First Black Lesbian Mayor Elected, Where's the Excitement?
01.16.08 (5:28 pm) posted by Genia
vote for me on digg and reddit
Denise Simmons has joined Tammy Baldwin in the record books
by becoming the country's first out, Black lesbian mayor.
I know news like this gives Hillary Clinton just a little more hope.
On Monday, January 14, Cambridge, MA's city council voted to install Denise Simmons as their mayor.
Queerty says,
"Alright, it's great that Simmons won the seat - congratulations! - but we'd be more psyched if she were in Texas or some place. Now that would be incredible."
Obviously the person who wrote the Queerty post is not of African descent. If they were,
they'd be just as shocked as I am to see a woman who society normally views as the lowest of the low (black. female. gay)
serving as the head of any governmental agency anywhere in this country. It only took 200+ years to get there!
Is the Queerty writer aware that between 1705 and 1843,
MA banned interracial marriage? Even after MA's ban on interracial
marriage was appealed, in 1913, a MA law made it illegal for non-residents to marry in MA just to get around their own state's ban
on interracial marriage. Surely, electing a Black lesbian in a state where
race was once a huge issue is a historical event. It's ok though; I forgive their ignorance.
Part of me believes the Queerty post reflects a broader issue within the LGBT community: racism. Come on folks,
give the sista the props she deserves. Acting as if Simmons' accomplishment is nothing to scream about really grates my nerves. In my mind, the Queerty writer is saying, "So what if a Black lesbian was elected Mayor of Cambridge? That ain't nothin'! When a Black lesbian accomplishes the same in Texas, wake me up."
liberal bloggers
Denise Simmons has joined