Are the B&T getting pushed out of LGBT?

Former Member

I saw this on facebook and it made me think:

“When I look back at the first night of the Stonewall Inn riots, I could have never imagined its future importance. The first night played out no differently from previous riots involving black Americans and white policemen. And so, too, did its being underreported. But I was there.
On the first night of the Stonewall riots, African Americans and Latinos likely were the largest percentage of the protestors, because we heavily frequented the bar. For homeless black and Latino LGBTQ youth and young adults who slept in nearby Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn was their stable domicile. The Stonewall Inn being raided was nothing new. In the 1960s gay bars in the Village were routinely raided, but in this case, race may have been an additional factor, given the fact that so many of the patrons were black and Latino, and this was the ’60s.

However, today, African-American and Latino trans communities are relegated to the margins of Greenwich Village, if not expelled from it. These communities nonetheless force their way into being a visible and powerful presence in our lives, leaving indelible imprints while confronted with not only transphobia but also “trans-amnesia.” The inspiration and source of an LGBTQ movement post-Stonewall is an appropriation of a black, brown, trans, and queer liberation narrative and struggle. The Stonewall Riot of June 27 to 29, 1969 in Greenwich Village started on the backs of working-class African-American and Latino queers who patronized that bar. Those brown and black LGBTQ people are not only absent from the photos of that night but have been bleached from its written history. Many LGBTQ blacks and Latinos argue that one of the reasons for the gulf between whites and themselves is the fact that the dominant queer community rewrote and continues to control the narrative of Stonewall.”
—
Irene Monroe (http://www.irenemonroe.com/home/)

When I was at uni and since, when I've dated guys and girls I've always had people within the LGBT community telling me to get a grip and choose, or similar behavour which I have heard some people call biphobia. I've been told I couldn't go into gay clubs with straight boyfriends/mates. I see a lot of transphobia in general public life, possibly more than homophobia and it seems like theres no silver bullet to sort it out. There seem to be a lot of events which pretty much exclude transgendered people, and very few events celebrating bisexuals.

Is this just my point of view or do other people feel this is happening? And if it is, what are the possible solutions?

Former Member

I think that the 'mainstream gay scene' is just like the rest of society. It has racist and transphobic people, plus people who feel threatened by the sexuality of others, despite it not being their concern really. There are 'queer friendly' spaces, in London at least, such as Woteverworld (link NSFW) and awareness raising groups like Queer Resistance who campaign on LGBT issues.

The article doesn't surprise me at all, from a racial perspective and my own experiences have seen both misogyny from men (being called a 'vile lesbian' at my uni LGBT) and biphobia from women. I can't speak abut biphobia from men, as I mostly spent time with gay women a few years ago.

I feel too that a lot of gay people are narrow minded, just like anywhere else I suppose. I was speaking to some cool guys, who used to be a part of the Gay Liberation Front, who not only challenges homophobia, but also other prejudices, seeing them as being interconnected (they used to run squats for frightened women and gay people, to take refuge in Brixton. Tru-fax.. He was saying he felt that the LGBT scene has become depoliticised and more capitalist. The pink pound reigns, eh?

Sorry if I'm rambling... I feel very passionate about LGBT stuff.

In essence, I see a few issues which need resolving:

• The problem of homophobia, which pathologises and ghettoises people in to a more insular position.
• That (I believe) sexuality is a part of identity, but is fluid. Again, prejudice kinda creates a greater identity and stops people from being who they want.
• That more lesbians, bisexual, transgendered and gender varient people need to be in the mainstream media and protrayed as normal. Not just the screaming queens, or grotesque stereotypes, or pornified lesbianism.
• That LGBT groups from BME communities need to be supported... Not spoken for by people outside of their communities (like people who suddenly care about homophobia is it comes in an Islamic package), I mean supported and stood by.
• That (in my view) we need to deconstruct the rigidity of gender norms, educate people that things aren't so black and white, both in LGBT communities and outside.

Sorry if that's vague or doesn't make sense.