The Gayborhood and The Ghetto
Ed Jackson is a photographer, an avid reader of TNG, and lives in Petworth with his "registered Domestic Partner." He is often accused of being a "Pollyanna" and belives that strangers are only friends he has yet to meet.
I think there are some glaring deficiencies in the recent column exploring the origins of "gayborhoods" that are relevant to the ongoing discussions about the relationship between the African-American and LGBT communities. I am also surprised that references to U Street, Columbia Heights and LGBT grassroots activism can be made with no mention of the populations that exist in "gayborhoods" prior to "pioneering" gays venturing into DC's most recently gentrified neighborhoods.
The statement is made that, "Partially born out of disinvestment in the city and partially born out of the pioneer spirit of disco-era gays, a critical mass of policy decisions dating back to the Great Depression left neighborhoods depopulated, but ready for new residents." The problem is that that line of thinking is myopic and ignores a few inescapably relevant facts. In order for this version of "urban planning" to jibe, it has to be based on a shaky foundation of historical revisionism and identity politics.
What you refer to as "disinvestment," has been historically referred to as "redlining." Divestment is an innocuous term for the well-documented practice of denying mortgage, business and capital improvement loans in areas that were predominately African-American. Some of the "policy decisions" to which you refer included denying GI BIll grants to African-American soldiers returning from defending our nation after WWII, men like my Grandfather. Many of those grants allowed whites to purchase homes and laid the groundwork for what was referred to as "white flight" to the "suburbs." The policy decisions also included moving manufacturing jobs out of cities and away from areas with an already dwindling white population. Those decisions trapped Black and Latino families in dying urban areas with a shrinking tax base and no opportunities to spur economic development or move.
Calling these neighborhoods "depopulated," unless I am misunderstanding the meaning, is the equivalent of claiming that the Pilgrims discovered the United States. The neighborhoods were not "depopulated." They were just no longer heavily populated by whites. It seems like gays often forget that there were honest, hardworking families living in Shaw, Logan and along U Street struggling to survive before they got there. When I lived on U Street, I spoke to my neighbors, and they told me how they stayed when the area had been destroyed by the riots and overrun by drugs and violence. They told me about the actions they took to make the areas safe enough for pioneering gays to even consider moving there.
I don't believe that gays move into neighborhoods with "fewer negative urban preconceptions." Otherwise, why would longtime residents of some of DC's most recently gentrified neighborhoods tell me that, "white people move in and change everything. They don't go to our churches or try to become a part of our community. They don't respect us. They move in and just do whatever they want."
And white gays and lesbians have told me, "THEY don't want us here," or refer to the area as someone did in one of the responses to the column as "ghetto."
I could go on, but I want to make a couple of things as clear as possible. I am NOT calling anyone a racist. I am NOT implying that anyone is doing anything that is racist. I am saying that there is a conspicuous disconnect between the LGBT and African American communities.
This limited perspective on "gayborhoods" is one example. Another is the fact that SOME in the LGBT community have tried to make an issue out of the nearly 70% of African Americans who supported Prop 8 (little mention is made of the fact that white people voted for Obama and Prop 8 as well). It didn't surprise me at all.
In 2004, one of my Aunts told us that two Sundays before Christmas a white minister spoke at her church. He told her congregation that progressives and the gay community were trying to exterminate black families. He told them that liberals supported abortion because most of the babies being killed were black. He also said that same-sex marriage would destroy black families, which most African Americans will say are already in peril. It was part of Karl Rove's "Pink Strategy," and during his political commentary on Fox News he bragged about the increase in black voter support for Bush during the 2004 election. Now you know how he got it, and the remnants of his divide and conquer approach were made evident to the mainstream LGBT community on election day.
Some of my white friends have asked me how can Blacks believe that stuff. I replied, "Who is there telling them anything different? Where has the LGBT community been when Black gays and lesbians were trying to come out to our families and needed support? Where has the LGBT community been as HIV/AIDS has waged a full-frontal assault on the Black community?"
And then I hear some of the white gays and lesbians I have known in DC say, "They don't want us here. They don't like us." The reality is that more and more experts are coming out to say that the side trying to defeat Prop 8 had virtually no presence in the Black or Latino communities. It's not that they don't want or like you. I have Black neighbors here in DC who say that white folks "don't speak," which is seen as a sign of disrespect. All it means is that white folks don't say "hello" or "good morning." I ask them, well, why don't you say something, and I am told, "they won't even look up at us. They walk right by us as though we aren't even there."
That's what bothers me the most about this piece. It walks right by the historically Black presence in areas that become "gayborhoods" and the impact the transition has on the people who already live there. To me it demonstrates a fundamental lack of knowledge about the Black community, and reminds me of a story I will share in closing.
A few years ago, HRC issued a press release praising Cracker Barrel restaurants for their treatment of gay and lesbian employees. I emailed them because the NAACP was mobilizing against the chain for refusing to seat African Americans and, in some cases, serving them food out of the garbage can. I got no response. So, the next day, I tweaked the letter, sent it to the Washington Blade and cc'ed HRC. Within an hour, I was getting emails from multiple people in the organization trying to explain their support. But they couldn't get around the fact that their imprimatur meant that the gay part of me could work there, but the black part of me would have to eat out of the garbage can.
The point I made in the letter was that I am perpetually being put in positions where I am forced to defend the LGBT community to African-Americans and to defend the African-American community to LGBT people. The HRC press release, the results of Prop 8, and this article are all indications that neither side is talking to the other, and I am pretty sick of having to constantly play the role of referee. There is so much the two communities can learn from one another, and they are natural allies in anti-discrimination fights. I am just wondering if the recently formed marriage group and the group formed to stop violence against LGBT people in DC have reached out to any African-American organizations. If not, I would strongly encourage you to do so.
And as it pertains to urban planning, please try to remember that the word "disinvestment" represents the destruction of dreams for millions of poor, minority families. "Depopulated" flat out ignores the struggles of people who stayed in the "ghettos" after they were abandoned by businesses, banks and the majority population.
I don't say any of this to "play the race card" or to place blame. There are countless LGBT youth of color whose acceptance depends on the LGBT community having a consistent and respectful presence in our communities, and the passage of Prop 8 demonstrates that when the civil rights of LGBT people are put to a vote, having a supportive and respectful African American community in our corner can make a critical difference.
31 comments:
More articles like this PLEASE!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I want to commend your courgage in writing this article. Being caught between two bickering communities must be a difficult matter.
I really appreciate your reccommendation for more understanding between the African-American and LGBT communities rather than pointing fingers and throwing accusations.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful article. It does a good job of rightly pointing out that much of the disconnect between these two urban populations can be traced back to discriminatory government and lending policy that had it's greatest impact over 70 years ago. I wonder if that information would alter, in any way, the perceptions of either group, since both tend to evaluate and assign blame or responsibility only for current, visible, and visceral issues.
Dude, you rock.
It would seem that you are uniquely situated to act as a bridge between these two populations. If you resent that role, how can it be realized by other individuals from either group? It seems that when, "I am perpetually being put in positions where I am forced to defend the LGBT community to African-Americans and to defend the African-American community to LGBT people," that would be the exact moment when some understanding might pass between the two communitiies. And please, I am not making the argument that *only* black gays can carry out this endeavor. I am saying that the people who have been the most active in bringing this issue to the fore-front, have been those rooted in both communities.
Please understand, I, and every other gay person, am well aware of the tension between my gay identity and, in my case, my identity as a Southern White Man (tm). I don't enjoy being held responsible for the stereotypical activities/bigotry of the latter group. I do expect to be asked to illuminate either population to the other (hopefully, to dispell some of those stereotypes, and diminish them when they are all too correct).
With that said, I'm not going to argue that the bigotry of my home town in Mississippi is a result of the Gay rights movement not reaching out to that community, as you seem to be saying is the case with the black community. I hold that community responsible for its actions and attitudes, and I deal with the personal dissonance that results.
What I'm not seeing in your article, or any discussion on this issue, is, "what responsibility does the african-American community have, to bridge this gap? In what way is it appropriate for the gay community to express their very real grievance with the African American community?" I agree with you that scapegoating is absolutely the wrong way to do this, it accomplishes nothing, and widens the gulf between us.
I believe that these are real issues for both populations. For instance, almost all coverage of gentrification, including your own above, assigns no agency to the African Americans who are leaving these neighborhoods. Is that correct? Are these people only being "acted upon?" Will their problems only be solved by activity from beyond outside their community? I don't believe that's the case, and I know it is insulting to my black friends.
Discussion of racial bigotry within the gay community does not begin with, "Gays are racist because the Black community has failed in their obligation to build bridges with them."
Excellent commentary!
JB
To Anonymous from Mississippi,
I encourage you to reread my column. I make a point of saying that this is not about race and/or racism or bigotry. In my estimation the expanse can be bridged by an honest and vigorous dialogue.
If it was not clear in the column, please know that I do question my African American neighbors and family, and I write about having to defend one community to the other while challenging both.
My concern is solely focused how how two communities, fighting the same fights are doing so on parallel tracks, and I think it is time to find someway to merge our efforts.
Racists and bigots on either side will not want to participate. So, I am not concerned about them. People with warm hearts and good will shall rule the day. However, I will say that ONE place to start the conversation is, in fact, acknowledging that "gayborhoods" weren't vacant plots of land that the LGBT community pioneered like Lewis and Clark. And to the extent these pockets of distressed urban living became manifest, there were specific and intentional actions that facilitated their creation. That is history. It happened. I am looking for nothing more than an acknowledgment or our SHARED experiences.
I genuinely hope you will read the column again and see that I am giving you an inside look into views and opinions in the Black community, not to point fingers or place blame, but to say, "Let's get this shit done already. I am tired of being a referee between two groups that are natural allies and could be kicking major ass if we start working together."
NOTE: Thanks for all the awesome comments! The response has been enormously encouraging.
Happy Day!
Ed
Thanks Eed, for the reply.
I think my comments are too negative, and didn't include my appreciation for your column, which is excellent, or my acknowledgment that these are real issues that do need to be, and are being, addressed. I also agree with you that there are natural affinities between any two minority groups, and between blacks and gays specifically. I believe that it is a great failing that these two communities now find themselves at odds. I also believe that a large part of the problem is exactly what you have identified, and that Chuck commented on - historical bias and present day indifference (on both group's part).
How do we get these two groups to dialogue? What I'm hearing right now (and certainly not just from you), is that it is the Gay community's responsibility (which, we are told, they failed) to reach out to the African Community. While I don't disagree, the question I ask is, "Why?" or at least, "Why only?"
It is, for me, an academic question, because it is certainly the course of action that I will take. It is in my self-interest to do so, and it is, humanistically, the 'right," choice. That does not, in my mind, absolve the Black community of their responsibility to other minorities, or their culpability in the passage of Prop 8, or their agency regarding the issue of gentrification.
Seventeenth street WAS "ghetto": Boarded-up storefronts, passed-out winos on the sidewalks, and nothing but liquor stores for retail.
"Let's also remember all the queer working class and/or people of color who have been and are continuing to be displaced from neighborhoods in DC by gentrifying white upper-class gays and lesbians."
this comment above is ridiculous. this is the kind of attitude that makes it less likely that people moving into a given neighborhood will want to engage and be a part of making it a better place. i am gay and white and admit that i make good money. but my decision to live where i choose does not, in my view, hurt anyone. gay men and women moving into shaw, columbia heights, petworth or wherever are not the ones that caused the problems that plague those neighborhoods. and, as this piece hints at, they can play a part in making those places better if they choose to.
now, for those who would say that i don't belong in my home in shaw, please tell me exactly where it would be acceptable for me to live.
Yes, after the '68 riots, there was a lot of abandoned buildings. Not to say some of the black community was displaced, because I'm sure it was, but at the same time there were plenty of buildings that have been preserved, restored, etc by the wealthier gay population. I think the root of the problem with gentrification is lack of supply in housing and location. Clearly this area became more desirable over time, and not much affordable housing stock, or oversupply had occured. Now with the condo glut in DC you are and will see some "affordable" housing because supply is not meeting demand. Thus until government encourages fast-tracking of development, gentrification will occur, because we do live in a capitalist society. And don't forget homeowner that bought on the cheap back way when are now able to sell their properties for a lot, and move elsewhere where they can get more for their money, such as has been happening in Prince George's County. But I must say I really appreciate Ed's commentary, it truly tragic how white gays have not been more engaged with the black community in general - and I don't have any answers for that.
I must say I too really appreciate Ed's commentary, it truly tragic how the black community has not been more engaged with white gays in general - and I don't have any answers for that, either.
The areas WERE "ghettos." It is a noun. Describing something as "ghetto" (adverb/adjective) is a reflection of current slang. Where you see abandoned buildings and decay, I see redlining and INTENTIONAL neglect. The guy you call a "wino" (does anyone still use that word?), is someone whose hope has been crushed by the lack of opportunity in his community and the emasculating aspect of not being able to provide for his family. There are some who might speed through those areas with their car windows rolled up, the smell of triple-stitched leather filling their nostrils, praying that they aren't carjacked, but my Mother made my brother and I do volunteer work, specifically in low-income areas. It helped us remember how blessed we were and to be grateful for what we had. We didn't look down our noses at them. We were not better than them. My family was fortunate enough to have made different decisions, and but for the Grace of God, there go I.
Human beings lived in ghettos, and they had hopes and dreams and aspirations. Opportunity was, however, was scare, and in it's place came the parasites who feed on hopelessness and bring with them violence, drugs, and more destruction.
TO PARKER: I think I missed something. Did someone say you don't belong in your home?
I take some umbrage with that statement as well. White upper-class gays and lesbians aren't the only people moving into these neighborhoods. I bought my first home on U street in 1998 and sold in 2005 (cha-ching). I bought in Petworth in 2005 when there might have been one or two white people getting off the Metro during rush hour. That has changed alot over the last 3 years. There are alot of professional African Americans who grew up in Petworth and Shaw, moved out of DC and are now moving back.
The truth is that all of this is no longer predominantly about Black or white or LGBT. It is about GREEN. "Queer working class and/or people of color" are getting paid!!! I know a guy in Petworth who bought his home from a guy whose father had sold him the place for $150K. He had paid off the mortgage,and at closing, that "displaced" person of color, walked away with $475K cash.
Some older people choose to stay, but it is my understanding that DC has some pretty aggressive tax abatement programs for people on fixed incomes. My earlier point wasn't about forcing people out of their homes, it was about moving into preexisting neighborhoods with no respect for the current occupants or their culture or moving into a neighborhood and being more of a disruptive force than blending into the community.
I'm with Parker on this one. I am not going to feel bad because I make good real estate decisions and am blessed enough to have made good money. However, before I could make the blanket statement that my presence left no footprint, I would ask myself: Do I know my neighbors? Do I speak to them? Do I know which kids belong here and which ones don't? Would I know if a strange car was parked on my block or if workers were supposed to be going in and out of my neighbor's home while she is on vacation? Am I petitioning the City government to change decades old traditions with no regard to the fact that my neighbors have been double-parking their cars in front of their church on Sundays since before I was born? Do I act like 7th and U St is the new gay hot spot, forgetting that the majority of people who still live in the area are not gay and have been there for generations?
Just some stuff to think about. No judgments.
ed - nobody said i don't belong in my home. that comment was not a response to anything you said but to the comment i quoted in which someone blamed gays and lesbians for displacing black and poor people. all i was trying to say was that i don't recall throwing any black or poor people out of my apartment when i moved in and that, if my being there is bad in some way, where exactly would the person who made the statement suggest that i live.
but my Mother made my brother and I do volunteer work, specifically in low-income areas.
How nice for you. I lived there, I couldn't leave to bask in self-beatification. Whatever the reason for the drunks to be passed out on the street, it didn't make for a pleasant environment, nor did the shady characters hanging out in front of the abandoned buildings and the abundance of stores selling nothing but booze. Having lived through both incarnations, I'd rather live in the 'hood as it is now.
How nice for you. I lived there, I couldn't leave to bask in self-beatification.
Whoa ... what's with the sarcasm. I am agreeing with you. My whole point has been that people lived in what others are writing off as "ghetto" and/or "depopulated" areas. I have been saying that people with hopes and dreams lived in the "hood" and as it changes, we should be respectful to the people who were there the entire time, the people who saw the areas when they were at their worst.
Otherwise, I am not sure what point you are trying to make.
I completely get what this article was about. It's really not just about gentrifying neighborhoods but a surprising lack of communication between the African-American community and the mainstream LGBT community.
While black people are very religious and espouse certain conservative social views, if the LGBT would only scratch below the surface, they would find that African-American religious traditions are much more inclusive than the wider white evangelical movement precisely because of its history of hypocrisy.
But gone are the days when any liberal group can take the views and political actions for granted. The author of this article and a number of other African-American LGBT people have told you exactly what needs to be done to help rally the larger black community to LGBT issues. Instead of taking these suggestions seriously, all I see for the most part is defensivness and anger.
Oh man. Totally with you, Ed.
But equally important, thanks for reminding me what this blog is about. Moderately respectful disagreement for the win.
I've said to friends a lot lately that much of the tension between newcomers and old-timers in newly transitioning areas can be attributed to cultural mores, and Ed brings out this point in the article. Most of the white people moving into these neighborhoods were raised in suburban areas where there is no real sense of community. People don't speak to each other on the street because no one walks down the street. When a white person walks down the street and doesn't acknowledge those s/he passes, people who in transitioning neighborhoods are usually minorities, it may not be an act of rudeness per se, but can really be interpreted as such to whom such courtesies in the course of everyday affairs are the norm. There is the need for some cultural sensitivity here. I didn't have an appreciation for this as much until some of my black friends explained to me how much cultural importance was placed on things as simple as greetings and saying hello to people. I think the African-American community places much more importance on the issue of respect and whether or not a person is treating others with it. In a lot of ways it's a huge misunderstanding, but one that can have serious consequences.
Along those same lines, those who are moving into a transitioning area (I'm doing my best not to use the word "gentrifying"...)do need to realize that they are not moving into some sort of vacuum. There is an existing community there. They shouldn't try to force their new community on to that which is there, but rather try to ingratiate themselves into that which exists. This is hard for a lot of us who came from suburban backgrounds because we have no sense of "community" but the whole point of living in an urban area is to escape the monotony and isolation of the suburbs.
On that note, I think basic common courtesy and civic-mindedness can go a long way towards reducing racial tensions and in some small way the violence toward the gay community that may spread from it. Don't invade an existing community - try to be a part of it. I know this may sound like a terribly Pollyannaish approach, but smile or say "Hi" or at least acknowledge in some way those you pass on the street. Introduce yourself to your neighbors. Support the schools and other neighborhood organizations.
The only way to overcome the stereotype of urban gays as intruders who want to take over a neighborhood is by actually becoming a part of the neighborhood and adding to it by bringing your background to the table. A hallmark of the GLBT movement has been the importance of coming out because it's a lot harder for people to hate individuals they know than some faceless group ("The Gays"). In the same way, we need to try to be polite to our neighbors and part of the neighborhood, naive as it may sound. In that way, we're not just "The Gays" who are invading the neighborhood and trying to force the existing residents out but we are neighbors and a part of the community who just happen to be gay. It's a lot easier to hate someone you don't know or know about than someone whom you do.
Realize, as trivial as it may seem to you, that the African-American community places a lot of importance on the issue of respect, one of the primary expressions of which is acknowledgment and greeting others. This conveys a sense of equality of persons, not just passing by someone who may interpret that to mean you don't find them worthy of your attention.
Defensiveness and anger: And you're surprised why? GLBT people have been perhaps the most reliable and loyal supporters of civil rights since its inception as a movement, along with the women's movement, and a lot of people fairly view this as a stab in the back. In cities and college towns, a long standing coalition was born out of the 60s and 70s of mutual respect and tolerance.
The author's and commenters failure to account for class would be staggering, if not for the fact that it's much easier to argue based on the powder keg of race than it is on income. I'd like to hear what the writer has to say about black flight, the building of the most prosperous black county in America, and a refusal by its residents to even think of moving into the city. As I have seen, many middle class black men and women have very much the same tension and friction. Clearly you're also not aware of the EXACT SAME tension taking place in places like Bowie or Calvert County, where working class whites have been "pushed out" by middle class blacks, to put it in your parlance. It's about income/class not race.
If you're going to throw around reckless anecdotal statements and hearsay, let me share with you some of my experiences in Shaw:
>>>They don't go to our churches or try to become a part of our community.
People in these DC neighborhoods don't go to the churches in DC. Look at the license plates on Sunday in DC - they're all from Maryland.
>>>All it means is that white folks don't say "hello" or "good morning."
I tried saying hellow the first month I moved to Shaw, then I quit trying. All I got were scowls in response.
Granted, I live in a neighborhood controlled under by the talons of Leroy Thorpe, and my block has a gang and is generally hostile, but come on, the other side needs to try a little too.
Neighborhoods naturally change and fluctuate. Blaming this change on gays who are the first to move into gentrifying neighborhoods is wrong, but commonplace and openly preached in DC churches. Essentially the message is "gays are to blame for all this change, and change is bad." But the urban "pioneering" gays are a symptom, but not the cause of gentrification.
TO COPP3RRED
90 percent of the issues you raise in your post have nothing to do with establishing a genuine and productive dialogue between the African-American and LGBT communities.
As for the powder keg of race, go back and read most of the comments on this piece. Not alot of rancor is there?
Earlier I mentioned that there are people who are going to participate in this conversation in constructive, affirming ways, and then there are those who are so entrenched in identity politics, that they will either avoid efforts to bridge the gap all together or do their best to distract individuals of goodwill with extraneous subterfuge.
Thanks for proving my point. ;-)
To JIMBO
I have no idea what you are talking about. I am doing my best to be polite, but what does Maryland license plates have to do with DC churches? Most of my neighbors walk between 2 and 4 blocks to church. Some take the bus. The children and grandchildren of some of my neighbors--who live in Maryland--drive. So what?
By your own admission your neighbors are less that friendly. That has nothing to do with race. It is about them having a shitty attitude.
Who is "blaming" gays for urban revitalization? The thing with which I take issue is what seems to be an implication on your part that LGBT=White and the neighborhoods being "pioneered" are Blacks in need of saving. How much do you really know about Shaw? How many of your neighbors have been in their homes for decades? How many own their homes? How many live in fear of the same element you cite in your post? Go back and read my original piece again. I think you somehow missed the majority of what I wrote. Redlining ... GI Bill ... We need to talk and stop pointing fingers ... etc.
Again, there are people who want to participate in a constructive, inclusive conversation and those who want to avoid the larger issue all together, point fingers and blame.
Copp3rread, it should also be noted that the connection between race and class/income on this topic is strong, since there have been so many policies in place over the past 50 to 70 years that have provided benefit to white people while leaving everyone else behind. I think Ed does a good job of making this connection. See "red-lining" and "GI Bill" above.
Georgetown used to be black; Anacostia used to be white.
Make of it what you will.
Anonymous
How exactly are gays hurting these neighborhoods?
Who said we are? Who has made an argument against the establishment of "gayborhoods," to the extent that they still exist? Please clarify.
Why do we cry for diversity but accept our own exlusion?
Again, what are you talking about? What "cries for diversity" and to whom are you referring when you say "our?" From what is "our" being excluded?
Why do poor people of color get a free pass at hating us?
I have been as nice as I possibly can, but this is just insipidly stupid. You say that you smell, "white bourgeois liberal guilt."
Stop hiding behind your ambiguous, politically correct jargon, and be specific. When you say white bourgeois liberal guilt, to whom and what are you referring?
The overwhelming number of comments in this thread have been positive. But a number of individuals, like you, have come out with these blathering, nonsensical rants about what? I have a copy of the, "I am afraid of being called a racist so I am going to string together a bunch of vague statements until they become a virtually incoherent commentary divulging my paranoia" to-English dictionary. But, I think you should step up to the plate and clarify your statements. This is the part where people who make statements like yours attack me for calling you a racist. Well let me go ahead and take that off the table. I AM NEITHER CALLING AND/OR IMPLYING THAT YOU ARE A RACIST. So don't say that I am. I asked very specific questions about the language you chose to use. Don't deflect by accusing me of attacking you. Answer the questions.
We are talking about bridging doing something to get the African American and LGBT communities talking. We are natural allies, and it would benefit us both to have open, respectful channels of communication. If you want to join in, please feel free. But one of the things I hope to avoid is having the good will demonstrated by the responses to this column undermined by nonsensical, race-baiting.
(Race-baiting? "poor people of color"... "hating us" What "people" are "better at math?" White, liberal guilt ... )
Michael - You are correct that there have been some institutional policies that have been instrumental in damning the inner cities change for the better, it also would to be incorrect in stating that the practices continue unabated. DC has a generous home ownership loan program, as well as a number of programs to encourage low income ownership including the various HOPE programs. The amount of faith based programs in this city are staggering, and given the high rate of church attendance, are not difficult to interface with. DC has had a number of successes in redeveloping the soul-sucking monster sized housing projects of the 60s into more sustainable forms of lower income housing. It has however, especially under Anthony Williams, failed to live up to its agreement to require developers to set aside a percentage of housing for mixed income dwelling. So there's room for improvement and I am heartened by the promise of a real urban focus of our President-elect.
Ed, if you don't know about the issue of MD residents and DC churches, you may get some insight into it by looking at the ANC discussions, newspaper articles and council debates in the last 6 years or so from Logan and Shaw. Look up Leroy Thorpe. Even the last mayoral election included it as a voting issue, one in which Linda Cropp found herself on the vocal, and hate mongering side of;it was ugly and has left some bad blood. The failure of many DC churches to redevelop many of their properties for the betterment of the community has really been counter-intuitive. A number of DC churches have fought any development at all, whereas others have really co-operated well and gotten more funds for their own priorities while helping create a viable community. An example of this would be the Metropolitan church on Vermont and 12th (though I could certainly never afford those condos) where it sold some of its land to build condos and expanded its own offerings. The restaurant Vegetate would be an example of when things don't go so well.
There is also a well placed discomfort with religion/faith among many GLBT because of the hatred espoused both in the past and in the present by many of their members and it's not an easy thing to forget or heal. It is not, in essence, a natural fit for many, and it is a source of great pain. I do want to ask you too: do you believe we would be welcome, or would it alter the dynamic of the church in such a way to make most attendees uncomfortable? As a person who isn't religious, I would feel it to be disingenuous to attend and even a bit like a trespasser on something that is a very private matter.
While your points aren't off the mark, you could benefit from reading up on some of the events that have come to pass. I'll note that much could be resolved if viewed as a culture clash, one in which neither side perhaps has made much of an effort. It really is a two way street, and that is what I feel and I think some others are feeling, is missing from your piece.
Hey Ed, thanks for writing this. Both your posts were very good.
So many self-righteous, politically correct gays run around calling themselves "queer" and "activist" thinking they're "cool" but do not already know this stuff. What the fuck?!
Get educated people. The full extent of our oppression extends far beyond the simple categories of sexual orientation and race. It is linked to multiple forms of oppression targeted to others, not just you.
Activism is more than wearing the right t-shirt.
I'm white and gay. I would like to live in Petworth or Shaw but won't. Those are the only city neighborhoods I can really afford...but I don't want to be attacked, maybe murdered for being gay and live around hostile neighbors. I can move to much more diverse suburbs and have a better quality of life surrounded by people who aren't angry with access to an infrastructure of services for less money. Poor city dwellers have to understand: the only people they are hurting are themselves. Their anger is corroding their communities.
Ed, this is a very interesting conversation and I thank you for starting it.
I have recently moved to a suburb of DC and enjoy the nightlife DC has to offer. At first, my favorite area to visit was the Atlas district. In the past few years, I believe, new small businesses (specifically bars) that cater to an urban and hipster base have sprung up in this area. I know this doesn't have much to do with the subject of the "gayborhood" we were discussing at first, but I digress. After a few months of frequenting this area, I began to feel an increasing amount of animosity from people I encountered in the neighborhood. I always made an effort to greet locals in a friendly way, make eye-contact, smile. Being from Baltimore (I don't know how it is growing up in DC) and growing up in Southern Maryland, there is definitely an accepted idea, usually portrayed in the media, that African-Americans are dangerous and aggressive and that you have to "watch your back" when in a black community. I think this is just awful. I'm realistic to know that violence can happen anywhere and that no race is more prone to this than another. Yet, when I first started visiting this area, I greeted people mostly to take the fear out of it. Then, I started greeting people because I think that it helps, in a way, to decrease the animosity between the races. Because when it comes to race, there is no "this side" or "that side." And there shouldn't be. And we only fear what we don't understand, and we don't understand what we are not exposed to. So it would seem that exposing ourselves as individuals to each other as friendly, caring people would help eliminate the fear.
I stopped frequenting the Atlas district when I started feeling the rise in animosity against me, even though I was trying my best to be friendly to all locals I came across. I can understand the anger and fear the locals much feel since their community has changed so quickly. I wondered if some were losing their homes because of it, or if their cost of living had increased because of it. Now I think it may just be the change that scares many of them. Or maybe a few bad visitors ruined the bunch.
My girlfriend and I were leaving a bar one night when an SUV of young black women pulled up to a stop sign in front of us. One started yelling at us from the driver window. I didn't understand what she was saying, so I tried to be friendly and thought for a moment she was being friendly too. Then she said, cryptically, "Go back to Sticky Rice," which is some kind of chinese food restaurant and bar, I believe, in the area. I didn't think much of it, but my girlfriend felt like it was racially charged. So, we got into a whole long discussion about racism and whether the locals in that area are justified for being angry at those who are "taking over."
I am guessing the animosity is caused by fear, of change I suppose. But I can't help but wonder how justified the locals are and how wrong the businesspeople who come there are? Are the businesspeople wrong for wanting to follow their dreams of owning a small business and opening said business in an area that is affordable? Are we wrong for swarming to these areas? Or are we just not respecting the locals and if that's the case, are we not respecting them because we don't understand them? If so, how can we learned to understand and respect them? Perhaps there needs to be more interaction between the communities, and if we can get both communities onboard, just how do we find the time?
I've wanted to volunteer in the black community before, specifically for community-based initiatives that educate young black women about STDs and helping them keep away from harmful situations. But I can't help but wonder if I would be accepted as a volunteer and if so, if they would listen to me or not based on my skin color or if they would automatically feel like I could not relate to them.
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