Angry Black Hoemo

Just a guy, striving to be a good person and an even better bottom

CONNECT

Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

The Disposability of Black LGBTQ Lives: When Buzzwords and Hashtags Aren’t Enough

by

This is the 3rd of a multi-part series, where I highlight how this system often works against men/boys who live in the intersection of Blackness and Queerness. In the first part, I discussed the murder of Giovanni Melton, a 14 year-old boy killed by his own father. The second part goes over the case of Gemmel Moore, murdered by an affluent white Gay man. Here, I’ll be discussing the overall theme, of how the general disregard for Black LGBTQ people enabled both of these tragedies.

I decided to focus on the murders of Giovanni and Gemmel because I felt like both cases, together, highlight conflict that all Black Gay men (and Black LGBTQ folks, overall) face. There’s risk of discrimination, erasure and violence in most any space that we’re in. There’s anti-Blackness in many LGBTQ spaces, and anti-Queerness in many Black spaces.

Black LGBTQ folks are constantly put in a position of having to choose between race and sexual/gender identity. Worse, not only are we expected to “pick a side,” but it never is to benefit us. WhiteGayze™ expect us to fight for Gay/LGBTQ causes through a white-centered lens, with no regards to race. Black people (primarily cisgender & heterosexual) expect us to fight for Black causes, but through the lens of cishet men (i.e. “Race first”**), with no regards to sexual/gender identity. And any time we try to fully affirm ourselves, we’re labeled a “distraction.”

Truth of the matter is, the goal isn’t to advance true liberation by subverting white supremacist, colonial systems. The real goal of many people is to see Black cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied men and/or WhiteGayze™ sit in the position that white, cishet, able-bodied men currently hold. And they want us to happily and quietly take every bit of their abuse in the process. [Read more…]

LGBTQ Pride Parades & Protesting

by

This is originally from an entry on my Medium blog

Another round of Pride Parades took place this weekend, including one in Toronto. This one, in particular, has made some waves due to a protest that was held by the Toronto Chapter of Black Lives Matter. Their motivations behind said protest were outlined in a list of demands.

 

Similarly to other Pride protests — including “BlackOut Pride,” which took place here in Chicago, last year — the response to this has, predictably, been mixed and polarized. While many (myself, included) support the actions of BLMTO, many others are pulling out the predictable rhetoric of it not being the right time, or they could’ve asked more nicely, or (my favorite) it was “too divisive.”

[Read more…]

Why I Stopped Discussing “White Privilege” and “Black Lives Matter”

by

This is originally from an entry on my Medium blog

Disclaimer: This piece is not a condemnation of the concepts of White Privilege or BLM. If that’s what you’re here for, don’t waste your time (or, more importantly, mine).

As someone who has spent a great deal of time around people of various racial/ethnic backgrounds throughout my adult life, I’ve encountered race and race-based discussions a lot…and this was before my Pro-Black gene kicked into high gear over just the last couple of years. This means that I, like most any other socially aware people of color on this planet, have engaged in (and been dragged into…and beaten over the head with) more conversations around race than I care to recall. And if you’re here, you’re probably already well aware of all of the headaches that a life filled with these conversations and “debates” can entail, so I’ll spare you (and myself) the outlining of all of those gory details.

As any other Pro-Black person who’s discussed race for an extended period of time knows, you hit a certain point of fatigue with said discussions. This fatigue has gotten me to the point where I rarely, if ever, debate racial issues with white people (beyond the occasional, self-gratifying shade or clapback). And this is mainly because there’s a certain level that far too many just don’t seem to be able to make it past, which I’ve started calling the “Kiddie Pool” of social justice — topics like “White Privilege” and “Black Lives Matter.”

[Read more…]

Dear White Democrats

by

 This is originally from an entry on my Medium blog
Hillary Clinton “engaging” with a potential voter in Minnesota

Hi, democratic party…pull up a chair and be blessed with this read.

Since, basically, the Civil Rights Movement, when they helped pass the Civil Rights Act in the 60’s, Black people have aligned, virtually in lockstep, with the democratic party. In the decades since, the democratic party has worked tirelessly to maintain our support and votes. And in return they’ve given us so much…black lives have improved greatly under democratic leadership…greatly.

…right.

Let’s call it for what it is…

The rest of this entry can be read in the original post on Medium >>>

Not Your Mule: Non-Black People of Color and “Solidarity”

by

This is originally from an entry on my Medium blog

Since [the night of the 2016 Oscars], all over Twitter, I’m seeing Non-Black POC (or NBPOC, for short) crying extra salty tears over the fact that Chris Rock only spoke up for Black people, and even criticizing “#OscarsSoWhite” for not being inclusive enough.

Never mind that the latter is an absolute lie — as it was made crystal clear by the Black Woman who created the hashtag that the movement was started for all people of color, not just Black people. But, thing is, even if it was only for Black people, so what?

We have our own history of racism and our own, unique issues to deal with, and we shouldn’t have to be expected to do the work for everyone else. Many of the NBPOC who were complaining had follower counts in the tens — even hundreds — of thousands…there’s absolutely nothing stopping these folks from starting and/or amplifying their own hashtags and movements.

[Read more…]