"Gay ATL in Black and White"

Today, the Southern Voice begins the first of a three-part series on race and segregation in gay Atlanta. Most people know the city as a "mecca for gay black men." However, SoVo reports "[most] of the city’s major gay political groups, social organizations and community-based institutions have largely white memberships, whether because African Americans choose not to join or their involvement is not recruited effectively." Why? "We elect to self-segregate and simply do not show up at "white" Pride events," notes j. brotherlove, the veteran ATL blogger. How true.

Last week, an attempt to bridge that disconnect exposed the deep chasm that often divides our community. Dwight Powell, editor and publisher of Clik—one of Rod 2.0's premium sponsors and also a freelance employe—offered the Atlanta Pride Committee free advertising in order to attract more black gay men to their annual Pride festival in June. APC Executive Director Donna Narducci refused his offer. (More Background) Once Clik confronted the APC in the media, the organization changed its mind; later, Clik rescinded its offer. However you slice it, people need to find to find common ground.

Some may criticize the SoVo series as naive or "too little, too late". A few glaring passages:

"State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates), Georgia’s only openly gay state legislator, said she was oblivious to the racial divisions among gay and lesbian Georgians until the summer of 2004."

Also: "The downside of having a segregated nightlife is that it makes interracial dating more difficult." However, those platitudes aside, there is substantial gold to be mined. Reporters Ryan Lee and Dyana Bagby interview a decent cross-section of Atlanta. We could critique some choices—hint: Decatur has a black lesbian commissioner, please interview her!—but this is only the first part of a three-part series. However, the writers cleverly used the segregation of clubs and churches as a launching pad for more discussion. There's also a very poignant editorial from Laura Douglas-Brown about racism within her own family and her grandfather's membership in the Klan: "But dialogue—the kind of difficult but honest discussion that I avoided with my grandfather, and that Powell and Narducci touched off last week—is the first step in sparking change, whether in our families, in the paper, in our community, or in ourselves."

Gay Atlanta in Black and White: Pt 1 (SoVo)

Editorial: Breaking Silence About Race (SoVo)

CLIK Turned Down By ATL Gay Pride (Jasmyne Cannick)

Clik Magazine vs. Atlanta Pride Committee (brotherlove)

ATL Pride Festival Accused of Bias (SoVo)

Comments

[boogie tonight]

if i am not mistaken isnt CLIK based in FL? shouldnt CLIK be worried about whats going on in its backyard than what is going on 300 miles away?

[boogie tonight]

also instead of offering an IN KIND sponsorship why couldnt CLIK offer $$$$ sponsorship... $$$ goes a long way for events

[Mark Norris]

Whether Clik is in Florida or not, they have a right and should be worried about what's going on in all parts of the world where "we" are in large numbers. That is such an ignorant statement to make, "shouldnt CLIK be worried about whats going on in its backyard than what is going on 300 miles away?" Does Frontier or Out magazine worry about what is going on in their own backyard??? Come on, eveyone knows Clik, like other magazines, are distributed all over the U.S. and probably abroad. So I say, why the hell not be concerned about other backyards as well as their own.
Mark Norris

[blackpower]

Where can I find some good, current Black Nationalist rhetoric besides the Nation of Islam? This integration bullshit is just getting the hell on my nerves. If the white gay community wants to keep to itself, fine by me. I don't need or want them.

[j. brotherlove]

Good, even-handed treatment on the situation, Rod. http://www.thebrotherlove.com/journalogue/clik_magazine_vs_atlanta_pride_committee.php>My take was a bit more opinionated. The "race and segregation in the gay community" issue is a long, convoluted discussion that few are willing to have openly. It flares up every now and again, and dies down. We'll see if this case will be any different.

In comparison, I felt more "exclusion" in the white gay bars in Chicago (circa 1980s) than I have in present-day Atlanta. A sign of the times or location?

Also, I agree with boogie tonight on the issue of sponsorship. This would be a much more interesting situation had Clik offered financial support. These sorts of events are bombarded by in-kind offers. At some point, you have to say "no" to the folks without the funds to further your cause.

[marcus]

last time I was in the dirty dirty it was Savannah. I bruh I met there at a bar was the hottest man in the place, and all the white men were looking at him and me like vultures to a dying lamb. I asked him about it, and he said, "oh don't worry they would never speak to us in here. Outside this place, they'd hit us up for some black dick as soon as they could." Seems like Jim Crow is still alive in the gay community. When are we gonna learn from the past?