Racism on the Flip Side

I'm against discrimination and racism in any form and I often speak out about it. But I'm not only an activist - I'm frequently a victim and I've dealt with these situations my entire life. I guess it's because I'm often found in places that people like me usually are not.

I grew up on an Indian Reservation and was the only full blood white male in my graduating class. I endured a lot of situations and name calling that some of my younger sisters were not able to tolerate. For me I think it was a good learning experience. But that was years ago and I no longer live there.

My current situation is worse - because we are now adults. You see I am a gay man who happens to be mostly attracted to black men. I also go to gay hip hop clubs because I love the music and of course I like the guys that go there. Most of the guys in those clubs don't speak to me because they are interested in other black men and that is fine. But occasionally I will run into someone I've met previously in another setting - some of them I've known for a while. But when they see me in the club they want to act like they don't know me. I guess it's sort of "un-cool" to be associated with the white guy in a mostly black club. I do have a problem with that. I usually try to find a way to point it out to the person later on, which they usually deny. But it has happened so frequently to me that I know it is real and not imagined.

It's sad to me that people who have also dealt with racism and discrimination their whole lives would take part in it themselves. We ALL need to get past this and I urge people to speak out when they see things like this happening. Bringing it to the surface makes people think and could possibly bring about change.