LGBT Students of Color
June 5, 2009 by James
Too often we assume that to be gay means to be white. This bias leaves LGBT people of color and LGBT youth of color unrecognized as part of a demographic often hit hardest by discrimination and violence of all kinds. In school, this translates to hampered academic achievement, missed school days and fearful students. Daily fear and threat of violence, and extreme stress can trigger the development of traumatic reactions, anxiety, depression, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts and behavior. I s0metimes challenge adults to imagine what it would be like to come into work every day and fear that you will be attacked and harassed by co-workers or your boss and that no one would do a thing about it. Add to that experiencing racism and cultural misunderstandings on a daily basis. Unfortunately, many adults do go to work under similar circumstances but at least get to speak about it to their spouses, friends and family. LGBT children most often do not.
Read the rest at: Queer Youth Mental Health!
LBGT Students of Color!
The above post misses out a crucial, and dare I say a more dehumanizing and brutal aspect of racial discrimination: racism directed towards LBGT people of color from within the gay community. Rampant and unacknowledged racism directed towards LBGT people from within their own community makes the experience of being gay doubly painful. Trapped between ignorance and racism emanating from white gays and the rest of the society makes life truly unbearable!
I couldn’t agree with you more, however, isms within the LGBT community are by no means limited to racism.
There is also severe degrees of classism and genderism.
I have spoke repeatedly about the LGBT community, or actually lack thereof.
Until we (LGBT citizens) learn to embrace our differences, accept each other, and become inclusive, then the fight for LGBT equality will remain to be a very difficult road.
That’s so true James, after all “charity begins at home”? So long we don’t get our own house in order it’s foolish to expect anything remotely reasonable from the homophobic society at large…