User:Jnfowler/Black gay pride

According to the 2000 United States census, black same-sex couples made up about 14% of the same-sex couples living together in the United States of America. This same census points to almost 4% of the Black community also belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. Black gay households reportedly earn less than both white gay households and their black heterosexual counterparts. Black gays are also more likely to experience workplace discrimination, adoption discrimination, hate crimes, and more. Existing prejudices against people of color and the LGBTQ+ community create a space that allows for this structural violence. In this space, representation in the legal system and literature is severely lacking allowing for the system to easily take advantage of black gay individuals.

Attending the same Pride event does not create a universal experience. Even among smaller subgroups, everyone will have their own experience. Some individuals will leave feeling a sense of fulfillment, others may leave pride feeling disappointed. A contributing factor to this personalized experience is that all individuals belong to a number of social groups. This is particularly true in the case of black members of the gay community. Belonging to different subgroups creates tensions within the individual themselves, as well as the communities they occupy. Because of this, the community of black gays has tension with both the black community and the white LGBTQ+ community that leads to an alienating existence.

Black gay pride events arose in response to the pride events that were a majority white. White gay prides enforce, both consciously and unconsciously, the long history of ignoring the people of color who share in the experiences. The history of segregation seen in other organizations such as nursing associations, journalism associations, and fraternities is carried on into the black gay prides seen today. The exclusion of people of color in gay pride events plays into the existing undertones of white superiority and racist political movements. To those who take part in the black gay pride events, the event itself holds the same core values as other pride events but includes HIV and AIDS epidemic remembrances, resources, and support that is lacking for people of color at normal pride events.