Pride and Prejudice under the Rainbow: Racism, Homophobia and Minority Stress - Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance 2012

Pride and Prejudice under the Rainbow:
Racism, Homophobia and Minority Stress

      Gay Men's Sexual Health Alliance 2012

 Presenters: Devan Nambiar, Suhail Abualsameed, Alan Li MD

                                                             1

Rainbow Health Ontario Conference 2012

          March 20-23, 2012 Ottawa

                                         2

Welcome and thank you to GMSH
 Introductions & Namaste
   The contents of this presentation/discussion may trigger some individuals.
   Please breathe, collect your thoughts and inquire within why you are reacting?

* Pls. note presentation contains graphic images         http://www.redhalo.zoomshare.com 3

Racism-broad term
   Discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of
    another race
   The prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically
    superior to members of other races
   Assuming to understand and/or imposing western values,
    beliefs and interpretation on non-western behavior,
    expressions, language/communication, ideas, lifestyle and
    manner of dress, etc.

                                                            4

Minority stress (MS) and gay people
 “The concept of minority stress is based on the premise that gay
  people in a heterosexist society are subjected to chronic stress related
  to their stigmatization. Minority stressors were conceptualized as:
  internalized homophobia, which relates to gay men's direction of
  societal negative attitudes toward the self; stigma, which relates to
  expectations of rejection and discrimination; and actual experiences of
  discrimination and violence. Men who had high levels of minority stress
  were twice to three times as likely to suffer also from high levels of
  distress"( Meyers, 1996).
 Intersectional analysis of
    internalized racism, internalized homo/bi/trans phobia and its
      impact on mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual and physical health.
    externalized racism, externalized homo/bi/trans phobia in the
      communities we live and socialize in

                                                                         5

Racism & it layers
 Institutional Racism: Lack of access to services, resources,
  goods, opportunities (employment, education, health, etc.)
  to a race, because of laws, policy, regulations,... (inaction
  in the face of need)
 Personalized/internalized Racism: acceptance by
  members of the stigmatized race of their own devaluation
 Personal Mediated Racism: differential action based on
  race... (e.g., police brutality, racial profiling, followed
  around in a shopping centre, zeroed in on, etc..)

  Adapted: Dr. Jones . CDC. 2012                              6

James Baldwin on racism in gay communities
    “ depicted racism in the Gay community as merely an
                 extension of racism in the wider
           White Western societies.” June 5, 1979

http://www.blacklightonline.com/baldwin.html              7

Contents
   Focus group feedback
   33 years of labels
   Impact of colonization –familial history
   Racism and Minority Stresses
       What is in a name?
       Tritya Pakriti –Third Gender
       Queer History
       Colour of my skin
       Penis size
       Sexual racism and fatigue
       Norms in the gay west
 Recommendations
                                               8

Homophobia ?
 1993

 2010

 2011

 RACIAL IDENTITY vs. Sexual orientation

                                           9

Race …a social concept or a scientific one?

  "Race is a real cultural, political and economic concept in society, but it
   is not a biological concept, and that unfortunately is what many people
   wrongfully consider to be the essence of race in humans -- genetic
   differences” (Templeton.A. R, Ph.D, 2003) .

  "If you ask what percentage of your genes is reflected in your external
   appearance, the basis by which we talk about race, the answer seems
   to be in the range of .01 percent” (Dr. Freeman, H, 2000).

       “If we each understand the concept of race as a social structure,
        then we might understand why it is offensive to fetishize some
        individuals based on race because it is still a war of social/class
        system.”

http://wupa.wustl.edu/record_archive/1998/10-15-98/articles/races.html        10

n= 11

Focus group feedback –qualitative responses
 “Racism online is a big issue right now.” The conversations
    end with racial disclosure.
   “My accent intensifies my internalized racism.”
   Objectification and fetish:
      “Either ignored or fetishized in some instances.”
      “Annoying and gives a false sense of power.” (time
       limited)
   “Racialized HIV-ve or HIV + ve men do not have
    preference for sero-status partner.”
   “Underlying tone in GWM communities,“ if I am not white I
    am not gay.”

Asian, SE Asian, South Asian, Latino, Black, Caribbean, Portuguese, Brazilian,   11

Focus group feedback
 “Racism within newcomers and racist rhetoric against
  newcomers and immigrant communities is high.”
 “English can be a barrier for new comers to fully express
  sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.”
 “Gay people can be very rude. They make fun of your
  language barriers and your body.”
 “I am personally challenged by the amount of internalized
  homophobia” in my racialized community.
 “Race is not a factor in who I date or have sex with.”

Focus group feedback
 “Trans communities have been more aware of racism
  issues. However the racism experiences in the cis
  communities is usually silent.”
 “Transphobia from racialized guys.”
 “Transphobia is rapidly increasing as trans rights are
  fought for.”
 Inter-racial rel. “It is difficult to explain to a white partner on
  racism-his experience has always been white-privilege.”
 Spiritual and/or religious practice: “sometimes important to
  important.”
                   Setting the tone

My history
         Important to be connected to my roots. I can’t
   forsake my past. It is part of me. It makes me who I am!
My experiences of racism and minority stress is not limited by
   the Canadian borders. Each ‘ism’ intersects with my sense
     of belonging, identity and quadruples; it extends beyond
       my skin color, race, accent, desires, dreams, hopes,
          gender expressions, sexuality and aspirations.
All the negatives experiences, isms, labels have only pushed
    me to excel in all I undertake. As if only to prove to ……..

                                                             14

My history
 Family experiences
    Dad and mom
 India – British colonialization
    Kerala & Goa –Portuguese rule
    Malaysia - Japanese & British rule
 Malaysia –during Japanese rule
    Bridge over River Kwai
 Loss of maternal and paternal great grand
  parents , grand parents, maternal uncles,

                                              15

Legacy of the British Colonialization
 British rule: 1858 to 1947
 The Bengal famine of 1943 in undivided Bengal (now
  independent Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal)

 Over three million people died from starvation, malnutrition
  and related illnesses during the famine while Britain looked
  away

                                                                16

1943 Bengal famine                                     European clubs in India had the
est. 3 million dead                                    notorious sign
                                                       ‘Dogs and Indians not allowed’

Girl died in her sleep

                         Picking up a child corpse

                                                        Old woman dying on the roadside

  Winston Churchill’s response
  to Viceroy of India for grain, “if food
   was so scare, why Ghandhi has
  not died yet?”                                     Picked clean by vultures and jackals
Source: http://www.oldindianphotos.in/2011/12/bengal-famine-of-1                     17

The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa and Kerala, India
     Ruled for 450 years- 511 to 1961
     1522 - "Begin by Bible, if unsuccessful then use the Sword”
        All Hindu temples, centers of learning, arts and culture and Buddhist
         temples were destroyed in Goa, Kerala and Sri Lanka. Palaces were
         looted burned or converted to churches.
 The Goa inquisition from 1560 to 1812 : Hinduism was banned,
  Christians were not allowed to employ Hindus & Sephardic Jews were
  persecuted
 Historian records:" the screams of agony of the victims (men, women,
  and children) could be heard in the streets, in the stillness of the night,
  as they were brutally interrogated, flogged, and slowly dismembered in
  front of their relatives.”
 "Eyelids were sliced off and extremities were amputated carefully, a
  person could remain conscious even though the only thing that
  remained was his torso and head.”
    Source: http://mahavansa.blogspot.com/2006/06/terrible-atrocities-committed-by.html   18

Bridge over River Kwai 'Death Railway'

 Historical erasure of Indians and Chinese labourers who
  died building the bridge in 1943
 “The prisoners lived in squalor with a near starvation
  diet. They were subjected to captor brutality and thus
  thousands perished. After the war the dead were
  collectively reburied in the War Cemeteries and will
  remain forever witness to a brutal and tragic ordeal.”

Source: http://www.kanchanaburi-info.com/en/muang.html      19

Pre –Canada

              43 job interviews in 6 months, 1984

                                             20

Post – Canada: labels & identities imposed on
Have to work harder & sound
more intelligent to
be heard                 MSW GWM“racism does not exist in the gay com” (W) 2008
                                                     You do not smell of curry
  First experience of being          You speak good English
                                           HIV
  ``othered`` at gay men support
                                                                    I like Desi men??
                                            status

  group,1983                            Don’t most brown
  You are very expressive
                              Education
                                        guys like white Accent
                                                        men?
                                                                 AIDSphobia (W),1993
  with your hands when you
                                   I like Bollywood culture?
  talk.                                                          Your people are ugly, 2002
                          Gender   Apologize                         Nice tan?? Where is
You are too fem, too butch,
                        expression
                                                       Race
                                   for not eating white              your tanline???
too aggressive, too loud,1986-2012
                                    food (W),2008
  GWM’s friends asked him, “Why
                              Countryare you dating a Indian man? 2003

 Where are you really
                                 of
                                                      You are not like 100% Indian,
                                                       Objectified
                               Origin

 from?                 1996 employment Exoticequity   are you? 1990`s
                                              or a
                       case report (W)      terrorist
                                                                   Racial profiling
   Racist remarks at ERB(W)1997
                                          Sexual stereotyping (W),2000
                  Are you from Iran, Cuba, Dom. Rep., etc.                          21

Loving The Skin You’re In ……

                 October 1996   2004 –Positive Side
1996 June

What’s in a name?
 Farrokh Bulsara-who was he?                         Correct pronouncement is
Gujaret-Zanzibar- India- Britain
                                                     as “they-venn” = Devan
 NOT
          Devin
                                   “A person's name is the
          Devon
                                   sweetest sound to
          Daven                   their ears.”
          Divan                   Dale Carnegie
          De-ven
                                                             Ram
          De Van
                                                             Shiva
          Dev                                               Siva
          Dave                                              Gayathri
          Kevin                                             Haran
          David
  Devan comes from the Indian word which means, "Like a God."                     23

Tritya Prakriti – third gender
 Eight types of Napumsa(via birth)
 Five types of Kliba ( behavior)
 Twenty types of Shandha (desire, fertility,
  performance)
 Forty specific third gender terms
    Narada-smriti (1st century BC)
    Caraka Samhita (200 BC)
    Smriti-ratnavali ( 14th century AD)
 Penal code 377 – 1834, 1864
 Sexual expressions from east to west

                                                24

Queer history
                                                      From the tomb of Niankhkhnum and
                                                      Khnumhotep,Fifth Dynasty of
                                                      Egyptian pharaohs circa 2400 B.C

 China, Qing dynasty,
 18th -19th century

 Shah Abbas I embracing his wine boy.
 Painting by Muhammad Qasim, 1627.
 The poem reads “May life grant all that you
 desire from three lips, those of your lover,
 the river, and the cup.”

 Madho Lal(a Hindu Brahmin)
                                                                 A monk caresses a layman,
 and Shah Hussain, a Muslim Sufi] 1538-1599
                                                                 from the Temple of Visvanatha,
 Referred to as single person with the composite                 Khajuraho, Central India,
 name of "Madho Lal Hussain                                      10th century CE

Stonewall riots: trans and cis gay black men and women who started Stonewall riots
                                                                                 25

The color of my skin
 A tanned skin in a white body
vs. the exotic “othered” racialized
person

                                      26

Media: Myth of the Xtra- large penis?
 Stereotypic portray of white
  and black men with super size
  cocks
 In my experience of 33 years, I
  have never met a gay/queer
  man who ……..

 Why the fixation?

                                        27

Online quotes on sexual racism /sexual preference
   Grinder: “Hmmm! I have split feelings about this video on sexual preference. I
    mean in one way I get what you're saying and I agree writing things like "No
    Fats, No Fems" def. shows a lack of personality on the behalf of the person
    who writes it, but I also kind of like reading that in the sense that right away I
    know that I have no reason to waste my time on a loser like that...aka it's kinda
    like an early detection system for douche-bags.”

   “Just because one minority group is oppressed, it doesn't mean they aren't the
    oppressors of someone else. It's a sad reality, but gays aren't above it.”

   “I am not black nor do I actively chase after any particular race.
    Actually...what's so special about white men that black men need to chase
    after them? LOL”

   “ I don't really understand how gay people can discriminate when they've
    already been discriminated against so much already.”

                                                                                    28

Norms in the gay west-do I fit into the prescriptive?

 Gay men must identify as top, bottom, versatile, butch,
  passive, pushy btm, etc.
 All gay men are into open relationships (the default)
 Clothes, hankies, keys and gender expression- pink and
  plaid?
 Coming out vs. coming in - “what am I coming out
  to?” How do we treat each other?
 Absolute lack of discussions in religious practices in the
  western LGBTQ
 Misogyny and homophobia- fear of fem!

 Who was Dr. Evelyn Hooker?                                    29

Neither there or here
 Homo/bi/transphobia and AIDSphobia within racialized
  communities leads to greater social exclusion for
  racialized LGBT.
 White persons are predominantly in leadership roles in
  LGBT and HIV sector
 Racism within the predominantly white LGBT communities
  excludes racialized LGBT in creating a visible space or
  voice.
 We are ALWAYS negotiating……..

                                                        30

Recommendations from focus group
   “Stop clinging to stereotypes.”
 “It is pretty disgusting how we treat each other. It poisons the
  community.”
 “Trans inclusivity training.”
 “Never ask at first where he comes from.”
 “Stop devaluing fem guys or reducing racialized guys to specific
  attributes (e.g. skin color, dick ,etc.)
 Being proud of who I am and always know that I am enough.”
 “To be resilient, we have to empower and stop playing the victim.”
 “Read more about your culture, community and really develop a sense
  of who you are and where you are going.”

Some solutions for building race relations
 Rectify and restore contemporary and historical inequities
 Be aware of impact of institutionalized racism and the
  devaluing of people’s lives
 Build a coalition of cis and trans racialized gay, queer, bi
  men
 Sharing stories and respect one another and keep having
  conversations.

                                                             32

THANK YOU
 GMSH Staff and GMSH Advisory Committee
 Co-presenters Alan Li and Suhail Abualsameed
 Participants of the Focus Group

                                                 33

Books
   Wilheim.A.D. (2008). Tritiya-Prakriti:People of the Third Sex. Understanding
    Homosexuality, Transgender identity, and IntersexConditions Through
    Hinduism. Philadelphia. Xlibris Corp.
   Vanita.R. , Kidwai. S. (2008) Same-Sex Love in India. A Literary History. India.
    Penguin Group
   Longres. J. F. (1996) Men of Color. A Context for Services to Homosexually
    Active Men. Harrington Park Press. New York
   Greene.B. (1997) Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Among Lesbians and Gay Men.
    Sage Publications, Inc. California
   Jackson.P.A., Sullivan.G. (1999) Multicultural Queer Australia Narratives.
    Harrington Park Press. New York
   Lopes.T., Thomas. B. (2006).Dancing on Live Embers. Challenging Racism in
    Organizations. Between the Lines. Toronto.

                                                                                  34

Web resources
   Bengal Famine http://www.oldindianphotos.in/2009/12/bengal-famine-of-1943-
    part-2.html
   http://www.kanchanaburi-info.com/en/muang.html
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa_Inquisition
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konkani_people
   Video http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Goa
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardic_Jews_in_India
   Toronto's gay desis talk of travel in South Asia,
    http://www.thestar.com/DesiLife/article/265369
   http://positivelite.com/content/by-author/editorial-authors/devan-nambiar

                                                                             35

Intersections
 Do Races Differ. Not really
  http://astro.temple.edu/~ruby/opp/racesnyt.html
 Biological differences among races do not exist, WU research shows
  http://wupa.wustl.edu/record_archive/1998/10-15-98/articles/races.html
 James Baldwin http://www.blacklightonline.com/baldwin.html
 Sexuality and the South Asian Diaspora
  http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Sexuality_and_the_South_Asian_dia
  spora-11559.aspx

                                                                      36

South Asian gay videos and movies
 Ache in My Name and Seeking Single White Male.
  http://vivekshraya.com/film/
 You can’t curry love http://vimeo.com/26463502
 My Beautiful Laundrette
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO8skgxSAv0

                                                   37

You Tube videos on race and intersections
   Farrokh’s (Freddie) mom Jer and Sister Kashmira (Queen)
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nC07IWZEGw&feature=related
 It's Tough to be a Queer Person of Color
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbDaDfc0d4Q&feature=related
 Racism in the Gay Community: Racist Gays
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc9tClWNZOc&feature=related
 My thoughts on Racism and transphobia in the LGBT community(4.03
   mins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHbXAGyVmeI&feature=related

                                                                 38