gays have it worse than blacks back in the day

[2001]

I was thinking one day and I realized how bad gays have it nowadays. If you think about it, back when segregation was still around, there was a lot of discrimination in terms of different kinds of assault against blacks because of their color. But actuall segregation was totally legal and logicly made sense at the time. The idea behind segregation was that blacks should have the same legal rights as whites, you just gotta keep everything seperated. Seperate but equal. Calling black people ******s in the street was serious discrimination, but segregation didn't really justify that, which meant segregation was okay. Eventually segregation led to inferior socio economic principles, but again, it was looked at as something that just happened to come with segregation.

But nowadays gays have it worse in terms of their legal rights and discrimination. You can still hold up signs that say ***s are ruining america, ***s are evil, dont talk to them, stuff you could say about blacks back in the day. But the worse part is, is that from a legal stand point, gays are unequal compared to non gays. They are not seperate, but they are not equal. Gays are seen as inferior in their morality and therfor should have inferior rights. They literally come out and say it. And nobody does anything about it.

That is so ****ed up in so many ways. They base the morality of homosexuality on a 2000 year old book. People who hate gays are literally 2000 years behind in their thinking. On top of that, if they dont think gays are qualified to have the same legal rights because of their morality, then why are people who attempted murder or **** allowed to get married?

Blacks were seen as equal under God, hence why they had the same rights, but gays are seen as dirt. They are going to hell in the imaginary afterlife so we might as well treat unfairly while they are still here. wtf society.

 

[GwJ]

If the gays have it worse in terms of discrimination, the blacks must not have had much trouble at all then.

Gays only really got a lot of discrimination from those super religious types. The racism back in the day was more universal.

 

[_Keno_]

I live in Alabama near the core of American religiousness and I really dont think we have it that bad even here. Of course, a very small percentage of people do have a hatred for gays, but overall I think people really just dont care. Especially with this generation (under 30) it's actually pretty difficult to find someone who is against homosexuality (at least I've not met anyone like that my entire life).

The only way its worse I've found is with necessary adult relationships. My parents, employers, older relatives, etc. They don't really like it one bit, and dont mind saying so. My parents actually took my car, laptop, and indefinitely grounded me when they found out a few months ago (first world problems).
For real though, I'd say it's really only a major major problem in certain other countries.

And you can still hold up sighs that say "screw you nagga" or "all naggas go to hell," and I'm sure some people still do.

As for legal rights, it's not far off and i dont really think it's that big of a deal.

 

[Claire Diviner]

Homosexuals have it pretty bad, especially with the various religions oppressing them. Trying to compare the adversities of the gay community with that of the African Amercian community, however, is a bit hard, considering they both have gone through some very bad times. The black community had it very bad in the past, especially with slavery being the biggest issue. The fact they were treated, sold, and even bred like animals during those days really showed how bad they had it, and even the liberation of slaves courtesy of Abraham Lincoln didn't help much with how society treated them in America for more years to come. The fact that people can murder an African American and get away with it - Emmett Till comes to mind: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Till) - was a clear example of some of the injustices African Americans had to deal with on a daily basis, though it was instances like that which resulted in an uprising for Civil Rights (Rosa Parks being another prime example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks). Also, take into consideration that in restaurants, bathrooms, schools, etc., whites and blacks were separate, and the blacks would have the worse end of the stick in an example provided in the pic below:

Also, pair that with the fact that when African Americans protested for equality, they were oftentimes harassed, arrested, and even beaten by law enforcement for speaking up against the segregation. The gay community are currently struggling to gain certain freedoms in America, most notably the right to marry. The issue is with that of morality among the religious community and the Republican conservatives. On top of that, you have other countries where not only is homosexuality a sin in their dominant religion, such as Islam, but one can face execution for it (usually in the Middle Eastern countries). The struggles of homosexuals vary with location as well; in America, they're generally accepted as equal individuals, while in the aforementioned Middle East, they're as good as dead if they were to ever become open about it. Of course, African Americans - to my knowledge - had a similar issue where their greatest struggle was in the United States.

Honestly, homosexuals don't have it worse than blacks did, at least in The United States. On the same token, blacks had it easier in some countries not named "U.S.A.". What it boils down to is that both communities suffered a great deal, but how much they suffered cannot be compared as it's virtually impossible to measure anyone's pain.

 

[Ussi]

Homosexuality won't ever be legal in a Muslim country. One would have to leave it if one would wish to pursue it. That said, there are places for gay people to go, so as long as they aren't dumb they can leave the country for their own safety.

Honestly i just want to say give it time. As mentioned earlier, the newer generation doesn't care, so once the old generation is gone, gays will have their rights here in America most likely. I mean religious folks can't argue gay people being around is setting a bad example for children when alcohol and sex already is out there. I don't see any other reason to oppose gay people without religion being your reason. Even then, religion has no merit in this government laws, so the only reason gays don't have rights, is cause people just don't to give it to them.

 

[theeboredone]

While I will piggy back on the comments mostly stated here, I will say one thing that African Americans do not have to worry about is the power of social media and technology.

A Rutgers student committed suicide, because his roommate decided it was a good idea to strictly have his web cam running while the roommate was left alone. To his surprise, his roommate was gay, and having it streamed all over the internet resulted in some bullying and eventual suicide of the student.

What's maddening about the case is the sentence for the student was not harsh at all in my opinion.

But point being, homosexuals do have to worry about social media playing a role in harassment. Everything from getting tons of text messages if your number gets leaked to something like the example stated.

 

[Holder of the Heel]

I don't think most people care about homosexuality, but I also live in Alabama, and those who were gay, and those who even seemed gay, got a royal ton of **** from a third or fourth of the school. I know this from seeing it, and also experiencing it. Gays have it really bad in the sense that not only do a fraction of men hate the idea, but they also hate any stereotyped trait linked to homosexuality.

But as we can clearly see, gays are not even close as to how bad black people got treated in terms of slavery and inequality of the rights back then. The only thing unequal to gays are the fact they can't legally get married in places. That, and you're more likely to find someone who is homophobic or anti-gay than someone racist, so perhaps in terms of getting jobs, you might be discriminated against (I really don't know how much that kind of stuff happens, or if it does, but sounds like it'd influence people's decisions and is something they take into account depending on the person/job).

 

[Battlecow]

I actually don't know if this is a troll or not, so I'll refrain from replying until OP has made another post or two and I can tell if he's serious.

 

[asianaussie]

god dammit battlecow i saw this on the main page and you utterly disappointed me

boycotting DH forever because of you

 

[Dre89]

I actually don't know if this is a troll or not, so I'll refrain from replying until OP has made another post or two and I can tell if he's serious.

If you genuinely weren't sure whether the OP was a troll or not, you would've just not posted and waited for the OP to post again. It just looks like you were trying to imply that the OP was stupid in an assertive way.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure blacks had it worse than gays. I mean, gays were never enslaved, and didn't have to endure things like public whipping and inferior segregated facilities. Black women probably would have also been ***** as well. At least biggots don't want to **** gays.

Also, not that you should have to, but if need be you can conceal homosexuality. You can't really conceal being black.

 

[Kal]

There is absolutely zero question that blacks during segregation had it worse than gays have it now. Ask any historian; the situation actually became worse for blacks after the abolition of slavery. That's how ****ing terrible it was. Lynchings were social gatherings where families brought their children. Arbitrary social etiquette gave white people excuses to assault and murder blacks, and quite frequently these rules of social etiquette were set up as Catch 22s. Rampant disenfranchisement occurred.

Segregation was not as simple as "white people in this line, negros in this one." It was a horrendous infringement on civil liberties.

 

[Battlecow]

If you genuinely weren't sure whether the OP was a troll or not, you would've just not posted and waited for the OP to post again. It just looks like you were trying to imply that the OP was stupid in an assertive way.

He's not stupid, he's just playing games with you guys. 60% sure.

Anyways, nothing wrong with a lil' post to let him know I'M ON TO HIM

Ask any historian; the situation actually became worse for blacks after the abolition of slavery.

Just did, he disagreed.

I think you may be overstating your case with that bit there.

 

[Ramen King]

2001: There are many things wrong with your post. Most of the pseudo-facts stated are, well, pseudo. In other words, most of what you are saying is just incorrect. For example:

"Seperate but equal."
"Blacks were seen as equal under God"

Neither of these, of course, are correct. You would need to provide examples and citations if you were to argue it. Furthermore, you did not specify what location or time period you are referring to. "Back in the day" can be interpreted in many different ways (slavery, post-slavery, etc). You would need to specify a specific time period as well as location in order to establish a legitimate discussion.

If you are trolling (not to accuse you of so), then disregard this. Otherwise, I hope this is constructive.

 

[Kal]

Just did, he disagreed.

I think you may be overstating your case with that bit there.

Well, I should have been more specific: their circumstances were worse with regards to safety and economic stability. In some sense, they had more freedoms (though these freedoms were in many cases only theoretic). Depending on your personal views, that is arguably a better situation.

 

[Battlecow]

Well, I should have been more specific: their circumstances were worse with regards to safety and economic stability. In some sense, they had more freedoms (though these freedoms were in many cases only theoretic). Depending on your personal views, that is arguably a better situation.

arguably, yes. In my opinion, however, freedoms of the kind that they gained post-emancipation were worth the slightly increased danger (only about 3500 blacks were ever lynched, compared to 1200 whites--which is, of course, incredibly horribly awful. However, the odds of the average black person getting lynched were still very, very low) and the loss of economic "stability" (i.e. guaranteed room and board). Maybe that makes me a naive idealist.

 

[Kal]

Being lynched was not the only worry a black person had back then. It becomes harder to quantify at this point, which is why I wrote "arguably" in the previous post. But I think you're trivializing the issue and dismissing the overall horrors of the circumstances by just citing a low probability of being lynched.

 

[kataklysm336]

2 points starting with how bad gays have it now. I guess if being bullied counts as bad, then they have it pretty terrible. I live in North Carolina (saw some others from Alabama), and 1/2 - 3/4 of the people here are definitely avidly against homosexuality, but they don't display it in ways other than saying they don't support it. At worst some kids got bullied or made fun of, but gays have it no worse than nerds, ******** kids, etc. when it comes to bullying. Everyone gets picked on.

To say that gays have it worse than African Americans did 150 years ago it obvious trolling/unintentional stupidity. As as said before, at worst most gays are bullied. Sure some are victims of hate crimes, but nothing close to the number of African Americans that experienced it. Lynchings, beatings, murders, ****, forced labor, different schools, different bathrooms, different drinking fountains, unable to intermarry, unable to join the military, and the list goes on. I think that far out weighs any troubles the gay community may be experiencing.

 

[BEES]

This is a complicated argument. Gays and Blacks have faced discrimination and serious challenges historically in many parts of the world throughout most of history. The kinds of hardships they faced are very different and difficult to compare. You could make a case that outside the US, in parts of the world, gays do have it worse overall. It's banned in many countries and it's a death sentence in some parts of the world. And historically it wasn't great in the US or Europe. Remember, they were targeted during the holocaust as well. And 'buggery' used to carry the death sentence in this country. Jefferson kindly had the sentence reduced to life imprisonment in at the turn of the 19th century.

If we reduce this to saying gays in America right now have it worse than blacks in America did back in the 1950s and 1960s... that is false. I would go so far to argue that white homosexuals, while they face prejudice from some groups, still generally have it better than black heterosexuals right now, let alone the 1950s and 60s.

1 in 100 Americans are incarcerated in our prison system. 1 in 9 black men between the ages of 20 and 40 are in prison. There are more black men in prison than in college. 1 in 4 people in prison in the entire world is an American citizen in prison in the United States. Most of them are serving mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug-related offenses. Black Americans are 10% of the population, yet only own 1% of the country's wealth. Social inequality, racism, the lack of a social safety net, combined with the hundreds of years of slavery and segregation which put their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents at an economic disadvantage make the lives of heterosexual black Americans arguably worse now than homosexual whites to this day.

That's not to diminish the trials that gays face in this country. I'm bisexual, I live in NC, and I have a boyfriend right now. Going back and forth between straight and gay relationships has given me a front row seat to the kinds of double-standards gays face, and it's very unfortunate.

2 points starting with how bad gays have it now. I guess if being bullied counts as bad, then they have it pretty terrible. I live in North Carolina (saw some others from Alabama), and 1/2 - 3/4 of the people here are definitely avidly against homosexuality, but they don't display it in ways other than saying they don't support it. At worst some kids got bullied or made fun of, but gays have it no worse than nerds, ******** kids, etc. when it comes to bullying. Everyone gets picked on.

Gays get bullied a lot more than nerds. I saw them getting systematically picked apart in school. Kids who were flamboyant or gender-nonconforming or displayed queer behaviors, even if they weren't gay, were treated horrendously. I was a nerd, my friends were nerds, and we never faced that kind of ****.

Also I wouldn't say half are avidly against homosexuality. More like 1/3rd. Most North Carolinians supported civil unions, or some equivalent form of legal recognition, they were just too ignorant to know the amendment banned all of that as well.

 

[Strong Badam]

As a homosexual I find the topic title and OP of this thread to be quite disrespectful to the history of African American discrimination. It trivializes the struggle that took place for centuries, a civil war, laws made specifically against blacks, a legal statement that said "Hey. You're worth 3/5ths of a person," and that was a compromise. Many others in this thread have already made some very good points as to why, and I have no interest in repeating others, so I'll say this. The two cases of discrimination are similar, but also very different. One is something you can discern by simply looking at someone. Black people did not have the choice of being "closet blacks." The fact that homosexuals feel the need to remain closeted is a problem with our culture, but even today blacks are discriminated against. Qualified black people with college degrees are denied a job for no reason other than a white guy also applied for it. I dunno about you all, but I don't put "homosexual" on my resume much like how I don't put "right-handed" on it. For blacks, they couldn't really avoid discrimination.

 

[#HBC | Mac]

When lynchings and ***** are common and expected occurrences for gays than come talk to me. It's clear that blacks were worse off. I can't really even fathom how anyone could think otherwise.

Regardless, this topic question is incredibly pointless. Why bother trying to determine who had it worse off?

 

[Toya]

Gays have it worse than blacks back in the day.

Make another thread when:

1. Gays have to sit at the backs of buses.
2. Gays are not allowed to read or write.
3. Gays have their hands lopped off for attempting to read or write.
4. Gays are sold as property.
5. Gays are hung from trees by nooses and it's acceptable.
6. Gays are brutally lashed with a whip for practicing their own free will, and that's acceptable.
7. Gays are painted as murder suspects and are assumed guilty because they're gay.

I'll be waiting.