Releases / Statements


A Statement by the Pat Parker Queer Caucus of the Black Radical Congress

At the afternoon plenary meeting of the Black Radical Congress on June 18, 2005, a homophobic incident occurred. As a result, we, the undersigned, have reconstituted the Queer Caucus of the Black Radical Congress, hereafter referred to as the Pat Parker Queer Caucus of the Black Radical Congress.

As a queer run group comprised of Black queer members of BRC, straight allies who are also members of the BRC, as well as interested friends of the BRC, we are today presenting a formal response to the aforementioned transgression of the BRC Freedom Agenda Principle #10: “We recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as full and equal members of society.”

Homophobia within the Black Radical Congress is unacceptable. We expect the BRC to uphold the entirety of its platform as espoused in the Freedom Agenda, including its stated opposition to homophobia. We are concerned about the lack of a clear response from the BRC at the moment when the homophobic incident occurred.

Failure to respond constituted a denial of homophobia in the BRC. Just as denial of racism is racism, denial of homophobia is homophobia. Many members and friends of the BRC felt assaulted by the incident that occurred, and denial of our existence or our experience is unacceptable. In the context of such incidents, the BRC becomes an unsafe space for substantive political discussion of what it means to be radical, particularly queer and radical.

As the Pat Parker Queer Caucus of the Black Radical Congress, we will hold the BRC accountable to its stated principles, and we invite any members or friends of the BRC who wish to join us in this endeavor to come forward at this time.

The Pat Parker Queer Caucus of the Black Radical Congress will present a more comprehensive statement of our principles on the BRC website in the near future. In the meantime, we present a condensed version of our main points:

• Homophobia is a problem in the Black community.
  
  
• Homophobic violence in the Black community is Black-on-Black violence and contributes to the collective autodestruction of Black people.
  
  
• Homophobia, heterosexism, and heteronormativity are divisive forces within the Black community, as is the denial of their existence.
  
  
• All systems of oppression are interlocking and none can be eliminated without the other, hence we cannot minimize the significance of homophobia and heterosexism.
  
  
• Instead of problematizing the anger produced by homophobia and heterosexism, we must problematize the incidents that produce such anger – and we must recognize that the anger produced by homophobia and heterosexism is similar to the anger produced by racism, sexism, and classism.

In closing, we the members of the Pat Parker Queer Caucus of the Black Radical Congress offer this manifesto in the spirit of revolutionary love and comradeship as we collectively move forward towards a liberated society free of all forms of oppression.

Signed,
The Membership of the Pat Parker Queer Caucus
of the Black Radical Congress
June 19, 2005