'The Whe Lot' Knows How to Skewer Whe Gay Privilege

Contents:

• WHE GAY PRIVILEGE EXISTS ALL YEAR, BUT IS PARTICULARLY HURTFUL DURG PRI
• WHAT IS ‘WHE GAY PRIVILEGE’?
• LIEN: WHE GAYS, CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE
• THE WHE LOT KNOWS HOW TO SKEWER WHE GAY PRIVILEGE
• THE PRIVILEGE OF BEG A GAY WHE MALE
• WHY WHE GAY MEN HAVE RUED LGBTQ+ PRI MONTH FOR MESHAWN BANKS·FOLLOW6 M READ·JUN 15, 2020--4LISTENSHAREPHOTO BY CLAY BANKS ON UNSPLASHIT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGA, AND THOUGH THE WORLD IS A TEGORY 5 CRISIS SEEMGLY BEYOND REPAIR, WE STILL MT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JUNE 2020 IS STILL PRI MONTH. Y, THE ONE MONTH OUT OF THE YEAR WHEN EVERY RPORATN THAT SELLS MERCHANDISE RANGG OM T-SHIRTS TO MOTOR VEHICL SLAPS A RABOW FLAG ON THEIR PRODUCTS AND CLAIMS TO BE AN ALLY. THIS IS A MONTH THAT IS MEANT TO BE VOTED TO UNY AND CELEBRATN, BUT WH THE WORLD DIVID NOW MORE THAN EVER SEEMS LIKE THAT MSAGE IS BEG LOST.WHEN I WAS YOUNG GAY BOY, THE IA OF AN ENTIRE MONTH VOTED TO UPLIFTG PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF ED TO BRG ME SO MUCH JOY AND HOPE, HOWEVER NOW THAT I AM OLR AND UNRSTAND THE NCEPTS OF PALISM AND PRIVILEGE, MY VIEWS ON PRI HAVE ALTERED QUE A B. WHEN I LOOK AT THE MON NOMATORS AS TO WHY THE IA OF PRI HAS BEE MORE OF AN ANNOYANCE PROVOKG NCEPT RATHER THAN A SPARK OF JOY, ALL BOILS DOWN TO ONE THG — THE ACTNS OF WHE PEOPLE; GAY, STRAIGHT, OR ANY OTHER INTY. WHE PEOPLE HAVE AN EXPANSIVE HISTORY OF APPROPRIATG CULTUR, IAS, AND MOVEMENTS, AND QUEER PRI IS NO EXCEPTN. LET’S DISCS A FEW OF THE WAYS, SHALL WE.WHE GAY PRIVILEGE IS VERY REALLET’S START WH THE SASSY, BRAVO-OBSSED, VENTI ICED FFEE DRKG WHE GAY MEN THAT ARE G PRI OM THE SI OUT. GAY WHE MEN HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE MOST, DARE I SAY, PROBLEMATIC MEMBERS OF SOCIETY DUE TO THE FACT MOST OF THEM HAVE THIS PLEX THAT MAK THEM BELIEVE THEY ARE JT AS DISENANCHISED SOCIETY AS BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER PEOPLE OF LOR, AND EVEN WOMEN AS WELL. WHILST BEG A GAY PERSON DO QUALIFY YOU AS A MORY FACG VAR LEVELS OF OPPRSN, THEY HAPPEN TO FET THE TOTEM POLE OF PRIVILEGE THAT EXISTS 21ST CENTURY SOCIETY.FIRST OFF, YOU’RE WHE, WHICH IS THE GOLD MEDAL OF PRIVILEG, AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT YOU’VE SNATCHED THE BRONZE MEDAL OF PRIVILEG BY BEG A CIS-GENRED MAN AS WELL. EVEN I AS A BLACK GAY MAN, STILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE PRIVILEGE OVER WOMEN AND TRANSGENRED DIVIDUALS. AND Y, THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE THIS WORLD STILL YELLG TO END MARRIAGE EQUALY, HOWEVER WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR THE MEN TO DO IS S BACK, ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR VAST LEVELS OF PRIVILEGE, AND PLEASE NOT TO TRY PLAY THIS GAME OF ‘WHO HAS IS HARR’; BEE SWEETIE, YOU WILL ALWAYS LOSE.THIS LEVEL OF LN WAS MA PECIALLY CLEAR LAST YEAR DURG NYC’S ANNUAL PRI CELEBRATN AT THE FAMO STONEWALL BAR, WHICH JT SO HAPPENED TO BE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL UPRISG. IT WAS REPORTED THAT AT A DRAG SHOW AT STONEWALL, A YOUNG BLACK TRANS WOMEN ATTEMPTED TO HONOR HER TRANS SISTERS WHO WERE KILLED THAT YEAR ACROSS THE UNTRY, HOWEVER A WHE GAY MAN REPEATEDLY TERPTED HER BY YELLG “SHUT UP, SHUT UP.” THE RT OF THE CROWD, WHICH IF YOU HAVEN’T GUSED BY NOW WAS PREDOMANTLY WHE, JOED BEHD THIS MAN AND ALSO SCREAMED SHUT UP TOWARDS HER, AND EVEN THREATENED TO LL THE PS ON HER. LUCKILY, THE PS WERE NOT NEED BUT BAR SECURY DID FORCE HER OUT OF THE BAR, UNJTLY MIGHT I ADD.THE ENTIRE CINT WAS RERD AND POSTED ON FACEBOOK, AND WH A DAY THE VIO HAD REACHED MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS AND SENT TWTER ON A TIRA. THIS UNFORTUNATE CINT GO TO SHOW HOW ENTLED OUR GENERATN AS A WHOLE HAS BEE, BEE WHILE WHE MEN ARE G THEIR PRIVILEGE TO EVICT A TRANS WOMAN OUT OF A BAR, THEY FET THAT WAS TRANS WOMEN OF LOR JT LIKE THIS GIRL WHO FOUGHT FOR THEM TO HAVE THE RIGHTS THEY HAVE TODAY. MARSHA P. JOHNSON, SYLVIA RIVERA, AND A SLEW OF OTHER GAY MEN OF LOR WERE ON THE ONTL THROWG BRICKS AND FIGHTG FOR QUEER RIGHTS. THE FACT THAT THIS CINT HAPPENED WHERE QUEER RIGHTS WERE VIGOROLY FOUGHT FOR BY TRANS WOMEN IS CREDIBLY IRONIC ALL THE WORST POSSIBLE WAYS.ARE LABELS REALLY NECSARY?AMONG THE MANY NEGATIVE THGS WHE PEOPLE ARE NOTOR FOR, AND ONE OF THE THGS WHE CULTURE IS MOST NOTABLE FOR, IS THE IA OF SEGREGATN. WE ALL KNOW THEIR HISTORY WH SLAVERY, JIM CROW, AND MANY OTHER HEO ACTS AGAST BLACK PEOPLE, BUT MANY DON’T SPEAK ENOUGH ABOUT HOW WHE GAY MAN HAVE CREATED A LEVEL OF SEGREGATN WH THE GAY MUNY. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NICKNAM OF OTTER, BEAR, CUB, AND ETC, THEY ARE IMMEDIATELY SYNONYMO WH GAY MEN, AND MANY HAVE ADOPTED THE LABELS WH PRI. HOWEVER, THE LABELS ARE CREDIBLY WHE-WASHED, AND THE LABELS ARE NORMALLY GIVEN SPECIFILLY TO WHE MEN AND HAVE BEEN THAT WAY SCE WAS CREATED THE 1970’S SAN FRANCIS GAY SCENE, WHICH WAS PREDOMANTLY POSED OF F, WHE MEN.AS SOMEONE WHO NEVER LOVED THE IA OF BEG PUT TO YET ANOTHER LABEL, I WAS NEVER ONE TO TRY AND F MYSELF TO THOSE ANTIQUATED TEGORI, BUT WHEN I WAS ONCE TOLD BY A USIAN PERSON THAT “THOSE KD OF LABELS DON’T REALLY WORK FOR ME”, I IMMEDIATELY KNEW WASN’T BEE OF MY REBELL PERSONALY; WAS THE LOR OF MY SK. WHAT THIS DIVIDUAL WAS TRYG TO MICRO-AGGRSIVELY SAY TO ME WAS THAT AS A BLACK PERSON, THE LABELS OF BEG A BEAR, OTTER, CUB AND MANY MORE DON’T REALLY WORK ON SOMEONE LIKE ME SCE THEY’RE RERVED FOR THE WHE MEN WHO CREATED THEM. INSTEAD, GAY CULTURE HAS TRIED TO F ME AND OTHER BLACK PEOPLE TO THE TEGORI OF BEG A THUG, A DL MAN (DOWN-LOW AKA SECRETLY GAY), OR A FEM AKA FEME MAN. THIS KD OF TERNAL SEGREGATN WH A MUNY THAT IS MEANT TO BE BUILT ON UNY AND CLN, HAS LEFT A SOUR TASTE MY MOUTH WHEN TO PRI CELEBRATNS. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE FORTABLE BEG MY TE AND THENTIC SELF, WHEN THERE’S SO MUCH PRSURE WH YOUR OWN MUNY TO BE WHAT THEY EXPECT/WANT YOU TO NFORM TO?QUEER PRI IS NOT A PRODUCTTHE MASS MERCIALIZATN OF LGBTQ+ PRI MONTH HAS ALSO BEE SOMETHG THAT HAS TAKEN OVER AND HAS ALLOWED BE BLEED TO MASTREAM HETEROSEXUAL CULTURE, WHICH HAS BROUGHT QUE A FEW POSIVE ASPECTS, AND QUE A FEW NEGATIVE ASPECTS AS WELL. Y, ’S GREAT THAT PRI HAS BEE A RPECTED TIME OF CELEBRATN ACROSS THE WORLD, BUT THIS HAS OPENED A PANDORA’S BOX OF PANI THAT SHOW THEIR PSDO-SUPPORT BY SLAPPG A RABOW FLAG ONTO A SMALL SEGMENT OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO SHOW THEIR ALLY-SHIP. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT MANY OF THE PANI THAT CLAIM TO SUPPORT THE QUEER MUNY ACTUALLY DO THE OPPOSE, AND JT E PRI AS A WAY TO PULL MORE CTOMERS TO CREASE THEIR PROF MARG.CORPORATNS SUCH AS COMST, AT&T, AND UPS THAT CLAIM TO STAND FOR THE QUEER MUNY ACTUALLY HAVE DONATED HUNDREDS OF THOANDS OF DOLLARS TO ANTI-GAY POLICIANS, BUT MANY PEOPLE STRAIGHT OR OTHERWISE, ARE UNAWARE OF THIS RMATN AND GO BLDLY FORWARD SPORTG PRI PARAPHERNALIA TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT, WHICH IS QUE A SMALL GTURE IF WE’RE BEG HONT. AND TO BE ANK, IF I HAVE TO SEE ONE MORE POORLY MA TOTE BAG WH A RABOW FLAG LAZILY PLACED ON HANGG OFF THE SHOULR OF A MIDDLE AGED WHE WOMAN, I THK I MIGHT HAVE A PUBLIC OUTBURST MORE OUTRAGEO THAN A PRI PARA FLOAT.WE ARE ALL THIS TOGETHER
• MY PRIVILEGE CHECKLIST AS A GAY, AUTISTIC, WHE, MIDDLE-CLASS MALE
• GAY CULTURE HAS GROWN TOXIC WH UNCHECKED PRIVILEGE. IT'S TIME FOR TO RET

WHE GAY PRIVILEGE EXISTS ALL YEAR, BUT IS PARTICULARLY HURTFUL DURG PRI

This whe gay privilege exists year-round, but is particularly tratg durg archects and elrs of the movement have been all but erased. This whe gay privilege exists year-round, but is particularly tratg durg muni stggle some way wh race, and the LGBTQ muny is no different. Jt as the movement for LGBTQ rights has been whewashed, so has Pri month often felt like a whe, gay-centered event — far removed om the lears of the Stonewall a recent article for BET, I discs how the Stonewall rts should be nsired an important part of Black history.

And yet Roland Emmerlich’s 2015 movie "Stonewall" shamelsly downplayed the role Black queer people played leadg the rts — gog so far as havg a whe gay man throw the first brick, stead of Marsha P. Unfortunately, when HIV stopped beg known as a primarily whe gay epimic, began to feel more and more like an more articl like this?

WHAT IS ‘WHE GAY PRIVILEGE’?

This actn was met wh anger om whe gay men who felt the flag reprented uny spe sk lor — a particularly tone-af fense given that Philalphia's gay bars had recently bee a hotbed for racism. ”It isn’t a cince that that same summer of 2017, 11 owners of queer spac Philalphia went through mandatory anti-discrimatn trag after several cints at var gay bars — cludg the disvery of a YouTube vio showg bar owner Darryl DePiano g racial slurs 2016, and other alleged cints volvg racial discrimatn. Gay bar Number 9 D.

Nelli, a gay sports bar D. We have long been burned wh the work of removg homophobia om Black munal spac while also takg up the fight agast racism all spac.

We have seen a whe gay man named Ed Buck pe acuntabily for the aths of two Black gay men found his home — a jarrg realy that shows jt how much power whe queers wield over queers of lor. Black and brown trans women likely started the Stonewall rts, but the media creds whe gay men. Whe gay privilege exists tanm wh queer discrimatn: beg queer don’t exce sual acts of racism.

LIEN: WHE GAYS, CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE

The queer spac are ma wh whe, gay men md. We ed to regnize HIV as a primarily whe, gay epimic. Grdr notorly enabl and allows gay men to jtify their racism.

We wns whens as the ial nceptn of gayns nstantly.

THE WHE LOT KNOWS HOW TO SKEWER WHE GAY PRIVILEGE

People of lor often hear phras like, “You don’t look gay, ” or see datg profil that explicly gra their ethnici.

Even gay bars discrimate agast patrons of lor, yet Black queers greatly fluenced the queer nightlife scene.

Gay people n be jt as bad as everyone else when to unrstandg tersectnaly. Beg queer is not a get-out-of-jail-ee rd, and ’s time for whe gays to stop actg like is.

THE PRIVILEGE OF BEG A GAY WHE MALE

The next time someone says, “I n’t be racist, I’m gay, ” please remd them that they are, fact, both racist and gay. And unfortunately, that's the same attu a lot of whe cisgenr gay men have. " Whe cis gay men have always been elevated to a higher stat than other members of their muny bee they're the most accepted and privileged society.

)Mike Whe isn't aaid to hold back his skewerg of whe cis gay men or the other privileged characters. Ined, the topic of whe gay male privilege the HIV muny is seldom wrten about om the si. In fact the term “whe gay male” (or GWM) more often appears as an ephet, a term not of enarment or of cln but the oppose.

WHY WHE GAY MEN HAVE RUED LGBTQ+ PRI MONTH FOR MESHAWN BANKS·FOLLOW6 M READ·JUN 15, 2020--4LISTENSHAREPHOTO BY CLAY BANKS ON UNSPLASHIT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGA, AND THOUGH THE WORLD IS A TEGORY 5 CRISIS SEEMGLY BEYOND REPAIR, WE STILL MT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JUNE 2020 IS STILL PRI MONTH. Y, THE ONE MONTH OUT OF THE YEAR WHEN EVERY RPORATN THAT SELLS MERCHANDISE RANGG OM T-SHIRTS TO MOTOR VEHICL SLAPS A RABOW FLAG ON THEIR PRODUCTS AND CLAIMS TO BE AN ALLY. THIS IS A MONTH THAT IS MEANT TO BE VOTED TO UNY AND CELEBRATN, BUT WH THE WORLD DIVID NOW MORE THAN EVER SEEMS LIKE THAT MSAGE IS BEG LOST.WHEN I WAS YOUNG GAY BOY, THE IA OF AN ENTIRE MONTH VOTED TO UPLIFTG PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF ED TO BRG ME SO MUCH JOY AND HOPE, HOWEVER NOW THAT I AM OLR AND UNRSTAND THE NCEPTS OF PALISM AND PRIVILEGE, MY VIEWS ON PRI HAVE ALTERED QUE A B. WHEN I LOOK AT THE MON NOMATORS AS TO WHY THE IA OF PRI HAS BEE MORE OF AN ANNOYANCE PROVOKG NCEPT RATHER THAN A SPARK OF JOY, ALL BOILS DOWN TO ONE THG — THE ACTNS OF WHE PEOPLE; GAY, STRAIGHT, OR ANY OTHER INTY. WHE PEOPLE HAVE AN EXPANSIVE HISTORY OF APPROPRIATG CULTUR, IAS, AND MOVEMENTS, AND QUEER PRI IS NO EXCEPTN. LET’S DISCS A FEW OF THE WAYS, SHALL WE.WHE GAY PRIVILEGE IS VERY REALLET’S START WH THE SASSY, BRAVO-OBSSED, VENTI ICED FFEE DRKG WHE GAY MEN THAT ARE G PRI OM THE SI OUT. GAY WHE MEN HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE MOST, DARE I SAY, PROBLEMATIC MEMBERS OF SOCIETY DUE TO THE FACT MOST OF THEM HAVE THIS PLEX THAT MAK THEM BELIEVE THEY ARE JT AS DISENANCHISED SOCIETY AS BLACK PEOPLE AND OTHER PEOPLE OF LOR, AND EVEN WOMEN AS WELL. WHILST BEG A GAY PERSON DO QUALIFY YOU AS A MORY FACG VAR LEVELS OF OPPRSN, THEY HAPPEN TO FET THE TOTEM POLE OF PRIVILEGE THAT EXISTS 21ST CENTURY SOCIETY.FIRST OFF, YOU’RE WHE, WHICH IS THE GOLD MEDAL OF PRIVILEG, AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT YOU’VE SNATCHED THE BRONZE MEDAL OF PRIVILEG BY BEG A CIS-GENRED MAN AS WELL. EVEN I AS A BLACK GAY MAN, STILL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE PRIVILEGE OVER WOMEN AND TRANSGENRED DIVIDUALS. AND Y, THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE THIS WORLD STILL YELLG TO END MARRIAGE EQUALY, HOWEVER WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR THE MEN TO DO IS S BACK, ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR VAST LEVELS OF PRIVILEGE, AND PLEASE NOT TO TRY PLAY THIS GAME OF ‘WHO HAS IS HARR’; BEE SWEETIE, YOU WILL ALWAYS LOSE.THIS LEVEL OF LN WAS MA PECIALLY CLEAR LAST YEAR DURG NYC’S ANNUAL PRI CELEBRATN AT THE FAMO STONEWALL BAR, WHICH JT SO HAPPENED TO BE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL UPRISG. IT WAS REPORTED THAT AT A DRAG SHOW AT STONEWALL, A YOUNG BLACK TRANS WOMEN ATTEMPTED TO HONOR HER TRANS SISTERS WHO WERE KILLED THAT YEAR ACROSS THE UNTRY, HOWEVER A WHE GAY MAN REPEATEDLY TERPTED HER BY YELLG “SHUT UP, SHUT UP.” THE RT OF THE CROWD, WHICH IF YOU HAVEN’T GUSED BY NOW WAS PREDOMANTLY WHE, JOED BEHD THIS MAN AND ALSO SCREAMED SHUT UP TOWARDS HER, AND EVEN THREATENED TO LL THE PS ON HER. LUCKILY, THE PS WERE NOT NEED BUT BAR SECURY DID FORCE HER OUT OF THE BAR, UNJTLY MIGHT I ADD.THE ENTIRE CINT WAS RERD AND POSTED ON FACEBOOK, AND WH A DAY THE VIO HAD REACHED MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS AND SENT TWTER ON A TIRA. THIS UNFORTUNATE CINT GO TO SHOW HOW ENTLED OUR GENERATN AS A WHOLE HAS BEE, BEE WHILE WHE MEN ARE G THEIR PRIVILEGE TO EVICT A TRANS WOMAN OUT OF A BAR, THEY FET THAT WAS TRANS WOMEN OF LOR JT LIKE THIS GIRL WHO FOUGHT FOR THEM TO HAVE THE RIGHTS THEY HAVE TODAY. MARSHA P. JOHNSON, SYLVIA RIVERA, AND A SLEW OF OTHER GAY MEN OF LOR WERE ON THE ONTL THROWG BRICKS AND FIGHTG FOR QUEER RIGHTS. THE FACT THAT THIS CINT HAPPENED WHERE QUEER RIGHTS WERE VIGOROLY FOUGHT FOR BY TRANS WOMEN IS CREDIBLY IRONIC ALL THE WORST POSSIBLE WAYS.ARE LABELS REALLY NECSARY?AMONG THE MANY NEGATIVE THGS WHE PEOPLE ARE NOTOR FOR, AND ONE OF THE THGS WHE CULTURE IS MOST NOTABLE FOR, IS THE IA OF SEGREGATN. WE ALL KNOW THEIR HISTORY WH SLAVERY, JIM CROW, AND MANY OTHER HEO ACTS AGAST BLACK PEOPLE, BUT MANY DON’T SPEAK ENOUGH ABOUT HOW WHE GAY MAN HAVE CREATED A LEVEL OF SEGREGATN WH THE GAY MUNY. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NICKNAM OF OTTER, BEAR, CUB, AND ETC, THEY ARE IMMEDIATELY SYNONYMO WH GAY MEN, AND MANY HAVE ADOPTED THE LABELS WH PRI. HOWEVER, THE LABELS ARE CREDIBLY WHE-WASHED, AND THE LABELS ARE NORMALLY GIVEN SPECIFILLY TO WHE MEN AND HAVE BEEN THAT WAY SCE WAS CREATED THE 1970’S SAN FRANCIS GAY SCENE, WHICH WAS PREDOMANTLY POSED OF F, WHE MEN.AS SOMEONE WHO NEVER LOVED THE IA OF BEG PUT TO YET ANOTHER LABEL, I WAS NEVER ONE TO TRY AND F MYSELF TO THOSE ANTIQUATED TEGORI, BUT WHEN I WAS ONCE TOLD BY A USIAN PERSON THAT “THOSE KD OF LABELS DON’T REALLY WORK FOR ME”, I IMMEDIATELY KNEW WASN’T BEE OF MY REBELL PERSONALY; WAS THE LOR OF MY SK. WHAT THIS DIVIDUAL WAS TRYG TO MICRO-AGGRSIVELY SAY TO ME WAS THAT AS A BLACK PERSON, THE LABELS OF BEG A BEAR, OTTER, CUB AND MANY MORE DON’T REALLY WORK ON SOMEONE LIKE ME SCE THEY’RE RERVED FOR THE WHE MEN WHO CREATED THEM. INSTEAD, GAY CULTURE HAS TRIED TO F ME AND OTHER BLACK PEOPLE TO THE TEGORI OF BEG A THUG, A DL MAN (DOWN-LOW AKA SECRETLY GAY), OR A FEM AKA FEME MAN. THIS KD OF TERNAL SEGREGATN WH A MUNY THAT IS MEANT TO BE BUILT ON UNY AND CLN, HAS LEFT A SOUR TASTE MY MOUTH WHEN TO PRI CELEBRATNS. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE FORTABLE BEG MY TE AND THENTIC SELF, WHEN THERE’S SO MUCH PRSURE WH YOUR OWN MUNY TO BE WHAT THEY EXPECT/WANT YOU TO NFORM TO?QUEER PRI IS NOT A PRODUCTTHE MASS MERCIALIZATN OF LGBTQ+ PRI MONTH HAS ALSO BEE SOMETHG THAT HAS TAKEN OVER AND HAS ALLOWED BE BLEED TO MASTREAM HETEROSEXUAL CULTURE, WHICH HAS BROUGHT QUE A FEW POSIVE ASPECTS, AND QUE A FEW NEGATIVE ASPECTS AS WELL. Y, ’S GREAT THAT PRI HAS BEE A RPECTED TIME OF CELEBRATN ACROSS THE WORLD, BUT THIS HAS OPENED A PANDORA’S BOX OF PANI THAT SHOW THEIR PSDO-SUPPORT BY SLAPPG A RABOW FLAG ONTO A SMALL SEGMENT OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO SHOW THEIR ALLY-SHIP. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT MANY OF THE PANI THAT CLAIM TO SUPPORT THE QUEER MUNY ACTUALLY DO THE OPPOSE, AND JT E PRI AS A WAY TO PULL MORE CTOMERS TO CREASE THEIR PROF MARG.CORPORATNS SUCH AS COMST, AT&T, AND UPS THAT CLAIM TO STAND FOR THE QUEER MUNY ACTUALLY HAVE DONATED HUNDREDS OF THOANDS OF DOLLARS TO ANTI-GAY POLICIANS, BUT MANY PEOPLE STRAIGHT OR OTHERWISE, ARE UNAWARE OF THIS RMATN AND GO BLDLY FORWARD SPORTG PRI PARAPHERNALIA TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT, WHICH IS QUE A SMALL GTURE IF WE’RE BEG HONT. AND TO BE ANK, IF I HAVE TO SEE ONE MORE POORLY MA TOTE BAG WH A RABOW FLAG LAZILY PLACED ON HANGG OFF THE SHOULR OF A MIDDLE AGED WHE WOMAN, I THK I MIGHT HAVE A PUBLIC OUTBURST MORE OUTRAGEO THAN A PRI PARA FLOAT.WE ARE ALL THIS TOGETHER

Instead I’m askg how do whe gay men like myself, particularly if we are lucky enough to have avoid most but not all of the barriers to livg happily and healthily, bt navigate HIV work when so many our muny are not whe, not gay and fely not privileged?

I’ll wager, fact I know, that whe gay men are overly reprented.

I’m a privileged whe gay man. So y, I’m a privileged whe gay male.

MY PRIVILEGE CHECKLIST AS A GAY, AUTISTIC, WHE, MIDDLE-CLASS MALE

I say this not to boast — I’m not that llo — to suate myself an epimic that affects populatns that are, more often than not, very far om privileged, very often not whe, and equently not gay.

That’s not to say I’m not margalized — beg gay and HIV-posive and agg tak re of that — but the impact of the stigma associated wh the factors is much dimished. We all know what GRID stands for (if not, go here), and to downplay the role of gay men the early rponse to the epimic would be downright wrong.

GAY CULTURE HAS GROWN TOXIC WH UNCHECKED PRIVILEGE. IT'S TIME FOR TO RET

The high visibily of gay men the movement ntu, though, to this day, ’s joed by so many others — and that’s a good thg. Don’t mean we shouldn’t try — fact some whe gay men leadg very fortable liv she harm rctn work, for example, where they’re advot for the most margalized our society. ” As one wrer said, an open letter to whe gay men: “You mt adm, you have no clue what means to be racially discrimated agast.

It’s hard though to disagree wh the view of one person of lour who wr, “Whe gay men are still favored every aspect of our culture. Beg gay don’t make them any ls privileged. Their gay stori bee the standard when to mastream Ameri.

Their gay whe hero like Matt Bomer, Ryan Murphy and Colton Hayn ver magaz, land major televisn gigs, are broadst on screens natnwi, settg the barometer of attractivens and superry. #gay. This is a month that is meant to be voted to uny and celebratn, but wh the world divid now more than ever seems like that msage is beg I was young gay boy, the ia of an entire month voted to upliftg people like myself ed to brg me so much joy and hope, however now that I am olr and unrstand the ncepts of palism and privilege, my views on pri have altered que a b.