To Gays and Lesbians On Why They Need To Get Black (from LJ)
This article is from msscribe on LiveJournal.
Sometimes, I like to refer to myself as an "undercover" sister. See, I'm African American with all of the recessive genes, meaning I have blonde hair and blue/green eyes and on a good hair day, I could pass for white to someone not used to being around a "lighter" person of color. You have some interesting conversations with those of different races who don't know your Black. I've had white people freely use the word Nigger around me (only to be rudely interrupted, of course) and I've had others openly declare stereotypes about those people.And I thought about how much like being Gay this must be.
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Interesting essay, though a little sophomoric.
She's captured the essence of the importance of "pride," but she doesn't address the realities of what it means to be "out" and a "target."
I think gays & lesbians need to just be themselves and be true to themselves... no need to "make a show of it" if that's not what their natural inclination is in the first place...
She should read Toi Derricotte's "The Black Notebooks" written by a light skinned african american woman who "passes" in a white academic society. It's a wonderful read- very couragerous and insightful. Another good book is Anatole Broyard's "Kafka was the Rage," in which Broyard doesn't even acknowledge that he is "passing" but, the reader, with this knowledge, can read in between the lines.
Oh- another book: "Passing: when People can't be who they are" by Brooke Kroeger is also very good (I know I'm getting ahead of myself here!) but this book is an anthology of life stories of people who pass. The insert reads: "....a black screenwriter originally from Baltimore passes as a white Jew, a white teacher in the south passes for a black, a working class Puerto Rican passes for someone of a more privileged background, a gay conservative Jewish seminarian and lesbian passes for straight..."
I'm fascinated with this subject. Passing isn't just about race or sexuality. We all do it in many different ways.