Exploring and combating racism within the LGBTQ+ community

The LGBTQ+ liberation movement stands on the tall shoulders of the brave people who fought for racial equality and equity. The sip-ins at Julius, the die-ins at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the riot that kicked off the movement at the Stonewall Inn were led by activists who participated in or were inspired by the Civil Rights era.

Marsha P Johnson, Jose Julio Sarria, Sylvia Rivera, and Audre Lorde are the founders of a movement that permitted those hiding in the shadows to come out of the closet and speak loudly and proudly for their rights.

But while the LGBTQ+ movement looks forward to a world without homophobia and transphobia, it too often fails to look inside itself at the racial biases that people of color face in the cis-straight world. Racism is rampant in the LGBTQ+ community and when we fail to address and confront that racism, we fail the most vulnerable among us.

This Pride Month, in partnership with Out Leadership, we hosted a candid conversation about the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and race, and the disproportionate discrimination that affects queer people of color in society at large and within the queer community itself.

Moderated by Jim Ellis, Assistant Managing Editor for Bloomberg BusinessWeek, our panelists included:

• Frederick A. Davie, Executive Vice President & Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Union Theological Seminary; Chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint and Review Board (CCRB)
• Gonzalo Casals, Commissioner, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)
• Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, J.D., Senior Policy Counsel, Trans/Gender Nonconforming Justice and Director, Disability Justice Project Director at the National LGBTQ Task Force
• Nicole Cozier, Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)

As the conversation unfolded, a poignant point was made that black lives can’t matter until black queer lives matter as well.

Despite polls showing the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in the US – and the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month guaranteeing employment protections for gays, lesbians, and transgender workers – there’s still great disparity within the broader community between people of color and their white counterparts.

According to data cited by Bloomberg’s Jim Ellis, for example, 15% of white queer people live in poverty. That number rises to 31%, however, for black queer people. And while 20% of LGBTQ+ people have reported some harassment at work, that number doubles to 40% for queer people of color.

Policing the police system

Racism within police organizations, corporations, and even intentional communities like LGTBQ+ is systemic and often deep-rooted.

Referencing a study that found the per-capita rate of fatal shootings by officers to be 70% lower in departments with black police chiefs than in those with white leadership, our panelists suggested that efforts need to be directed at and encouraged within policing institutions to counteract ongoing racism, homophobia, transphobia, and profiling.

Discussed changes include:

• National standards around national training and national oversight
• Well-staffed, well-funded divisions of diversity and inclusion
• Greater diversity (race, sexuality, gender, gender diversity) across departments
• Stronger civilian oversight with more binding disciplinary decisions
• Removal of certain activities currently addressed by police, including dispatch to situations involving non-criminal mental health crises

Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan agreed with limiting police roles within society, but feels systemic reforms must go beyond just disciplining police officers because – at that point – the targeting has already happened. Steps must also be taken to decriminalize certain minor crimes.

“By involving the police in communities that are already over-criminalized,” Rodriguez-Roldan pointed out, “we’re fulfilling a system that essentially criminalizes poverty and marginalization, and that’s tied – by extension – to a majority of people of color.”

Workplaces: A work in progress

Any deep, lasting change in LGBTQ+ liberation cannot happen without addressing the needs of the most marginalized among us – especially in the workplace.

Nicole Cozier suggested we:

• Think about who we surround ourselves with. Without pursuing everyday connections with people who are different from us – queer people, queer people of color, trans people – it’s difficult to really own the issues that affect them.
• Think more holistically about our roles as leaders and the policies we implement. Because LGBTQ+ policies inevitably impact community members in different ways, we need to understand our goals, build in accountability measures, and examine the racial impact of policies on the real lives of employees.

Passing a law or policy is the easy part when it comes to ensuring everybody gets the dignity and respect they deserve. The hard part, Rodriguez-Roldan noted, is enforcing it and making it meaningful inside the workplace.

Implementing recruitment programs and company policies that promote awareness and acceptance – and developing inclusive leaders who don’t shy away from tough conversations about race – remain essential for moving us ever closer to a workplace that’s truly diverse.

Change at the community level

It’s clear that confusion and inequities persist even within intentional communities around what’s considered mainstream or fringe in terms of identity. And that, in Gonzales Casals’ opinion, has to do with access to cultural production in many ways.

“With intersectionality acting as a double oppressor, queer people of color don’t typically have opportunities to run museums, curate exhibitions, or write in newspapers. Their stories are less likely to make it to the mainstream as a result, and without seeing themselves reflected by society, they’re more likely to become alienated – even within the LGBTQ+ community.”

So what can ordinary people do to take a closer look at LGBTQ+ intersectionality and address exclusionary practices without relying on institutions alone?

Here are some thoughts from our panelists on addressing prejudices within the community:

• Each of us needs to do some personal work in addressing our own privilege based on the intersection of our identities
• Sharing our journeys and telling our stories about the communities we come from is essential for seeing ourselves as part of a larger community striving for change
• We need to keep connecting and lifting up the voices of our black and queer leaders of color on social media platforms and in live conversations with colleagues and friends
• We must ensure the movement doesn’t become complacent by remembering that, beyond legal rights, we have to strive for meaningful change at the cultural level

Black poet, Audre Lorde – lesbian, feminist, womanist, and an advocate for giving a seat at the table to the unheard – said, “It is not our differences that divide us, it is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

Systems of oppression and supremacy exist at multiple intersections within the LGBTQ+ community – and will continue to do so until we dismantle them.

We all have a responsibility to raise our level of awareness on race in the communities we belong to because it’s only through education and discussions like these that we can begin to recognize our own roles in changing the narrative.

Read more:

Identity in quarantine: The impact on LGBTQ+ employees

For LGBTQ+ people, coming out is a lifelong process

Understanding our intersectionalities: embracing multiple identities within the LGBT+ community

How to be an active ally in the workplace

Learn more about Bloomberg’s commitment to ethnic inclusion and racial equality