Andrew Sullivan looks at a public opinion study from Gallup that says:
Only 31% of black Democrats in America say homosexual relations are morally acceptable, roughly the same as the 30% of Republicans who agree, while very much different from the 61% of nonblack Democrats who say homosexual relations are morally acceptable.
Sullivan responds:
And does anyone believe that it is a coincidence that the most homophobic racial group in America also has the highest rate of HIV transmission?I can appreciate that Sullivan is angry about the LGBT community being denied their rights, but every time he decides to refer to black folks as "the most homophobic racial group in America" he's putting the lie to his statement that the black community should be "engaged, not demonized." It's just completely disingenuous to say you want to "reach out" while accusing black folks of being bigots at every opportunity. I don't know why anyone would be interested in taking the hand of someone who thinks "reaching out" means calling the entire community homophobic, but I do understand why framing the debate in this manner might lead to people tossing n-bombs at black folks during gay pride rallies.
As the Gallup study notes, black Democrats have the same opinions as Republicans, yet AIDS isn't the leading cause of death for Republican women 24-35. While homophobia is doubtless a factor in how AIDS is spread (the CDC identifies it as such), if it was the decisive factor Republicans would be ravaged by AIDS. But they're not, so you have to conclude that other factors are in play. The CDC also notes that "the socioeconomic problems associated with poverty, including limited access to high-quality health care, housing, and HIV prevention education, may directly or indirectly increase the risk factors for HIV infection." Basically what that means is that class can insulate someone from whatever risk is caused by homophobia, which doesn't make homophobia any less abhorrent. But at this point Sullivan makes it sound like he's gloating over the fact that black folks can't afford the luxury of bigotry without paying for it with terrible suffering. Which is not such a great way of "reaching out".
--A. Serwer
