connected,” Lau said. “I usually draw analogies between homophobia and racism, to let people see that connection.”

“If you condemn racism for being unfair, you must also condemn homophobia for being equally unfair,” she added. “They’re both [about] oppressing people.”

Pereira and Lau both commented that the typical image of an American gay person is of a white person, and that work is needed to correct this.

“When you think of gay people in the media, the great majority of them are white, especially on TV,” said Lau. “I think in general, in America, when people think of other people, they think of white people.”

Kevin Trimell Jones, a Master’s student in Social Justice Education, agreed.

“I think when we think of a gay community, we think of a white gay community,” Jones said. “There are a lot of oppressions – not just racial ones.”

Jones does not identify as “gay”, because he feels that the word has a connotation of whiteness. “I identify as ‘same-gender-loving”, because of the whole empowerment of being able to name yourself, and being part of a community that can name itself,” he said.

He also commented that black issues are often marginalized at gay events.

“I feel like when I go to a gay [event], I can only be gay,” he said. “It’s inappropriate to talk about racial issues.” It for this reason, he said, that he is trying to establish a group on campus for queer people of color.

Jones agrees with black lesbian writer Audre Lord, who once famously commented that, “There is no hierarchy of oppressions.”

“Sometimes oppressions are one and the same,” he said. “There’s a common element that continues to marginalize people, because of sexual orientation or race.”

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