Andrew Sullivan defends his statement that the black community is “the most homophobic community in America” by citing statistics that black folks are more likely to oppose gay marriage than other groups. But what is most notable is what he doesn’t even address, namely that black folks are more likely than other groups to support legal protections against discrimination for gays, and that despite their views on marriage equality they continue to vote for the party that is most likely to make it happen.
Sullivan does not adequately explain the reason for his language, which is arguably not only inaccurate but useless. I could declare that white people are the most racist people in America, and I could provide numbers to bolster my argument. But such a statement would do nothing to advance race relations and it would change no one’s mind about their behavior, to say nothing of how it would oversimplify an incredibly complex issue. It would frustrate many white people who do not consider themselves racist, who are actively opposed to racism, and it would likely alienate them from anything else I had to say.
To say that black people are more likely to be opposed to marriage equality is true. To say that they are the most homophobic ethnic group in America is reductive.
