I never really got why there aren’t more straight black men fighting for feminist or LGBTQ+ issues. And vice versa, I never got why anyone part of the LGBTQ+ or feminist movements would choose not to fight against racism.
I mean, almost globally, a woman going to her job’s HR department to speak out about the sexual harassment she’s facing looks very similar to a dark-skinned man going to their local government to speak out about police harassment.
I mean, even if the person they’ll both be talking to looks exactly like them, both walk forward realizing that the overall system has a vested interested in keeping things quiet, and thus in being anything but on their side. Both are very similar in that they walk forward realizing that things won’t really change.
All this before we even start looking at the next person in line who, identifying as LGBTQ+, will have to walk down both paths while also realizing that things won’t really change.
In fact, it seems everyone in the world realizes that things won’t really change. Mothers of black boys, girls, and queer kids today are still giving them all the same haunting speeches they have been throughout the ages, “Here’s what you do so you don’t give them a reason to abuse you. Here’s how you keep quiet. Here’s how you come back home to me, safe.”
I’m tired of that speech I guess. Mothers today are still telling their kids that they should change themselves because the world won’t, and we’re still too busy acting like we aren’t all connected to pay attention. Still too busy acting like we aren’t the world.
Actually, nevermind, maybe I do get it after all. Even I was taught how to be quiet. I mean, even after all this comes to light and the dawn of a new day approaches, even I myself think that we won’t really change. Screw waking up when the bed’s so warm right? I mean, screw changing the world when I can’t even change myself right?
Why fight for you when I won’t even fight for myself? Right?