We Contribute, Too

I often find myself wondering about different groups and cultures that exist within the fabric of North American society, and just society in general. Also, I find myself wondering about their contributions. We know, for instance, of the undeniable contributions that African-Americans have made to humanity: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who used his life for the purpose of promoting peace and justice to Dr. Charles Drew who thought up the concept of the blood bank and devised a way to preserve blood through storing blood plasma, as opposed to whole blood. Then, I got to thinking about gay men and our contributions: from the German philosopher and activist, who is said to be the father of gay activism, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs to James Baldwin the prolific writer, poet AND civil-rights activist. Upon musing over it more deeply, I’ve come to the realization that gay men, particularly, Black, gay men contribute so much, not only to the general society but to our families. Recently, I attended a rally for Barrack Obama, and I started chatting with two of the young men who were manning the sign-in table. It turns out that they were both gay. Months before, I attended an event to raise money for a local charity, who were there committing their time and efforts? Women and, you guessed it, gay men. Few months back, I had a friend who had to care for his ailing father, after his straight brothers claimed that they had other family commitments and couldn’t take their father in. Even though, one of the straight brothers isn’t even married. Most of my gay friends are deeply involved at their churches, civic and community organizations and jobs. Where are the straight Black men? Why aren’t they stepping up the way their Black gay counter-parts are?

Yet and still, we continue to be derided for our, so-called, lack of moral fortitude and sexual restraint. We are constantly being falsely criticized for our selfishness and self-absorbed approach to life. But, we are the ones making the Black community look good right now. Through our love of self and love of our communities, we are the ones going back to school and getting our degrees, we are the ones with the good credit, who often have to bail out our straight counter parts in times of financial duress. We are the ones often times left caring for ailing parents and parent-less children. We are truly the ones leading responsible lives. Yes, truth be told, that the A.I.D.S epidemic might be testament to the opposite of what I’m proposing, but all groups within American society have succumbed to the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

We as gay men, and - especially - as Black, gay men have a lot to be proud of. We should NEVER allow society to down-play who we truly are and what we mean to this world, both as individuals and as a group. Stand up, my Black, same-gender-loving brothers and be proud!