National African-American Leadership Summit (NAALS)
145 Kennedy Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20011
Phone: 202-726-5111
FAX: 202-882-1681
June 20, 1995
Dear Board of Directors and Town Hall Meeting panelists:
I am writing this letter to you to complete my comments and questions I presented at the national town hall meeting when the NAALS came to Houston, TX, during the weekend of June 9, 1995. During that meeting, I stood before the assembly and announced that I was a gay man, and concerned about two very important things. Firstly, there is a huge problem with the spread of AIDS in the African-American community. Secondly, there are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in the African-American community, and it is time that we are not discriminated against by our own race.
The pandemic spread of AIDS should be a major focus by our national leadership, especially with the cuts in research, and funds designed to aid those suffering from the disease receive adequate medical care and housing. Both the heterosexual and same gender loving (SGL) populations are becoming infected at alarming rates. Based on what we know today about prevention, there should not be any new cases of infections. This, however, is not the case. Eventhough it was nearly three (3) hours before I came to the microphone to speak, neither the words HIV nor AIDS had not been mentioned once. As a community we continue to deny that there an AIDS problem, eventhough statistics show otherwise is. The face of AIDS has changed dramatically over the past decade. The images have transcended from frail looking, white gay and bisexual men, to people of all colors, sizes and professional backgrounds. African-American youngsters still believe that the only route of transmission is either by inter venous drug use or male to male sex.
The group currently becoming infected at rates several times higher than even white gay men is African-American women. More should be done by our national leaders, be it from the NAACP, NAALS, the Urban League or the Rainbow Coalition to educate our people. We need to stop pretending that some ethnic groups are immune to the disease, or that a problem doesn’t exist.
The death of rapper Easy-E is a good example of how far behind African-Americans are in the education against the spread of AIDS. There is no doubt that Easy-E had the financial power to afford good medical care. Yet it was not until 3 weeks BEFORE his death that he received his very first AIDS screening!!!!! The first tool in halting the transmission of AIDS is to first have people learn their HIV status. National leaders should all be educated in HIV education and prevention, and encourage the use of save activities and alternatives.
My second comment centered around acknowledgment of homosexuals, or as I prefer to be called, same gender loving (SGL) African-Americans. I wanted my comments and replies from the panel to be centered around my AIDS comments, and not my admitting to being a SGL Black male, who is equally proud of both my race and sexual orientation. This however was not the case, as Minister Louis Farrakhan was first to reply.
I am most appreciative that Min. Farrakhan did not prove himself to be a hypocrite, and extended an invitation for myself and other SGL males to attend the one-million man march as a proud SGL man. I don't however, agree with the analogy he chose in his explanation. He referred to each of us being like an automobile. There is an instruction booklet in the glove compartment, that we must follow. It contains rules and guidelines, he said, that would help us keep our lives in line with God.
This implies that SGL people either misread, or don’t read their instruction booklets. Well Min. Farrakhan, if I may use your own analogy, I would stress to you that we do read and follow our manuals. The difference is, of course, is that we all have our own individual, personalized manuals, which are specific and unique to our beings. How would your life be if I handed you my personal manual and told you to follow it word for word?
Your manual called for you to be proud man, a minister of the Islamic faith, who is deeply concerned with the plight of African-American people in the United States. My manual, on the other hand, called for me to be a SGL (gay, homosexual, or whatever adjective that has been used to describe us) man, proud of both my sexual orientation as well as my race, who is deeply concerned about the plight of African-American people in the United States. Our manuals are unique to each of us.
Continuing with your analogy, I ask the question, what would happen if your took the manual from a Ford Festiva and tried to apply to maintenance procedures to an Lexus SC400? Though some things may be similar, such as the transmission fluid, the brake fluid and the windshield wiper fluid, there would also be great differences, such as the spark plugs, recommend gasoline octane levels, oil grades, and electronic components. This is not compare some human life as being cheap as a Festiva when compared to the grand expensive Lexus. I do mean, however to show how differences were purposely made by the Creator. I know that I was created a SGL, African-American man, and there no therapy, mood alteration or drugs that will change this fact.
SGL people are not illiterates who chose not to read their instruction book. Fact is our sexuality is God given in our instruction books the same manner that heterosexual people. Remember, there are also instructions each of us have in our genetic codes, and that is where sexuality is determined, and not by choice to disobey God, societal influences, hatred for our parents or siblings. It would be easier for me personally to not speak against this discrimination, and assimilate into the heterosexual society and don't ask, don't tell. However, this position would also be irresponsible to the many thousands of SGL people who, like I was at one time, deal badger themselves daily and feel full of guilt and shame. Sometimes these persons choose to end their own lives rather than deal with the struggles of mental scares caused by physical of verbal attacks by others.
I feel like Rosa Parks must have felt the day she decided she would no longer give up her seat. I am tired of sex-based discriminations, be they against women or SGL persons, especially that which exists in the African-American community. These acts are as divisive as the color line, where African-Americans with lighter complexions may feel better than those of us who have a darker complexion. I beg the panel members who are clergy not to fall into a web of division that is being spun by the ultra conservative, white dominated Conservative Christian Coalition. This group has been meeting with some African-American clergy to form alliances designed to further deny the rights of SGL people.
I call for the inclusion of a SGL person on the panel the next time the NAALS holds a summit. I would be more than able to fill this position myself or can recommend sources such as the African-American Lesbian/Gay Alliance or Houston (AALGA), the Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum (BGLLF) in Los Angeles or many other SGL, African- American organizations throughout the U.S. This person, or some other SGL person should be allowed to speak at the million man march in October. We are, again, as proud of our sexuality as we are our Blackness. The African-American community can no longer pretend that we do not exist, and have no voice at national rallies.
I would appreciate prompt response from Rev. Chavis, Min. Farrakhan, or any other member who feels moved to respond. I appreciate your time in reading this letter, and thank you in advance for your reply.
Respectfully,
Steve Walker Chairman, AALGA
cc: AALGA public file
Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum (BGLLF)
National Black United Front - Houston
NAACP - Houston
Rainbow Coalition
Nation of Islam
National Urban League
Ebony Connection - Houston
Ebony Connection - Austin
Gay Men of African Decent (GMAD) - New York
Southerners on New Ground (SONG) - Atlanta
Men Of Color Against AIDS (MOCCA) - Boston
Blacks Assisting Blacks Against AIDS (BABAA)-St.Louis
East Oakland Community Project - Oakland
National Task Force on AIDS Prevention - San Francisco
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)- Los Angeles
Ujima - Dallas
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BLK Magazine
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Last updated: 08 January 1996 by
Chuck Tarver