gender trumps race

Why does this statement bother me so?

Because it is ridiculous to lay claim to the idea that all women are oppressed on equal terms, simply because they are women. Obviously, oppression is more complicated than that and I personally think that gender does not trump anything. Instead, there are interlocking systems of oppression that women face based on gender, race, class, sexuality, religious background, nationality, citizenship status and so forth. It is very naive and very, very 2nd wave-ish to say, “well, gender trumps race.” I can’t even understand how one can come to such a conclusion.

In the case of the current Duke scandal, some folks feel that we must pay attention to the issue of gender before race since, she is a WOMAN and was allegedly attacked by MEN. However, I don’t see how we can only pay attention to her as a woman, or as just a black woman, or even as a economically disenfrachised black woman, for that matter–all of her identities must be taken into account. Her race is already determining who believes her and who doesn’t, how bad of a parent she is (the myth of the bad black mother), and it’s determining how she is misrepresented in the media. Additionally, we must not forget that we exist in a media saturated world that continuously reproduces negative images that deem black womens bodies as disposable sex objects. It is all too impossible to deny that those images do not play a strong part in concluding how she was/is/will be treated by men of all races. Furthermore, if one believes that gender trumps race in this specific situtation, then they deny the harm of the racial slurs that were hurled at the dancers, which I personally see as a form of violence towards these women–no matter what.

I also can’t possibly see how gender would trump race, since gender roles are constructed alongside race and class lines. I grew up learning not only how to be a female, but how to be a black female–and I think for other women of color in this country, it is impossible not to formulate a race conscisouness of being “less than whites,” alongside a gender consciousness of being “less than men.” Therefore, our racial identity and racism play a major role in our negotiations of how we experience gender. On the other hand, white women grow up to learn how to be white and female–which basically boils down to a white race consciousness that is formulated on the basis of having power within a system of white supremacy. So then, of course to some white feminists, gender would trump race, since they are not impacted by racial oppression.

Moreover, the argument that “gender trumps race,” also ignores the fact that women of color see men of color as necessary allies in the struggle against “the patriarchy.” Men of color do have a complicit relationship with fostering the oppression of women based on gender differences, but, we cannot ignore the fact that these same men face similar oppressions due to the color of their skin aside from their gender. In the case of the Duke scandal, if it were men of color who allegedly attacked a woman of color, issues of race would still be in play and I still wouldn’t see how gender would situate itself in a hierarchical position above race, or vice-versa. Rather, we would have to take into account how race functions within the specific racial group to understand fully the scope of the attack, what should and can be done about it, ways to prevent future attacks on women, etc.

Finally, if gender trumped race, there would be no need for black feminism, for third world feminism, for chicana feminism or for women of color feminism. Generalizations about “the patriarchy” and the oppression of women in a heirarchy based on gender, only ignores the multiplicity of the number of oppressions all women face that are not soley based on gender. However, to some white feminists who face gender oppression in exchange for racial privilege, gender does trump race.

This is also posted on my blog.

Today is the day. Check out the participants at my blog.

Why is it, that on every website/blog I see about the Duke alleged rape case, people keep bringing up Tawana Brawley? As if she set the standard for all black women who can claim rape. It is very unsettling that because of Tawana’s story, which took place over 20 years ago, this black woman in North Carolina has been reduced to an immoral stripper, who is obviously charging these young men with rape for her own benefit. Although, I am not quite sure how she would benefit from these accusations.

When the media and other folks continue to compare her story to Tawana’s, they yet again, reinforce the idea that if a black woman claims rape, she must be lying. That black women cannot be trusted. That black women who tell their story of sexual assault, have a secret agenda. That black women are out to get white men. Bull. These two cases are exceedingly different on many, many levels.

It’s also interesting to note that, no one rushes to evoke the numerous stories of lynched black men who were accussed of raping white women. When white women lie about being raped by black men, no one resurrects photographs of black bodies hanging from trees, or the mangled and bloated body of young Emmitt Till who, supposedly, only whistled at a white woman.

If anything, the only connection I see between the two cases is the media hype and racial “taking sides” we have all fallen suspect too. How dare anyone to compare these two cases, when the facts and evidence are strinkingly different. People do lie. But that is no justification for criminalizing other rape victims.

I urge you all to see Aishah Shahidah Simmons NO! the rape documentary. I can’t stress enough how important this film is in challenging media hype about black female rape victims and idiots who continue to compare this case with Tawana Brawley. Black women are indeed victims of rape, just as much as other women–we must understand that.

Also posted on my blog

The Duke alleged rape case is getting a lot of attention in the media and on blogging sites, not because of the woman and the violence she suffered, but because the players are white. Therefore, this case makes the headlines almost everyday since the players privilege and whiteness is threatened with the possibility of jail time or having to register as sex offenders. So I keep asking myself, are we only engaged in this incident because the media has hyped up the issues of color?

Last year, a number of black women were raped, assaulted, beaten, burned to death, and were kidnapped by other men of color. However, the media gave little, if any attention to those incidents.
Why are we only important when whites are involved?

In some ways, this case has become an argument of DNA samples, lacrosse, strippers, and defense lawyers–instead of the real issue, which is violence against women. Violence that is committed against female bodies on a daily basis. It saddens me that even in the discussions on my blog, this incident has been reduced to whether or not she had a broom shoved up inside of her. It seems to me that we are not using this as an example to critique the reasons why so many women are raped/assaulted. Instead, it’s like a damn sports event where we are taking sides and rooting for each side based on DNA samples or statistics of how many women lie about being raped.

Black women and other women are being raped daily, possibly right now as you read this and as I type it. Where are the numerous blogs dedicated to them? Have I also given into the hype?

It is very disturbing that this case has become reminiscent of the O.J. trial where black “truth” is positioned in opposition to white “truth.” If this were a team of men of color and another woman of color, would the media have given it this much attention? Would other bloggers have given it this much attention? No. Of course not–although I would hope otherwise, but that is the reality of this situation.

After this spectacle has been long gone, will we all continue to fight against violence committed against women’s bodies, or will we only blog about it when the next case happens? I am asking this question in all seriousness because this event is not just a one time thing–IT HAPPENS ALL OF THE TIME–we must remember that.

I saw this posting from pandagon today regarding Jasmyne Cannick’s article against immigration reform. I had to write something in response to it because I am deeply offended by her words as a black women and as a lesbian.

Jasmyne writes:

It’s a slap in the face to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to take up the debate on whether to give people who are in this country illegally additional rights when we haven’t even given the people who are here legally all of their rights.

This reminds me of how some black “leaders” said it was a slap in the face to the civil rights movement to be equated with the gay rights movement. I am sorry Jasmyne, but the oppression olympics are played out and get us nowhere in our goals of civil rights for all oppressed people. I agree that we haven’t given all of the people in this country the same rights, but what makes the struggles of gays and lesbians more important than the struggles of immigrants? Nothing does.

While I know no one wants to be viewed as a racist when it comes to immigration reform, as a lesbian I don’t want to move to the back of the bus to accommodate those who broke the law to be here. After all, immigrants aren’t the only ones who want a shot at the American dream.

While I agree that immigration reform is an important issue and perhaps it could become the next leading civil rights movement we haven’t even finished with our current civil rights movement. Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts got it right when he said, “There is no moving to the front of the line.” Immigration reform needs to get in line behind the LGBT civil rights movement, which has not yet realized all of its goals.

Excuse me? Did it ever occur to her that just because it is a law doesn’t make it right? Slavery was legal for over 200 years–did that make it right? Of course not. In fact, it was only up until recently (2003) that a number of anti-homosexual laws were repealed that de-criminalized the personal sexual relationships of homosexuals–which were the anti-sodomy laws. When she was having sex with other women, it was illegal. And if she has sex with a member of the military, it is still seen as illegal and could place her in prison for up to 15 years.

Immigration and immigrant rights are a part of the civil rights movement. Does she not know of any bi-national couples? Does she not know of any queer immigrants? She lives in Los Angeles, a diverse metropolis, therefore I find this highly impossible–unless she only interacts with queer U.S. citizens. And, since she uses racialized rhetoric (back of the bus) she implies that the civil rights movement that grew out of the desires of both blacks and whites to provide equal rights for blacks has successfully finished. She says this at the same time the majority of people in prison are black, where a large number of us are living in abject poverty, where the majority of blacks are living with HIV/AIDS–but i guess, since we got to move out from the back of the bus, everything is a-ok. Hearing this from a black lesbian is appalling.

Which is not to say that I don’t recognize the plight of illegal immigrants. I do. But I didn’t break the law to come into this country.

As a black American born lesbian, you are descendants of slaves. Of course you didn’t have to “break the law” to come here, your ancestors were already brought here against their will. But what about those of us queers or even non-queers who do not have the privilege of being born here in the United States?

Both Senator Kennedy and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas backed away from insisting that guest workers would have to leave the United States after their initial two-year visa expired, basically guaranteeing that immigrant families wouldn’t be separated.

Who actually believes that this country holds the best interests of immigrant families at the center of the guest worker legislature. The guest workers would have to leave because the United States government does not want them to stay here. If they stayed, the government would be responsible for them financially and politically, where a number of laws would have to change to accommodate these new citizens, extended stay nationals, or whatever else they would be deemed as. Our country would be responsible for treating them like human beings and not the underpaid, disposable and worthless contractors the government wants them to be portrayed as.

Cannick’s words are xenophobic and reek of right wing conservatism that deploys the rhetoric of “illegal” and “broke the law” to imply that immigrants are complicit with crime and therefore pose a threat to our rights. I find this highly problematic coming from a person of color who so-called advocates for the civil rights of oppressed people. It doesn’t surprise me that a magazine like the Advocate (a very white and very conservative magazine) published her article.

Jasmyne, what is a crime is the fact that other black women like you and me, are surviving and struggling, just as much as immigants–documented or not. What is not a crime is having immigrants demonstrate their desire for civil rights, just as it is not a crime for gays/lesbians/sgl’s to demonstrate our desires for civil rights.

Hi everyone. My name is Kortney Ryan Ziegler and I currently blog over at blac(k)ademic. Amp has generously opened up his blog for me to guest post for a few days. I wanted to kick start off my time here with a posting about HIV/AIDS and how it is disproportionately affecting black women. I hope you enjoy.
—————————–
Think back to the mid-80’s during the Reagan era when HIV/AIDS surfaced and was linked to gay white men. As hundreds of them began to fall ill and die, a widespread panic ensued, resulting in mobilizing the white gay community in attempts to educate people in protecting themselves. Now fast forward to 2006. The new face of AIDS is no longer the young, white, gay promiscuous male–black women are now becoming, if we aren’t already, the group with the highest incidents of HIV/AIDS in the United States, with the War on Drugs, the prison industrial complex and the conditions of poverty to blame.

Poverty is inextricably linked to the high numbers of HIV/AIDS cases amongst black women, as it has provided fertile ground for our increased vulnerability to infection. A number of women are subjected to living in sub-standard public housing, are receiving sub-standard educations, and are working a number of jobs, but barely make enough to survive. This increased susceptibility to psychological and emotional stress has seen more black women turn to intravenous drugs as a mode of escape from these harsh realities. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important to realize that a large number of black women are getting HIV/AIDS from intravenous drug use with contaminated needles, and not the mythological “down low” phenomenon the media keeps telling us to believe. Subsequently, the feelings of hopelessness coupled with a low-self esteem also drives some young women to have multiple sex partners without using protection–leading to an exposure of a number of STD’s.

Access to healthcare is key to the prevention of future HIV/AIDS cases in young black women. However, since about one in three black women have no health insurance, there are little opportunities for routine checkups that could identify STD’s or their exposure to the virus itself. Furthermore, without healthcare, black women who are infected with the virus are left to be diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease and if pregnant will inevitably transmit the virus to their children–infecting a new generation of young blacks to repeat this cycle. Even if a black woman has HIV/AIDS and has some form of healthcare, private or public, her economic status will determine rather or not she is able to afford the expensive treatment and medications that are used to manage the virus. This can be an added expense of up to $30,000 a year. Moreover, black women who do have access to healthcare might encounter barriers that prohibit sufficient attention due to institutionalized racism that results in lowered quality care from medical establishments.

In addition to the conditions of poverty, male partners who are products of the prison industrial complex–which is a breeding ground for the virus, are infecting black women with HIV/AIDS. Currently, a large number of our nations jails restrict inmates from having access to condoms and safe sex instruction, which heightens the risk of transmitting the disease to their female partners outside of prison. Furthermore, the violent nature of the prison industrial complex constantly puts the lives of young men at risk through contact with contaminated bodily fluids.

How can we end this destructive epidemic that is systematically killing young black women AND men?

I personally think there needs to be more focus on sex education in the black community aimed at adolescents and adult women. Such education would need to be culturally specific since HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects blacks. This education would need to rely on instructing women how to effectively use condoms and when and how to get tested when they have multiple sex partners. Secondly, discussions about self-esteem and female empowerment must take place within black communities. Instruction in self-empowerment will help black women affected by the conditions of poverty to increase their self-awareness without feeling the need for male capitulation. Third, there needs to be more attention given to the disease aside from the yearly black aids day. Grassroots activists and politicians of all colors need to address the multiple factors that are leading to the infection and spread of HIV/AIDS amongst black women. Many argue that the reason that the number of cases of HIV/AIDS has decreased amongst whites is because of a mass movement that provided education and deterred further stigmatization of the virus and those with the virus. It is long past due for our movement to take shape to combat the general apathy shared by a large number of blacks in fighting and acknowledging that the virus is not just a “gay disease.” Last, I think the media has a powerful potential to create counteractive images of the AIDS epidemic. We are combated with powerful media images daily that subject black women to roles similar to that of worthless prostitutes–these ideas have infiltrated the psyche of young black men and women, and I believe have forced some of us to adopt those roles as truth. We can use the media, such as blogging, to educate as many folks as possible about how the virus is contracted and spread, also to inform people of the services that are available for women who are living with the virus.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic must be at the center of a current black mass movement, similar to how black civil rights were at the forefront of the movements in the 60’s. That same type of grassroots activism that has given blacks, women, and lesbians/gays more mobility to move within America must be replicated in combating this threat to our lives and it is up to all of us–activists, politicians, religious leaders, and intellectuals alike, to be more straightforward about the virus and its effects within our community.

Much attention has been focused on Africa as a dying continent from HIV/AIDS, and that is rightly so. However, black women in the United States deserve the same amount of attention directed towards them and their HIV/AIDS death sentence. This virus disproportionately affects us and is prohibiting our community from experiencing longevity…we have nothing to lose but our lives if we continue to sweep this issue under the rug.

This posting is also posted on my blog.