“Facing the Right’s “Divide and Conquer” Strategy

As a Southern, out, black lesbian, social justice advocate, I see two very specific challenges/opportunities that lie ahead of us.

The first is how the Southern lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) movement can position itself to make social change history by working on issues about sexual orientation and at the same time work for social and economic justice — thus becoming a multi-issue and multi-racial movement.

Here in the South, as is true around the country, the radical right has been relentless in going after the LGBT community. The same radical right has also been relentless in going after communities of color, the poor and women. Yet, we allow them to use the gay issue as a “wedge issue” in communities of color.

We are all pretty much in the same boat — so why cut ourselves off from each other with single-issue organizing? For instance, in communities of color, the radical right has targeted anti-affirmative action, welfare reform, immigration, English-only, school vouchers, ending multi-cultural curricula — and the list goes on.

Something that those of us who are LGBTs of color can do is to act as a bridge between our respective communities of color and the LGBT community/movement.

The second major challenge/opportunity is the formation of a Southern People of Color Network. With the changing demographics of the whole country in general, and in the South in particular, it will be important to do coalition work with all our communities of color. What we don’t need is a sense of competition or divisiveness from within our respective communities of color and/or outside forces wanting to “divide and conquer.”

In particular, we need to address how this plays out in the electoral arena. We need city, county, state and federal political offices that more accurately reflect the “faces and voices” of people of color who live in these respective communities. For example, in 1998 here in Durham, North Carolina, the first ever Latina was appointed to the Durham Human Relations Commission, reflecting the growing Latin community. A Southern People of Color Network has the potential to coordinate, communicate, and organize.

As the saying goes,”So goes the South, so goes this country.” I believe that!