Recently, an article was published via Guardian, examining the whole “No Blacks, No Asians” issue among gay men. It was the latest in a semi-wave of articles being written over the last couple of years, largely by white, gay men, examining the issue. The article, for the most part, wasn’t terrible (not at all groundbreaking, to anyone who’s been paying attention, though). It was a 101 intro to racism in the gay community…but for me, that’s part of the issue…but of course, I’ve been wanting us all to get out of the kiddie pool of social justice for a while. Additionally, looking on Twitter, the author’s responses to the fair and legit criticisms from POC have been telling, if not typical. There’s this expectation from white people that, just the most basic acts of “allyship” puts one above reproach. I’ve discussed my issues with “allyship” in pieces throughout this site, so no need to dive into it, here, but this just all feels very familiar…and old. [Read more…]
A personal rant. Hear me out…I promise it’s not petty
Now, purely on a systemic level, there are many reasons to inherently be less than trusting of white people (and anyone who’s familiar with my writings so far is probably well-aware of that already). But that’s not what this piece is about. This is more on an individual, interpersonal level…and perhaps how that level relates to the systemic level.
So, I once had this friend who I felt very close with — we chartered and helped build a leather club together, traveled together, regularly had intimate conversations…he was even the first person I reached out to and confided in when I was diagnosed with HIV. Frankly, he could be a bit of an ass and would spread drama and bullshit wherever he went, but I always stuck up for him because I knew him through the bullshit, and felt like he would do the same for me. By just about any measure that matters, I considered him family, and I honestly thought the world of him.
…but that all changed as my social views continued to evolve. [Read more…]