Billy Porter’s scathing critique of white supremacy and homophobia in the black community
Talented, flamboyant and outspoken Tony and Emmy award-winning actor, singer and LGBTQ activist Billy Porter, (Kinky Boots, Pose) recently spoke out about racial injustice in America in an address he uploaded to his official YouTube channel on June 5 entitled “This Is My Message To America”.
In the video, Porter does not pull any punches in his wonderful profanity-laden and scathing critique of the history of racial injustice in America, how the country was founded and how white Americans have been complicit in the vindicating of racism from slavery to present day.
However, Porter’s address remarks aimed directly at homophobic Black people, whom he says has a relationship with the LGBTQ+ community that is “appalling at best and eerily similar to that of white supremacists versus Black folk”, have been the most controversial.
“And Black people hear me…cause y’all ain’t gonna like this one. As a Black queer man in America, my basic human rights have been up for legislation every single day that I have breath in my body from all sides. And by that, I mean that the Black community’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community is appalling at best and eerily similar to that of white supremacists versus Black folk. Hear me Black people and hear me well: I’m calling y’all out right here and right now. You cannot expect our demands of equality to be met with any real legislative policy and change when y’all turn around and inflict the same kind of hate and oppression on us.”
Billy Porter
Reaction to the message on social media has been mixed, with some praising Porter’s direct and honest approach while others condemned what feels to them as an attack.
Regardless of how many feel, as a queer Black man myself, I can honestly say that there is definitely a much needed and overdue conversation about the lack of intersectionality in the Black community.
Watch Billy Porter’s “This Is My Message To America” below!
