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Womanist Musings- Culture Kitchen
- black girl blogging
- I’ve moved! August 12, 2010
- TransGirot
Sep
17
DADT Affects Women, Too. Who Would’ve Thunk It?
Filed Under DADT, Gender, Race | Leave a Comment
This press release bugs me just a bit because the “news” here is being presented as if this extremely important fact about DADT just came to light. Most of us who haven’t been wowed by rockstar DADT activist Dan Choi already knew that women and racial minorities are the groups most affected by DADT. The fact that Choi and other prominent DADT activists have chosen to ignore this fact really grates my nerves.
For some time now, prominent DADT activists have pushed the “highly educated and skilled gay men with really important military jobs are being kicked out of the military” rhetoric. In the meantime, women and racial minorities who were affected by DADT (especially those who don’t have seemingly “important” roles in the military) have been ignored. We’ve seen a very “entitled and privileged gay male” mentality at play with DADT activists. I use the words “entitled” and “privileged” because any servicemember who props himself up to be a bigger loss to the nation’s armed services than someone else is definitely functioning using a privileged and entitled mentality.
With that said, even though the following press release prompted a really nasty knee jerk response, I think it’s worth posting:
LOS ANGELES — The Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law issued results of a new study showing that the proportion of women and racial/ethnic minorities among those discharged under the US military’s “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy has increased over time. In the late 1990s approximately a quarter of discharges were women and similar proportions were racial/ethnic minorities. In recent years, those proportions have increased to more than a third of the DADT discharges.
Williams Distinguished Scholar Dr. Gary Gates notes that, “These data document a marked shift in how Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell has been enforced among various demographic groups. It is clear that women and racial/ethnic minorities now bear a larger portion of the burden imposed by the policy than they did when the policy was first implemented in 1993.”
The study analyses the demographic characteristics of the more than 13,500 men and women who have been discharged under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell and compares those characteristics to those of the US military as a whole and to characteristics of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGB) serving in the military.
The percentage of women in the military has remained steady at about 14-15% from 1997 through 2008 while the percentage of women discharged under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell has increased from 22% in 1997 to 39% in 2009. Other Williams Institute analyses suggest that the percentage of women among LGB servicemembers has increased from 32% in 2000 to 41% in 2008.
Racial and ethnic minorities comprise about a third of the US military and comprise a similar proportion of the Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell discharges in 2009. Data from US Census Bureau data on individuals in same-sex couples who say they are either on active duty or in the guard or reserve suggest that about a quarter are non-white. This was true in both 2000 and in 2008.
This study follows a series of Williams Institute reports documenting the impact of the Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell policy. Williams Institute research has shown that: Nearly 71,000 lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are currently serving either on active duty or among guard and reserve forces in the US military. Since its inception, Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell has cost the US taxpayers as much as half a billion dollars. If the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy had not been instituted, an estimated 4,000 lesbian, gay, and bisexual personnel would have been retained in the US military each year since 1994.
Jun
11
Queer Feminist Porn – Let the Rampant Racism Begin
Filed Under Gender, Race, Women's Issues | 1 Comment
Twitter user @FemmeDrea asked me the following today:
Am I offended by a queer feminist pornzine? Absolutely not. I like porn. I like porn a lot – and I don’t care how many Andrea Dworkin-like feminists roll their eyes at that comment. It makes me proud that there are feminists out there who weren’t persuaded – by Dworkin and her cronies – that porn is evil.
Even though the idea of a queer feminist pornzine isn’t offensive to me, I’m pretty sure I’ll be annoyed by the predictable racism that will run rampant through its pages. Anytime I see the words “feminist” and “queer” used together, it usually implies “white feminist same-gender loving folks.” Don’t believe me? Check out On Our Backs Magazine: page after page after page of white women.
Jump on over to Bitch Magazine – a feminist publication overflowing with white feminists, sprinkled with a little color when annoying Black bitches like me start to complain.
A common complaint about Ms. Magazine was that it used to be exclusively for white feminists, but I noticed they’re making an attempt to be a bit more inclusive. Too little too late if ya ask me.
Feministing.com – very white. They used to at least try to appear as if they cared about women of color. I guess that one colored girl doesn’t work there anymore.
Feministe.us: their staff lacks serious diversity. Pulling most of their columnists’ pictures off the site won’t help them hide that fact.
Racism has been running rampant in white feminist circles forever. See exhibit A, B, C and D.
So, while I’m not bothered at all by the existence of yet another queer feminist pornzine, I can tell you I don’t plan to support the project because I doubt I’ll see women who look like me on any of their pages. If I’m wrong, they need to educate a sista.
May
26
To My White Gay Brothers In Pain . . .
Filed Under Gender, LGBT, Race, Women's Issues | 6 Comments
Dear White Gay Male Brothers:
Once upon a time, you were sitting at the top of the social class ladder – a spot that gave you the best possible view of (and access to) the world and all it has to offer. You had the best seat because you were a white male who the world assumed was a heterosexual.
And then . . . you came out. You told the world you were a homosexual. From there, your position changed drastically, pushing you from position #1 to a spot closer to where racial minorities and women are placed. That must’ve hurt like a bitch – and you couldn’t have seen it coming. There’s no way you saw it coming.
As a young boy, you might have grown accustomed to certain privileges, like: the assumption that you would head off to college, get a great job and marry a great girl. If you were a Black male, the assumption would’ve been you would father several illegitimate children and end up in prison. If you were a Black female, the assumption would’ve been that you would give birth to several illegitimate children and end up on welfare.
You probably never had to deal with store clerks automatically assuming you had sticky fingers just because of your race. You probably never had to deal with the police pulling you over to question you about how you acquired the nice vehicle you were driving – because white men always drive nice cars, right? You probably never had to deal with teachers automatically assuming you would be a troublemaker in class – because white kids are always perfect students, right? You probably never had to deal with a grocery store clerk automatically assuming you were using a food stamp card when you reached into your wallet at the checkout – because white people don’t need food stamps, right?
Now that you identify as a homosexual, you can no longer enjoy the privileges afforded to you when you were an assumed straight white man. If I were you, I’d be fuckin’ pissed, too! Rich people who lose it all suffer far more emotional pain than those of us who never had more than enough to live on – because they remember what it was like to have it all. I’m guessing white gay men who lose their place at the top of the social ladder are suffering from the stab of injustice far more than the rest of the gay community because the pain is so very unfamiliar. It aches and aches and you haven’t developed a coping mechanism for that kinda grief just yet.
Relax. I have great news. You get used to the pain and, over the years, it’ll become somewhat manageable. You’ll learn how to function in the world and keep the pain at a minimum. If you need some tips on how to survive through the rougher spots, ask a Black woman. She’s a pro at it.
In the meantime, I suggest learning how to work within a system of oppression to remove the oppression. If you need help with that one, ask a feminist – or a Black man, or a Black woman, or a Hispanic individual. They all have great pointers. And pay attention as they speak; you might actually learn something.
Regards,
Genia Stevens
May
17
I haven’t read the book yet, but I definitely plan to make that happen. Until then, all we have is this book trailer to help us figure out whether Dr. James Dobson’s (founder and chairman emeritus of the anti-gay organization Focus on the Family) book “Bringing Up Girls” is an anti-feminist piece of crap.
My first observation: The family is white and their daughter is a pretty little blonde. I’m guessing that’s the case since Black families are not Dr. James Dobson’s target market – unless his organization is recruiting Black families to help them fuck over homosexuals and transgender people.
Second observation: Dad’s a jackass. He stands up with a sign that proclaims “My daughter runs faster than yours.” Yep. Train your daughter how to be a swell-headed, self-centered person whose goal is to always be better than everyone else.
Third observation: Their daughter has a little Black friend present at her tea party. Brownie points for the brown face. There’s also a Black man handing their daughter a diploma. I’m guessing that’s a calculated attempt to shut up people like me who would be looking for any sign of color. It didn’t work.
Fourth observation: Their daughter appears to get married right out of high school. At first I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought she was graduating from college. But, since the man who hands her the diploma is not dressed in traditional attire worn at a college graduation, I’m guessing it’s a high school diploma – not college.
Without reading the book, the trailer suggests that parents who see their daughter graduate high school and find a good man have done their job. Nevermind the whole “learning to be self-sufficient before you settle down” thing. That would make her too much of a modernized woman and bring her dangerously close to being a feminist.
I will be reading this book – just so I can rip on each chapter on SistersTalk Radio. I’ll let you know when the rip-fest begins.
May
17
Cross-posted with permission from Essence.com:
Angela McGlowan has been drawn to politics for some time — as a conservative commentator for FOX News and BET, and author of “Bamboozled: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda” — but this year she stepped into the arena as a candidate.
She’s got some company, too. Running in Mississippi’s first congressional district, McGlowan is one of 32 Black Republicans campaigning for the U.S. Congress this primary season. It’s the largest showing since Reconstruction.
“I was asked to do this,” says McGlowan, as she recounts recruitment from jobless voters in her hometown of Oxford, Mississippo and impassioned protestors who approached her at Tea Party demonstrations.
The self-described “controversial sister trying to make things happen” cites less federal spending, more tax credits for small businesses, and reforming education, particularly for special needs children, as her priorities. She spoke to ESSENCE.com about the curious influence that President Barack Obama has had on Black Republicans, the suggestion that she’s a poster child for the right, and whether or not Black candidates on the GOP ticket generally stand a snowball’s chance of winning.
ESSENCE.com: What do you think is behind the boom of Black Republicans running for Congress?
ANGELA MCGLOWAN: There has been this myth that there are not many Black Republicans out there. Well, there are. Compared to Democrats maybe it’s not a lot, but people think there’s just one or two. And this is an election year like no other. I have not ever recalled such a bad economic time, and you have a lot of people who are fed up with politics as usual. In the past, we had common folk — accountants, even an exterminator — run for office, and I think that’s what you’re seeing now. I also think Barack Obama being elected President has paved the way for more Black people to say, “Hey, we can do it!” It takes hope to be able to run, and even though he may have given hope to people on the right side of the aisle, we’re all Black people in this. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, the first Black President has made a difference in our lives.
ESSENCE.com: What about the election of Michael Steele as the Republican National Committee Chairman? Do you think that’s played a role in inspiring more Black Republicans to run for office?
MCGLOWAN: Can’t answer that. Sorry.
ESSENCE.com: Okay… do you not want to speak about Michael Steele?
MCGLOWAN: I think that it is a great feat for Michael to be RNC Chair. But we have to judge by the content of one’s character and qualifications; not just because he’s a Black man. I know I’m contradicting myself here. Basically, I think it’s great that he won that, and I’m not going to comment on him further. I think the President, as the leader of the free world, is more inspirational if you put it in perspective. The President of the United States. RNC Chair. There you go.
ESSENCE.com: You were encouraged to run by members of the Tea Party. There’s an argument that Black Republicans are elevated and cheered on by White conservatives, or that you’re tokenized–
MCGLOWAN: Ohhh, Cynthia! I can’t answer for what other folks do. I can’t answer whether or not they’re pimping anybody. But I’m not a poster child. I won’t be put in front of a camera like a Black Barbie doll. If I ever think that’s happening to me, it’s going to be on. And if any people of color have joined this movement because they want to be on the forefront, and I don’t think they have, then that’s a shame. I’m certainly not doing that. I want people to vote for me in this district because of what I stand for.
ESSENCE.com: What’s the response you’ve received from your constituents?
MCGLOWAN: I do coffee meet-and-greets at my campaign headquarters. One time, I had about 40 people show up, and 30 of them were Black. I’m having Blacks stop by my office, knowing that I’m a Republican, and tell me that I’ve inspired them.
ESSENCE.com: And from White voters?
MCGLOWAN: From White voters I’m getting a lot of support, but I gotta tell you — I’ve had to meet with officials because we have gotten death threats. I’m the first Black female to run in this district in the history of Mississippi. There is a website where I’ve been called “the Negress” and a “filthy pig.” My two opponents are older White males. Some of their supporters took a picture of me and altered it to make my skin darker, turned up my nose, and kinked up my hair. They put it on a flyer saying that I don’t want White people to have guns. My staff and I have been threatened with calls. People in the street have come up to me being hostile. But it’s a small, ignorant minority.
ESSENCE.com: Given all that, plus the fact that most African-Americans vote for Democrats, do you think many Black Republican candidates have a viable chance?
MCGLOWAN: When Colin Powell was going to run for President and he stepped down, so many people were upset because they believed in him. He led by example. I think that if you are a darn good leader, it doesn’t matter what color your skin is. Look at Gary Franks and J.C. Watts. It depends on the candidate, and how they articulate what they’re going to do. Right now, poverty knows no color. I’ve had White and Black people come to me and say they want a job. If this were a normal election year, you might be right to question the viability of Black Republican candidates. I just know now people are voting with their pocketbooks.
May
16
LZ Granderson Discusses ‘Closeted anti-gays are the enemy within’
Filed Under DADT, Gays, Lesbian Podcast, Race | Leave a Comment
LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and has contributed to ESPN’s Sports Center, Outside the Lines and First Take. He is a 2010 nominee and the 2009 winner of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) award for online journalism as well as the 2008 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) winner for column writing.
Granderson joined us to discuss his latest op-ed piece “Closeted anti-gays are the enemy within.”
May
13
Move over anti-Obama homosexuals. Black women now have a bone to pick with our Commander in Chief.
A recent interview published on Essence.com reads:
Dr. Charles Ogletree clearly knew, after I left a general message at his Harvard Law School office, that I wanted to talk about the criticism gaining traction against President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan. In Kagan’s six years as dean at Harvard Law School, for example, with the exception of one Asian-American woman, all of the tenure-track professors hired there were White. There’s also sparse evidence of her views on important legal issues–and much grumbling that the President failed to further diversify the Court and nominate a Black woman.
Ogletree was gamely prepared to take on these concerns. The renowned Harvard law professor, who has known Kagan for 25 years (and has also been a longtime mentor to President Obama), rapidly, and at length, listed diversity-related facts about Kagan. And, although he agreed that the time is ripe for a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ogletree also explained why he approves of the nominee.
[INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:]
ESSENCE.com: President Obama has been criticized, too, for failing to nominate a Black woman — particularly when there are many qualified candidates, and the Supreme Court has never had an African-American woman justice. What are your thoughts on this disappointment?
OGLETREE: I share that concern, and I have said publicly and privately that there [are] a large number of talented African-American women who should be considered. I applaud the remarkable accomplishments of people like Judge Ann Claire Williams on the Seventh Circuit and Leah Ward Sears, who was extraordinary as Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. I also think it is disgraceful that in the year 2010, when over half of the members of the legal profession are women, that we have only two women on the Supreme Court, and we’ve never had more than that.
ESSENCE.com: There’s also concern from the left wing over the lack of information on Elena Kagan’s views, and that she may not be liberal enough. Many hoped the President would have picked someone decisively liberal to ensure that viewpoint is represented. Do you think that’s the right approach to take?
OGLETREE: Let me be frank in my assessment — there are no liberals on the Supreme Court. I say that with all due respect to the current justices serving, but we don’t have a Thurgood Marshall or a William Brennan on the Court today. I don’t know that we’ll be able to have one in the foreseeable future, in light of the fact that so much has been made about politics. We have conservatives — we have ultra-conservatives — but we don’t have liberals. I think that Elena Kagan’s views are hard to predict.
Any day now, I expect to see hundreds of Black women chained to the White House fence to protest what appears to be . . . umm, anti Black female sentiment? You think that fence is large enough to hold everybody?
May
12
Immigration Debate: The Crimes of Our Past Have Come Back to Haunt Us
Filed Under Culture, Race, WTF? | Leave a Comment
This video is almost 3 years old, but it actually fits today’s immigration discussion as if it were created specifically to speak to AZ’s very recent and very blatantly racist immigration bill:
I had a discussion with an exgirlfriend yesterday. After hearing her announce that she was joining the Tea Party, nothing she said surprises me anymore – well, almost nothing. She said:
I am getting sick of all of this immigration crap. Come legally or get the fuck out. Seriously.
I am hopeful that WI will adopt the federal law to state law like AZ and PA and the 13 other states who are going through the legislative process now.
Come legal or stay the fuck home!
And I replied with:
As for illegal immigrants – your ancestors came here and took land from Native Americans. I say fuck every person of European descent who’s running around bitching about people coming here illegally. And I agree with this picture 100% – http://twitpic.com/1k3cvk
Hell, I’d love to own one of those signs. I’d hang up outside my house and dare a motherfucker to say something.
You completely annoy me when you use the words “our country.” It ain’t our country. This country rightfully belongs to the Native Americans.
Of course her response was riddled with crap like, “Why are you bringing up old shit? That’s in the past.” I had to remind her that the crimes of our past will always come back to haunt us. I suggested that she was afraid that white Americans would suffer – at the hands of illegal immigrants – the same horrendous destruction of “their” land and people that Native Americans did.
Wouldn’t that be a bitch?
And now AZ has passed a law banning ethnic studies? What the hell is going on in that state? Any day now I expect to see AZ replace its flag with one that vaguely reminds you of a confederate flag.
May
10
C.D. Kirven Discusses the Absence of Color in LGBT Leadership
Filed Under Lesbian Podcast, Podcast, Politics, Race | Leave a Comment
Author, activist, artist, screenwriter and filmmaker C.D. Kirven joined us on SistersTalk Radio to discuss her work and her political activism. We also discussed the absence of color in LGBT leadership.
C.D. is a powerful speaker. This interview will give you goosebumps.
May
5
Rachel Tiven, Executive Director of Immigration Equality, joined us to discuss why the LGBTQ community should be concerned about immigration reform.
Immigration Equality is a national organization fighting for equality under U.S. immigration law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive individuals. Founded in 1994 as the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force, the organization has grown to a membership of 10,000 people in cities all over the country.
