Queer black voices lead fight for equality

By DeJon Sylvain, Advocate Staff

The perception the world has of me is formed through historical ignorance that has been instilled in the minds of every generation.

Although the First Amendment alleges to support freedom of expression, politics has identified my people as immoral.

Ignorance and bigotry against black and LGBTQ people in America is still alive and well and despite the incremental progress made by people in entertainment, the real world still has a long way to go.

Systematic oppression and concentrated economic insecurity excludes those without privileged status from many of the advantages a social safety net offers.

Members of the Catholic patriarchal oligarchy and evangelicals are the rooting advocates against non-traditional sexual relations.

From their perspective, the prevailing idea about homosexuality has been that it is “intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law.”

This occurs despite the idea that these notions fade as time goes on because bigots eventually die or because people step outside their comfort zone and interact with someone with different perspectives or a different way of life.

Moral blindness, lack of sympathy and recognition excludes minorities from retrieving social or political representation.

As queer people of color, the conversation begins with us.

To take a position against social shame, we need to address the issue firsthand.

As a community, we have to present fundamental ideas and terms that might be useful in building understanding in society.

Despite age, sex, race, ethnicity, culture or language our laws should ensure value for all people.

To accomplish creating a comprehensive society, there must be a general discussion where assorted perspectives are expressed.

Black and LGBTQ history and culture is one that should be recognized and accepted.

Since I am an African American gay male, I am consistently stereotyped by my pigmentation and orientation.

I am what you consider America’s Most Wanted.

I am viewed as being self-destructive, uninformed, unethical, oppressive and undesirable.

I was once told that I wasn’t right-minded to be successful in life.

These standards and ideals have formed what America is today — a place that uses differences to determine equal chances and opportunity.

LGBTQ people of color continue to face numbness inside their own communities — it’s something that is always surprising when it happens, but never feels like a major shock.

Americans have noted their position on the stigma, which creates barriers against non-conformists.

However, the tide has begun to shift and things are slowly beginning to change through gender nonconformity ushered in in an era of uncertainty for the majority of the heteronormative community.

Heteronormativity assumes the optimal couple consists of people from the opposite sex and belief that heterosexuality, predicated on the gender binary, is the norm or default sexual orientation.

We must also accept a set of common truths about political issues that have brought society to a standstill.