Gays: Not the Last Oppressed Minority
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/12/gays_not_the_last_oppressed_minority.phpTobi Hill-Meyer
December 13, 2008 1:00 PM
A couple of people here at Bilerico have already commented on the phrase, "Gay is the New Black," which adorns the most recent cover of The Advocate. Yet the subtitle on that cover, "The Last Great Civil Rights Struggle," is a statement that I find just as disturbing, if not moreso.
It's a concept that I've heard repeated frequently since the election. The last civil rights fight, the last socially acceptable group to discriminate against, the last human rights struggle, and so on. While my mind goes to the question "What about trans people?" the reality is that trans people are far from the last oppressed minority as well. There's a fundamental problem with statements about the last oppressed people. If there is enough mainstream recognition of unjust discrimination for such a statement to be made about a certain group, then they can't be the last. There is always at least a dozen groups whose discrimination is widely considered justified, or isn't even considered.
