An Exclusive Community
An eager young person who is looking to get more involved with her community goes to a meeting for a so-called "community involvement group", hoping to find a place to belong. The group, which was started and advertises itself as a broad group that included everyone: gay or straight, from every walk of life, decides that it wants to become an exclusively LGBT group. This is despite the fact that the success it had thus far was based on including everyone and reaching out past the gay community and just its issues. The original purpose was to build bridges to other segments in the greater community and strengthen them all, including LGBT's. Yet, somehow, it was decided that they did not need this support. They decided that they were to be an "exclusive" community and only care about "their" issues.
The young person sits back in confusion.
The surprises didn't end there, however. The group doesn't just go from including everyone to representing only LGBT's. That wasn't nearly exclusive enough. They begin knocking off more people. First to go, as happens far too often, is the transgender community. Statements are made that their last event was such a success because it "wasn't just the drag queens that showed up."
The young person shakes her head in disbelief.
The group then cuts out lesbians, stating "it was good to see just a bunch of gay men in khaki's and polo's." But being just a group of well-dressed gay men still wasn't enough. They begin to knock off other minorities, including African-Americans, Hispanics, and others with racist and exclusionary comments. Soon it is clear to the young person seeking to get more involved that this supposed community involvement group was really just a club for upper-class, white gay men.
The young person sadly leaves, discouraged by the division and not wanting to be the next person booted from the "exclusive" group.
So, where does this attitude come from? We have all been in situations like this. Whether it is a so-called equality group or just sitting around a bar with friends, we hear these exclusionary comments every day within our own community. Why do some in the gay community feel they don't need to include others or fight for everyone's rights? The LGBT community is not the first, nor will we be the last, to seek equal rights and protections under the law. We will never get the rights we deserve if we don't care about anyone else's fight too. Statistically, less than 10% of the population is LGBT. We need the other 90% of people to get behind us and support us to get any real political change. We need our straight allies to stand and fight for us. We can't just thumb our nose at others and go at it alone. As a community, we have to embrace others and their causes so they will embrace ours. Why would there be any racism or classism in our community when it comes to equality or civil rights? We have natural allies with other groups that have been the target of hate, intolerance, and violence if we would just reach out to them. We must show that we are better than the hateful and divisionary tactics used by those against us.
A real life example of this ridiculous idea of exclusivity within our own community came to light recently in the form of a one-woman crusade that was dead-set against including transgender rights to the Broward County Human Rights Ordinance. She wanted trans-people to "be patient and wait" for a better time to secure basic human rights like equal housing, public accommodations, and job security. This came from a wealthy, white lesbian who already had protections under the law in Broward County. It's funny, isn't it, how those that already have rights want others to wait for theirs.
I find it appalling that people who don't face the same level of discrimination seek to deny the rights of those that truly need their support. Why would we not fight for all parts of our own LGBT community and other minorities? Just because they don't look or act just like us? This isn't just about the rights of wealthy, so-called "main-stream", gays and lesbians. This is about helping everyone in our community, especially those that are underrepresented. How can we say that we want equal rights for ourselves but not protect those among us that our most vulnerable to discrimination and violence, like the transgender community? By excluding those that are different from us, even in our own community, aren't we becoming just like those that we are fighting against?
It is time we stopped this self-imposed division amongst ourselves and with those that would be our allies. Some among us are getting greater inclusion everyday from society. Sadly, others are not. That is why we have to strive to be inclusive, to embrace each other and the little things that make us all unique. We will not succeed in our efforts if we pretend we are an "exclusive" community. Those that try to drive others out because they are different aren't being exclusive; they are being bigots, the very thing they claim to be fighting against. We must include, accept, and protect each other. There can be no "velvet rope" in our community's fight for equality.
Waymon Hudson is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization focused on helping LGBT individuals who are victims of discrimination and hate. www.fightoutloud.org
*originally printed in GaySoFla Magazine (www.gaysofla.com)*
Labels: fightoutloud.org, Politico Homo, Waymon Hudson
