Quotes from Twin Cities BLGBT Activists

Out, black and active

by j. brotherlove

In the Minnesota Spokesman-Reporter’s Out, Black and Active series (Part I and Part II) local African American GLBT leaders talk about organizing Minneapolis’ black queer community. It makes for insightful reading. First quote from Roderick Southhall of Obsidian, regarding challenges of organizing events for LGBTs of color:

I think that some of the frustration… is that some in our community don’t feel like they deserve things specifically for them. And tied to that is that sometimes they don’t come out for it. And so, what I find a lot is they go, “Oh, we need this. We need that,” but they won’t come to do the work around it.

They won’t come to it, and it’s like, you say you want this, you say you want to be affirmed, you say we need this; [then] we do it, and you don’t show up. That, I think, is a big frustration. …I think us organizers need to be mindful about what people say they want and need and what they actually need and want.

Second quote from transgender poet and columnist Andrea Jenkins, on the importance iof keeping transgender issues in the forefront:

…I think that we need to really focus on transgender issues because…they are the first and most visibly recognizable part of the community, but they’re the last thought of, and probably the most discriminated against in employment, in terms of housing opportunities, educational opportunities…

All of these issues affect…transgender people, and particularly transgender people of color. I would say even more specifically transgender women of color are dealing with these challenges based on these issues every single day. And consequently, they have to turn to sex work as a means of survival, and that puts them at higher risk for HIV and AIDS. It puts them at higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse and chemical dependency issues. It puts them at higher risk for depression and mental health issues and violence.

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