Our LGBTQ African Family, Unity, & How Many Still Don't Get It

There's no shortage of ignorance in any capitalist society.  And, since this country is the center of world capitalism, its stands to reason that despite the undeniable reality that information is everywhere around us, ignorance is the standard in this society.  Actually, ignorance is actually celebrated here.  I'll give an example.  Whenever I've spoken and/or written about the topic of our LBGTQ communities, I've received simple questions from the most simple minded among us asking and/or "accusing" me of being gay.  Although I do think that is a very stupid way to respond to any type of analysis, I'm not offended when that happens because I've spent my entire life working for unity among African people.  And, when I say working for it, I mean making sacrifices, suffering the worse type of disrespect, and many, many other things most of you will never have any idea about.  I and others choose this path because we are committed to making contributions towards alleviating the oppression our people experience.  Our commitment has led us to take studying our circumstances very seriously,  That study and that work have helped us develop a very selfless approach to everything that we do.  Its definitely not perfect, but its without question a consistent effort.  

This focus has answered many questions for us that many of you don't even know how to think seriously about.  One of those questions is about what it will actually take to unify African people.  Of course, when we say unify, we are scientific in our statement.  We are under no illusions about any type of "we are the world" unity.  There are plenty of African people who are committed class enemies to the masses of African people and humanity.  We make no effort or have any desire to unite with that enemy element among African people.  We intend to take them down with the rest of the oppressive classes that we will eventually overthrow.  Those people always have the option of deciding to commit class suicide and join the mass struggle for revolutionary change, but until they do that, they are in the cross-hairs of our struggle. 

Who isn't in our cross hairs are people within our communities who are oppressed by capitalism.  This includes African men who are oppressed by class and white supremacy.  Women/femmes who are oppressed by class, white supremacy and patriarchy.  And our LBGTQ African family members who are oppressed by class, white supremacy, patriarchy, and homophobia.  If you can count, this makes them the most oppressed within our communities in many instances.  

We know, some of you are singing that tired refrain about they made a choice.  We can't dignify that ignorance here, but we will say that's far from the point anyway.  The point is if you claim to be for African unity, we are challenging what you really mean when you say that.  If your African unity means you are willing to unite with Africans if they subscribe to your vision of what mode a "true" African must fit in, then you expose yourself as a fraud when it comes to unifying our people.  Unity by definition means people coming together by making the conscious decision to focus on what we have in common, our oppression by this backward system, while accepting that we are not all the same.  I know this because I do it daily.  I accept your religions although I have absolutely no use for them myself.  And, save that nonsense that I only say that because I haven't faced death.  I've faced the end of my life multiple times, including having last rites read over me while I was in a coma so you will have to save that foolishness for someone else.  I have no use for most of the social institutions rooted in this system that oppresses us that our people utilize, but the entire point of unity is its not about what I accept or what you accept.  Its about whats in the best interest of our collective people.  In other words, it takes a certain level of political sophistication to unify any people.  That sophistication can only come from a commitment to solving the problem along with a comprehensive and scientific understanding of the problem.  Since most of our people aren't even in organizations fighting for our freedom, we cannot even really have a serious conversation about political sophistication.  In this bourgeoisie "democratic" society, most of you think your voice matters even if you don't have the slightest clue what the hell you are talking about.  You aren't involved in our struggle beyond the vomit that comes from so many people's mouths, so my point here is we have a ways to go before we can broach this political sophistication question.

Also, far too many of us are stuck on this inept concept that by accepting our LGBTQ family members we are somehow going to have to start living their life with them.  I have no words.  If I accept you being a Muslim or Christian, how does that make me have to live an Islamic or Christian life?  I am just saying I accept you as a full human being.  I mean are so many of us that insecure on a personal level?  I am a cis man. I've always been with women and that will never change.  I just don't understand why I need to spend one second pondering what it could possibly mean to my life if the man next to me loves men instead of women?  Honestly?  To me this sounds like a personal identity challenge that maybe counseling can help?  I don't know.

Another point on this question is as African people in this society we all understand that there are clear differences in policy and implementation in this society if you are African compared to if you are not.  What I'm saying is if the so-called cis (so-called heterosexual) European community doesn't accept and respect the cis African community why is it so difficult for you to understand that the European LGBTQ community isn't treating the African LGBTQ community any differently.  That's the point.  As African people we will continue to be collectively disrespected as long as we are disorganized.  That's why we have to unify because that's a necessary component to our organization.  And, our organization is the requirement for us to change this oppressive system.  We need all of us to accomplish this objective and if we listen to some of you playing like you care about our people's liberation and start leaving out segments of our communities because of your personal insecurities, we are playing directly into our enemy's hands.  The European LBGTQ political agenda isn't the same for our people.  What African LBGTQ people have you seen running screaming about the right to get married?  Its not different than the European feminist movement not receiving any large infusion of African femmes anytime soon.  Or the European dominated labor movement becoming a main instrument of struggle for working class Africans.

All of this speaks directly to the humanism of our African culture anywhere.  Your argument that being LBGTQ is a choice and isn't backed up by science is invalid.  The clownfish changes its gender at will, including creating reproductive organs at its desire.  Homophobia isn't an African value.  Its another system of oppression that has been imposed upon us by the colonial system that keeps us oppressed and so many of you are so willing to continue to play your role for the massa.  This division among us only benefits those who desire to keep us oppressed so stop helping them.

Although we understand that the European LGBTQ movement is a bourgeoisie one like all European so-called social justice movements in this capitalist society, our humanism isn't just reserved for African people.  As the people who this system was built on top of, and, who it continues to be maintained upon, we, more than anyone else, should make a clear commitment to stand against any oppression.  That requires us to rise up above the colonial religious education we've received and recognize what's happening here.  Our culture accepts humanity.  That is the reason we have never risen up and burned this backward society down to the ground.  Most Europeans expect us to do that at any moment.  That's why you always experience such strange interactions with them on a daily basis, but we don't do that because we are not a destructive people.  We are not a people who stand up wholesale and commit systemic acts of violence against anyone.  Of course, like anything else in life, there are exceptions, but if you line up the world's populations and chronicle systemic violence by Africans against Europeans compared to vice versa, there is no comparison and even the most ignorant white supremacists don't attempt to dispute that.  We get that aspect of our culture on virtually every level, but for some reason, we miss it on the LGBTQ question.

African unity means every African.  The minute we start making exceptions we open the door for division.  That is ill refutable.  What's next?  No physically disabled Africans?  No Muslims?  No overweight Africans?  We want unity with all African people, period.  Maybe like the question of zionism is somewhat of the litmus question on settler colonialism, the LGBTQ question for African people is the litmus question on African unity.  If you resist unity with all of our family, you cannot be for Pan-Africanism.  You cannot be for African unity on any level.  Having been on the wrong end of racial discrimination my entire life, the absolute worst thing I ever wish to be guilty of is perpetuating oppression against anyone.  All of your arguments used to justify your closemindedness against our LGBTQ family are the exact same things racist Europeans say against us.  All the religious and social arguments are the same, which makes sense because they are used for the same objective.  To keep people divided who's unity would serve to rock this very foundation down to its knees.  Maybe the day will come soon where we can more easily determine who really doesn't want true unity based on how stupid and immature your approach is towards our LGBTQ family members?  One day soon, our people will wake up and rest assured we are not sitting still waiting for that day to come to us.  We are organizing on a world wide basis to bring about the necessary political consciousness we need.  Being LGBTQ isn't something that confused Africans inherited from Europe.  Its always been a part of our people and culture.  People have just felt repressed over the last several hundred years to the point where hiding it (being in the closet) has become normalized.  Its time for us to grow up and provide the love and support all of our people need.  If other segments of our people are not receiving the support we need, we need to address that, but not at the expense of other deserving segments of our people.  Just like African people decided we weren't going anywhere by declaring that "black is beautiful!" our LGTBQ family, queer, transgender, all of these wonderful family members, are going anywhere.  Start learning how to treat family because whether you know it or not, we all need each other.