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| Betty Couvertier, a Hispanic lesbian from Atlanta, said gay men and lesbians must get past their differences in order to achieve the common goal of equality. |
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It saddens me that I see black and white men together, but no white and black lesbians together. The club owners need to get together and do a special event or something that would bring clubs with different races together for a fundraiser or something. Autumn Williams, 25, Midtown
It appears to be segregated, but then again we all tend to migrate toward those with a similar likeness —-it’s instinct. [But] segregation is segregation, and it should bother everyone.
Tony Roberts, 34, East Lake
I would suggest playing different music, or doing more cultural or music special nights, like hip-hop night at white bars, or having a white DJ play at a black bar. Also, the promoters of the Prides should come together. It’s their job to bring people together, but it’s also the responsibility of the individuals to look outside their comfort zones for themselves.
Desiree Rowan, 24, Virginia Highland
I think it’s getting worse with the next generation. It really deals with how their families accept interracial relationships and gay relationships. Maybe we should develop a rally, or some special [event] where gay people of both races coordinate trying to help gay communities, and take it to the Capitol for more rights and equality.
Calvin Hemphill, 35, Midtown
Editors’ note: This is the third installment in a three-part series exploring racial issues in gay Atlanta.
Part One: Nightlife and religious services
Part Two: Community organizations
This week: Where do we go from here?
Tell us what you think: To respond anonymously, visit www.sovo.com/soundoff.
If we can print your name with your response, email editor@sovo.com.
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: RYAN LEE
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Whether watching an emotionally charged episode of FX channel’s color-crossing reality TV series "Black.White," or news accounts of an alleged racially tinged rape involving Duke University students, reminders are everywhere that eruptions in racial tensions are not unique to gay Atlanta.
Nor is the casual but persistent segregation that exists among gay and lesbian organizations, places of worship and nightlife venues confined to Atlanta, or the South.
"It doesn’t matter if you’re in Los Angeles, or New York, or Chicago —-it’s not unique to Atlanta at all," said Rod McCullom, a New York-based black gay journalist who runs the popular blog, Rod 2.0. "Our community tends to think the South is the only place where discrimination and racism can be, but it’s not Southern at all.
"Actually, it’s even worse in northern cities like Chicago or New York," McCullom added.
Betty Couvertier, a Hispanic lesbian activist in Atlanta, agreed that the racial divisions "that occur in the LGBT community are no different than the things that occur in society at-large."
But maintaining the status quo segregation while being engaged in a fight for social equality leaves gay men and lesbians vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy — and vulnerable to the divide-and-conquer strategy of conservative opponents, Couvertier said.
"The right wing loves to exploit our divisions," she said.
"We must bag up all the ‘isms,’ mechanisms that blind and divide," she added. "We must cut across all of the divides, be informed and inform, and —-I cannot repeat this enough — participate, and become engaged."
But part of getting rid of the "isms" that divide gays includes recognizing the "interlocking nature of oppression" that people endure in various ways, said Rev. Leevahn Smith, pastor of Truth Center MCC, an African-American gay church in Atlanta.
"My suggestion for breaking down racism in gay Atlanta is to first realize that racism is connected with all the other oppressions in America," Leevahn said. "We’ve got to deal with racism, sexism, classism, etc."
Blatant acts of racism among gay men and lesbians in Atlanta may be rare, but "where racism rears its head … is that beyond challenging so-called normative sexuality, many LGBTQ folks fail to contest all of the other ‘givens’ in the society," said Frances E. Wood, a board member of the black lesbian group Zami.
Joshua Lesser, rabbi of the gay-inclusive Congregation Bet Haverim, said members of many minority groups are so focused on their own "victimhood" that they can’t see how others are being oppressed.
"Gay people can’t see ourselves as the first in line when it comes to being oppressed, and we have to help others," Lesser said. "The only way we will forward our agenda is to work on other’s agenda as well."
When Christian conservatives and Republican state lawmakers used a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage to take aim at gay and lesbian Georgians in 2004, gay organizations pleaded with other constituencies to stand beside them as allies against the amendment.
After successfully attacking gay men and lesbians, the "family values" crowd set their sights on curbing benefits for illegal immigrants. During this year’s state legislative session, Georgia lawmakers passed the most stringent immigration bill in the country.
"The immigration bill has to be perceived as the bashing bill of the year," said Larry Pellegrini, a veteran gay rights lobbyist. "The intensity of that legislation left little room to target anyone else."
Pellegrini and a handful of other gay men and lesbians were part of the fierce opposition to the immigration bill, but he said he "would’ve liked to see more formal participation [fighting the bill], particularly from gay organizations.
"The strongest connection [between the immigration bill and gay rights] is that the immigrant community, as new Americans, are people we will work with in the future, and it’s important to them now to see a demonstration of support from the gay community," Pellegrini said.
With a "March for Immigrants’ Dignity" scheduled for April 11, Pellegrini said gay people and organizations have the opportunity to stand with Latinos the same way leaders of Latino organizations spoke out against the anti-gay marriage amendment in 2004.
Pellegrini and Couvertier both lauded the work against the immigration bill done by members of Queer Progressive Agenda, a gay activism group that sprung out of the unsuccessful fight against the marriage amendment with the goal of combating all forms of oppression.
"The issues [gay people] face are many, from adoption to marriage, ...
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