"We are members of this community...We always have been."
Image provided by Florida Department of Health 'We Make The Change' Campaign.
This is the phrase that many African-American gay men as well as men who don't identify as gay, but have sex with other men have said in private for years.
In 1998 Coretta Scott King, the wife of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stood in front of the Palmer House Hilton Hotel, four days before the 30th anniversary of her husband's assassination, and spoke before nearly 600 people and called on the civil rights community to join in the struggle against homophobia and anti-gay bias. "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and person-hood," King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group." (Chicago Defender, April 1, 1998) Coretta Scott King said, "I've always felt that homophobic attitudes and policies were unjust and unworthy of a free society and must be opposed by all Americans who believe in democracy." She said the civil rights movement "thrives on unity and inclusion, not division and exclusion." Her husband's struggle parallels that of the gay rights movement, she said. (Chicago Sun Times, April 1, 1998, p.18) She also exclaimed, "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice, but I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," she said. (Reuters, March 31, 1998)
Thirteen years have passed since Coretta Scott King spoke about homophobia...how far have we come as a society? What happened to that discussion? Why are the rates of newly HIV infected individuals still rising within the black gay men's population?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races continue to be the risk group most severely affected by HIV. Studies in the early 90's found high rates of HIV among African-American/Black MSM. Today, the rates are increasing. While new infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, the annual number of new HIV infections among MSM has been steadily increasing since the early 1990s. Most new infections among black MSM occur among young black MSM. In fact, there are more new HIV infections among young black MSM (aged 13-29) than among any other age and racial group of MSM. The number of new infections among black MSM in this age group is roughly twice that of their white and Hispanic counterparts. (CDC Fact Sheet, September 2010)
In 1998 Coretta Scott King, the wife of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stood in front of the Palmer House Hilton Hotel, four days before the 30th anniversary of her husband's assassination, and spoke before nearly 600 people and called on the civil rights community to join in the struggle against homophobia and anti-gay bias. "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and person-hood," King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group." (Chicago Defender, April 1, 1998) Coretta Scott King said, "I've always felt that homophobic attitudes and policies were unjust and unworthy of a free society and must be opposed by all Americans who believe in democracy." She said the civil rights movement "thrives on unity and inclusion, not division and exclusion." Her husband's struggle parallels that of the gay rights movement, she said. (Chicago Sun Times, April 1, 1998, p.18) She also exclaimed, "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice, but I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," she said. (Reuters, March 31, 1998)
Thirteen years have passed since Coretta Scott King spoke about homophobia...how far have we come as a society? What happened to that discussion? Why are the rates of newly HIV infected individuals still rising within the black gay men's population?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men who have sex with men (MSM) of all races continue to be the risk group most severely affected by HIV. Studies in the early 90's found high rates of HIV among African-American/Black MSM. Today, the rates are increasing. While new infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, the annual number of new HIV infections among MSM has been steadily increasing since the early 1990s. Most new infections among black MSM occur among young black MSM. In fact, there are more new HIV infections among young black MSM (aged 13-29) than among any other age and racial group of MSM. The number of new infections among black MSM in this age group is roughly twice that of their white and Hispanic counterparts. (CDC Fact Sheet, September 2010)
Coretta Scott King speaking at the 1996 Atlanta Pride FestivalMrs. Coretta Scott King
speaks at the 1996 Atlanta Pride Festival in Piedmont Park in Atlanta
Georgia.
IN MEMORY OF CORETTA SCOTT KING (1927-2006) ATLANTA PRIDE (www.atlantapride.org) DONATE AND SUPPORT THE KING CENTER (www.thekingcenter.org) |
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As the AIDS epidemic continues to increase within this population,
Image provided by Florida Department of Health 'We Make The Change' Campaign.
the response of news and media outlets has been minimal, therefore producing very few HIV prevention programs within and for the African-American/Black gay population from government and community based organizations. Mixed with the homophobic culture of the general population of the United States and the African-American community, very little has been done to fight back against the spread of HIV within the black gay population.
Awareness about homophobia is necessary to fight HIV. Homophobia continues to be a major barrier to ending the global AIDS epidemic. Homophobia and the spread of HIV go hand in hand. It leads to discrimination, biased judgments, lack of health care, lack of support and preventative health education, just to name a few. We want to challenge the belief that our lives don't matter. We are going to confront homophobia and proclaim that black gay men's lives are just as important as anyone else's. For many years, black gay men's lives have been devalued in our own communities. Many black gay men are killed every year by homophobic violence. This website is to raise awareness of the issues that we face and to help end homophobia head on and the violence it spreads through hate.
Coretta Scott King remarked at the Opening Plenary Session of the 13th annual Creating Change conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Atlanta, Georgia on November 9, 2000 stating, "Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender or ethnic discrimination." "We have to launch a national campaign against homophobia in the black community." (Reuters, June 8, 2001)
Awareness about homophobia is necessary to fight HIV. Homophobia continues to be a major barrier to ending the global AIDS epidemic. Homophobia and the spread of HIV go hand in hand. It leads to discrimination, biased judgments, lack of health care, lack of support and preventative health education, just to name a few. We want to challenge the belief that our lives don't matter. We are going to confront homophobia and proclaim that black gay men's lives are just as important as anyone else's. For many years, black gay men's lives have been devalued in our own communities. Many black gay men are killed every year by homophobic violence. This website is to raise awareness of the issues that we face and to help end homophobia head on and the violence it spreads through hate.
Coretta Scott King remarked at the Opening Plenary Session of the 13th annual Creating Change conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Atlanta, Georgia on November 9, 2000 stating, "Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender or ethnic discrimination." "We have to launch a national campaign against homophobia in the black community." (Reuters, June 8, 2001)
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Because from Greater ThanAre you greater than AIDS? Watch and share this video with people you care about - together we can do this.
Because from Greater Than on Vimeo. |
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Page last updated: 04/01/17
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