Black Pride is discriminatory? Damn right it is. But then, by
that logic, so is Pride. But you don't hear heterosexuals
complaining about Pride do you? If they so much as bleated, "Pride
is discriminatory - it's excluding straight people," we would rip
their heads off in an instant - and quite rightly so.
The fact is, as a minority you're entitled to a certain level of
positive discrimination. The LGBTs that come together to celebrate
Pride are victims of homophobia, marginalisation, alienation, hate
crime, and discrimination. Pride is a safe space to celebrate our
sexual identity - to be proud of it, to own it, to realise that we
have a voice, and that we're not alone. So yes, for that one day,
we're going to celebrate queer culture everywhere, and do our very
best to overshadow the dominant heterosexual culture that
constantly engulfs us. That is our right. Right?
So why, then, are some gay people getting their knickers in a
twist about black and ethnic minorities (BMEs)? Oh wait, of course:
black people don't need their own Pride - they're not victims
of racism, homophobia, marginalisation, alienation, hate crime and
discrimination. Errr…
Yes, I thought so. Black people are victims of all these things
too, often from homosexual communities themselves - we need look no
further than gay historian, David Starkey's remarks on BBC
Newsnight last week. For those of you who missed it, Starkey pegged
blame for the recent riots on "black culture" - something
which he sees as violent in comparison to white culture (he
conveniently forgot to mention Hitler and Stalin, architects both
of 'white-on-white' violence). He then went on to imperialistically
claim that a foreign black culture has "intruded England," and
expressed scorn at the "Jamaican patois" spoken by some people of
colour in this country.
There are so many things wrong with these statements that it's
hard to know where to begin. Obviously, being of non-white
Pakistani descent myself, my instinctive reaction would be to strap
on a suicide bomb, not faff about with words. But I'll do my
best.
For Starkey to attribute rioting and violence to black culture
is to say that white culture and white people are, in themselves,
not capable of violence. He is also suggesting that violence is
endemic to black culture. These are, quite simply, lies: he is not
basing his claims on any kind of sociological or genetic research,
and there is no evidence to suggest that it is true. Furthermore,
by suggesting that it is the "intrusion" of other cultures "in
England, and that is why many of us have this sense of literally a
foreign country," Starkey carves the country up into "them" and
"us"; he thereby alienates and rejects black people, and claims the
country as white property. And finally, Starkey is implying that
black culture is inferior to white culture - his snobbery and
disgust over "Jamaican patois" smacks of nothing but old school
British imperialism. What makes his English language "better" than
other forms of speech? Absolutely nothing. It is shameless,
shocking and abhorrent racism, and cannot possibly be read in any
other way.
Sadly, although his words have been seen by many as ignominious,
there have been some pundits-including former
MP Jerry Hayes (writing on openly gay Iain Dale's blog) whose
own sexual identity and voting record on LGBT rights is nothing
short of dubious-who have leapt to Starkey's defence, and taken it
as an opportunity to unroll their own racist agendas.
And it's not just all out racism; BME lesbians are rarely
represented in the media. Take Tipping The Velvet, or The Night
Watch, or Candy Bar Girls, or Lip Service. Don't see many non-white
lesbians around do you? This isn't a product of racism per se, but
rather, a by-product of being a minority within a minority, and
something which needs to be actively combated through positive
discrimination.
And so, we find ourselves back at Black Pride. There is no doubt
that Britain is rife with racism and ethnic tension. No less than
ever before, Black Pride is important - essential, even. As black
LGBTs, we are often ostracised from our own communities-be they
ethnic or sexual-and we need to have a safe space in which to
celebrate both our racial and sexual identities. Black Pride does
just this. It is a day to give visibility to and celebrate LGBTs of
colour; to celebrate unity in our diversity. It's a chance to say,
"We're here. We're gay. And we're proud of our black, brown, beige,
and yellow skin."
As with Pride, everyone is welcome - even if you're straight or
white. Although, just as most of us might draw the line at the
Pope, I'd probably draw the line at David Starkey.
UK Black Pride takes place on Saturday 20 August in Torrington
Square, London. The Met Office has tipped it to be a gorgeous
sunny day, so pack the sunscreen - that is if your melanin levels
aren't quite up to scratch.
NB 'Black' includes people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle
Eastern and Latin American descent.
