In the wake of Ann Coulter's use of the word "faggot" to describe presidential candidate John Edwards, the basis of her original joke-however poorly received-was easily forgotten. She had claimed that those who use the slur have to go into rehab, a reference to the exploits of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington, who called one of his gay cast members the f-word last October on the set of the show.
Washington, immediately castigated by organizations like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, apologized. But not long after, at the Golden Globe awards, Washington told reporters that the incident, "Never happened, never happened." Washington apologized again, and at the behest of his corporate overlords at ABC, said he would seek counseling to cure him of his homophobia.
Yet on March 2, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People gave Washington a coveted Image Award, annually doled out to people of color working in the entertainment industry.
On its own, Coulter's remark was not in poor taste. Imagine how much gays would be laughing if a drag queen had said it. But what was so damaging about Coulter's use of the word was that it validated, for conservative activists who make up the Republican Party base, the unapologetic ridicule and dehumanization of gay people. Coulter is a bestselling author and a popular speaker in Republican circles, no matter how much respectable conservatives may wish to disassociate themselves and the movement from her.
Similarly, the NAACP's decision to award a bigot such as Washington with an honor that has in the past been given to the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Sidney Poitier and Oprah Winfrey sends the wrong message to a largely black audience, as it essentially validates the use of bigoted language.
But don't expect the national gay organizations-always loyal to the codes of political correctness-to issue some sort of disapproval of the NAACP. Unswerving loyalty to fellow progressive organizations is the sine qua non of gay rights activism today. On its web site, the NAACP describes the Image Awards as the "nation's premier event celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice." Awarding someone who calls a co-worker a "faggot," lies about it and then lamely checks himself into rehab is hardly the paragon of "social justice."
It should be noted that GLAAD issued a press release on Paris Hilton's use of the word "nigger," revealed in an amateur video (where all of the debutante's exploits seem to arise) shot several years ago. While the brainless, racist musings of the poor man's Anna Nicole Smith invoke the outrage of GLAAD, the homophobic (and thus, more pertinent for a gay organization) bigotry of a star on a highly rated network television show merits less outrage.
It is no secret that homophobia is especially prevalent among African-Americans. A 2003 study of 31 national surveys over an almost 30-year period found that, "Blacks appear to be more likely than Whites to both see homosexuality as wrong and to favor gay rights laws," which at first may appear paradoxical, but makes sense in light of the centuries-long legal discrimination that blacks faced in this country.
But support for gay civil rights does not negate the detrimental effect that attitudinal homophobia has on African-American society. Michael Paul Williams, a black columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, noted last week that "if the Don't Ask, Don't Tell military remains a bastion of homophobia, the black community is no slouch in that department."
Imagine the outrage from black Americans if a white television star (irrespective of sexual orientation) called a black co-star a "nigger." The white actor's career would be ruined no matter how earnestly he processed himself through the public shaming ritual that our country has perfected, presided over by the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
The NAACP's decision to recognize Washington with an award led the Hollywood gossip blog TMZ to speculate, "perhaps there's hope that Michael Richards will get a GLAAD Award" for infamously using the word "nigger" during his act of self-destruction at a comedy club last year.
The NAACP has a long and venerable history of fighting for equal rights under the law, exemplifying the historic change that can result from moral suasion. Honoring a bigot thus goes against everything for which the organization stands.
9 Comments for “A Sad Day for the NAACP”
posted by KipEsquire on
“The NAACP perhaps can’t be faulted too much for honoring Mr. Washington. After all, the group itself doesn’t choose the winners. An NAACP spokesman said a panel of more than 500 people, both members of the organization and not, working in and outside of Hollywood, gets to vote.”
Source.
posted by ReganDuCasse on
I have to agree with James here. A black talk radio guy I know, said he thought Coulter’s remark was funny and that gay people were being too sensitive.
However, let’s put her remark in another context:
“Well, I wanted to talk about Barak Obama, but if you say nigger, you have to go to rehab.”
I don’t think my friend would have found it so funny then.
Some of the people that NAACP gives tacit cred to, make my ears bleed.
People like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Marion Barry.
Why accept them? No matter whatever moral turpitude colors their backgrounds?
I don’t think it’s such a good idea for the gay community to do the same with Al Sharpton, no matter how supportive he is.
posted by James on
You know what would get GLAAD, the NAACP, and conservative Christians together? A big party on the border to stop undocumented workers! Finally, a minority everybody gets to hate!
Grab your lawn chairs!
(Oops! Did I say “undocumented”? I meant to say “illegal”. Illegal like gay activity in Nigeria–because laws can never be oppressive of minorities and never need to be changed to reflect modern sensibilities. Illegal immigrants and gays in Nigeria bring their problems on themselves by breaking the law–they should all just change!)
posted by Bobby on
If you enter the country illegaly, you are illegal, you are a criminal. What’s the problem with that, James?
As for the NAACP issue, here’s what I’ve learned long ago. Just because blacks are a minority doesn’t mean they have to like us because we’re a minority to. By the same token, we don’t have to like them, specially the homophobic ones. We don’t have to support affirmative action, we don’t have to apologize for slavery, we don’t have to do anything other than treating them like we treat everybody else. And when they do wrong, we have to condemn them as harshly as everybody else.
And if they’re gonna use the word “faggot” with impunity, then I’m gonna use “nigger” and “whigger” and “coon” and whatever word I feel like using without any care for sensitivity or decorum.
Maybe two wrongs don’t make a right, but what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
So I’ll treat blacks as equals, but if they piss me off, I’m not gonna be nice.
posted by Tom on
“However, let’s put her remark in another context:
“Well, I wanted to talk about Barak Obama, but if you say nigger, you have to go to rehab.”
I don’t think my friend would have found it so funny then.”
Faulty “context”. Obama is black; Edwards is not gay. That’s why what Coulter said was a joke.
posted by James on
If you are gay in Nigeria, you are illegal, a criminal. What’s the problem with that, Bobby?
Could it be that the laws are wrong, and not the people? And that gays are not the only people who suffer from bad laws?
The African oppression of gays, and the consequent discrimation of African-Americans against gays, needs to be addressed. But if we are going to expect support to fight laws which oppress us, we should fight laws which oppress others–just to show we are against all discriminatory laws, everywhere.
posted by corijia on
Oh, Bobby. Really, nobody is asking you to be “nice”. Nobody is even suggesting that you try to get over your ignorant self. It’s just common sense that maybe you should, not just for the social health of society, but mostly for your own damned good.
Yes, Bobby. How brilliant is your conclusion that just because blacks are a minority they don’t have to be like “us” (like white gay folk? like you?), because seemingly all minorities are the same to each other. Sorry to break the news to you, buddy, but there is no singular, monolithic, homogeneous, homophobic, straight BLACK COMMUNITY to dislike and to call “nigger” and “coon”. You could, perhaps, throw those slurs out whenever you fancy, but you would risk hitting the wrong target (someone black who is gay? someone black who condemns the use of “faggot”, etc.) and looking like an asshole.
Furthermore, even white gay communities are heterogeneous (putting to test the rampant use of “we” and “us” in your post). You are right to say that “we” (whoever this “we” you constructed includes) don’t have to like “them” (is anyone asking you to?). Your logic of disliking the NAACP’s decision and generalizing to the entire black population of this country seems just a tad absurd. Simply put (in terms even you might understand)the NAACP is just ONE of a myriad black organizations in this country. Though it is influential, many black folk (gay, straight, progressive, and otherwise)would join you in disliking its decision to give Washington the award, and would moreover question many other NAACP decisions and initiatives.
You can use whatever words you feel like at anytime, but if you feel compelled to point out the fact you treat black folk as “equals” (as equal to whom? to your ignorant white man self?)then you (you as in Bobby, not white gay men, not white men in general)have far more issues than my humble post can address.
So, go on! Keep dividing society into enormously broad, homogeneous, and inaccurate categories and then treat people accordingly! If somehow this monolithic BLACK COMMUNITY of PEOPLE manages to conjure itself up to existence and then piss you off, feel free to take it out on any person who is black that you deem appropriate. And don’t worry. They’ll understand.
posted by corijia on
Ooops! I didn’t intent to throw in the NAACP bit in my post in relation to Bobby, since he didn’t bring up the NAACP. But the rest of my post still stands.
posted by ETJB on
(1) People overlooked that the NAACP did not really pick the winners.
(2) Their are important historical differences in how homophobia is justified and manifests itself to simply compare racism to homophobia or vice versa.
(3) Yes, homophobia is a problem in the straight African American community. Homophobia is going to be problem among straight people. Racism is going to be a problem among white people. anti-Semitism is going….