Panel Voices: Do racism and sexism look different in the LGBT community?

Jen LaBarbera, George Gramer and Carlos Martinez reply to this week’s question.

Jen LaBarbera

Because the LGBT community does not exist in a vacuum, racism and sexism look fairly similar: White men hold power in our community, just as white (straight) men hold the power in the general population.

But it looks different, too, because our contexts are different. It looks like mainstream gay publications pondering whether “gay is the new black” and inappropriately equating today’s gay rights movement with the civil rights movements of the ’60s and ’70s. It looks like higher rates of violence against gender-nonconforming people of color than their white counterparts. It looks like brown queers being shown almost exclusively in relationships with white partners on TV and in our own publications. It looks like glorifying masculinity (especially female masculinity) and devaluing femininity (in both cis- women and men).

And, let’s be real: it *feels* different. I want my LGBT community to be a safe space. Despite being proven wrong innumerable times, I still expect to be able to safely hold all parts of myself – queer, cis female, brown. When I realize, again, that I have to constantly work to hold all of these parts with my community members (e.g. when I’m told that bringing up racism/sexism in our community is “divisive” and “encourages in-fighting”), that cuts deep. Deeper, somehow, than the racism/sexism/homophobia I’m used to from the rest of the world. Because despite all evidence to the contrary, I still expect better from a community that understands and experiences oppression, from the community I call home.

Jen LaBarbera is a 20-something queer woman in Denver. She is an organizer for reproductive justice and member of One Colorado’s People of Color Caucus.

George Gramer

Racism and sexism are never acceptable or appropriate. The GLBT community bears a double or even triple burden, as whenever any of our members suffer racial or sexual bias, they have the additional burden of societal homophobia. All GLBT folks struggle with a society that is not yet fully inclusive.

As a white male, I have seldom suffered racism or sexism, but I did live somewhere in the United States for four years of my life where I was considered an outsider and interloper, and was considered second class. Interestingly, some societies in our world treat GLBT individuals as criminals, outcasts and unworthy members of their society. In some cases, these societies find GLBT individuals worthy of imprisonment, dismemberment or death rather than unconditional love and inclusion.

The GLBT community still faces considerable discrimination, but are we not also guilty of discrimination? When we practice vapidity, ageism, elitism, or snobbery in our dating and relationships, are we no better than the bigot or zealot who condemns us? Why do some of us find it difficult to stay in conversation and friendship with people who hold different opinions? When our drama overshadows a person’s worth, there is no winner – only losers.

George K. Gramer, Jr. is a native Iowan with two degrees from CU-Boulder. After a career in government, he moved to Denver in late 2007.

Carlos Martinez

Most people in the LGBT community have experienced some form of discrimination. Despite that, my experience is that I don’t think it does look different.

My earliest memory of racism was when I was 4, and it was directed toward my mother. That continued into my school years in various forms. Finally, when I came out in college, I sought refuge with a community I thought I would “fit in” because we probably all had experienced some form of discrimination. Not!

To some gay men, I was a fetish. To others, I was a novelty. And to the rest, I was Carlos. I realized at a young age that LGBT spaces weren’t safe spaces for all members of the community.

Decades later I have seen great improvements in the LGBT community, as in the general community, which have given me hope. Through the many interactions I have in the LGBT community daily, I still see racism and sexism play out in various forms.
However, I do feel that the LGBT community’s consciousness of racism/sexism is building at a quicker speed than the general community. Furthermore, I am optimistic that the LGBT community can help lead this struggle if we all take time to reflect on our actions, to modify our behaviors and to share our learning.

Carlos Martinez is the chief executive officer of the GLBT Community Center of Colorado.