Gays attacking blacks over Prop H8

Various national human rights organizations have now come out saying, "stop with blaming blacks for the passage of Prop H8." Problem is, 70% of California's black population voted for Prop h8. SEVENTY PERCENT. And 53% of California's Hispanic population voted for Prop h8. If the Hispanics and blacks had voted the same way as whites, Prop h8 would have failed.

On the other hand, blaming the Hispanic and black communities for this is just plain stupid. There was no -- zero, zilch, nada -- attempt by California's gay community to reach out to these communities. In particular, there has been no -- zero, zilch, nada -- attempt by the mainstream California gay community, which is predominantly white middle class and well educated, to reach out to their fellow gays in the black and Hispanic communities and give them the support they need to "come out" of their closets. Being homosexual became accepted by white middle-class Americans only because their children started opening those closet doors and joining the ranks of "out" gays. That has not happened yet in the black and Hispanic communities to any large extent (yes I know about exceptions, one of them cuts my hair), and won't as long as the mainstream gay community here in California is terrified of black and Hispanic people -- which they are. Which is why there were no (ZERO) "No on 8" signs in Spanish. No (ZERO) "No on 8" advertising on Spanish-language television. No (ZERO) "No on 8" advertising on black radio. No (ZERO) door-knocking by the "No on 8" campaign in black or Hispanic neighborhoods. Until you remedy these issues, blacks and Hispanics will continue to vote against gay rights.

Until the predominantly white middle class gay community gets over its own bigotry against racial minorities and reaches out to its gay brethren in those communities, said gay community will continue to lack the blacks and Hispanics who could have gone into the black and Hispanic communities and shoved the Mormon's hate up their tight white asses. In short, if there's blame to be spread, it has to start with a gay community that has been less than supportive of its gay black and Hispanic brothers and sisters, blacks and Hispanics who have been left in the closet as gay rights moved into the mainstream in white America. When those blacks and Hispanics feel comfortable leaving their closet, when blacks and Hispanics realize that gays aren't "them" (white people) but are "us" (part of everybody's families), you have a chance of victory in a majority-minority state like California. But continue the path of racism and bigotry currently afflicting the gay community... well. 'Nuff said there. Ya reap what ya sow, know what I mean?

- Badtux the Pragmatic Penguin