Why do some gay people only care about problems faced by the GLBT community?

Question

In addition to homophobia, I put up with racism, classism, and so many other problems. So why can't some wealthy, white GLBT people wake up and start supporting other causes, even those that don't directly affect their life?

Answer 1

A LOT of us do, Jelli. Why do you assume otherwise?

Answer 2

I don't think it's a matter of caring or not caring. I think it's more that people take up causes that they know enough about to acutally do something. Although there are a lot of things that make it harder for GLBT of color and GLBT people in the poor and working class to speak out and be heard, unless they find a way to educate their brothers and sisters about their specific struggles things won't go anywhere. People have to know the ins and outs of a problem in order to be effective leaders of change.

I've also noticed that sometimes when I come across another issue that really gets me going I'll spend at least a year focusing on no other cause but that one. I suppose if someone meets me during that time I appear to not care about other social justice issues.

And I do think there's a lot GLBT people out there who support other causes. At least I've come across a lot of people who seem to address multiple issues of social justice. But It may just be because I'm in NYC where it seems like every other activist I meet is gay. lol

As for myself, I do spend a lot of time on other issues of social justice. It's just hard to notice in a format like this. :)

Answer 3

Not too many people in this world are only concerned about one particular issue. We all face multiple issues and explore them in various ways. I have plenty of gay friends who support all sorts of issues. They devote their time to community services that they feel are important just like the rest of the population. I have gay friends who address the problem of drunk driving, literacy, cancer, the atrocities in Darfur, mental illness and poverty to name a few. I think what your asking reflects your perspective on the gay community. Just because they address GLBT issues on this forum does not mean they are not active in something all together different someplace else.

Answer 4

Human nature; most people just don't see that which doesn't affect them directly and forget that it's happening.

Did you know there's what could be called a Civial War going on in Iraq, and political torture going on in North Korea? Probably; but were you thinking about those when you wrote this question?

What about home-renovation fraud? Unless you're watching "Holmes on Homes" at the moment or have gone through it yourself, you probably forgot about that too.

Answer 5

Because, that's where the struggle for rights started and still continue. Its a matter of degrees, and so we have to start at the base, start from the ground up. We've gotten established, now it is indeed time to branch out and we have, individually. However, there are still many "base causes" that need to be addressed and until our rights are set in stone we cannot allow them to be taken for granted.

Answer 6

Your question assumes that gay people do not support other causes, and I am a gay person that supports causes other than those specifically gay in focus (such as habitat for humanity and no kill animal shelters). My most recent monetary contribution was to an animal shelter that my employer matched, and when I made the contribution I did not specify that it only be used for gay dogs and cats. Thank you for insulting me.

Answer 7

Until we're treated as equally as other straights, why should we worry about "their" problems?

no, more seriously, I do support other causes, since I'm a parent as well as a member of the community where I live and raise my family, because I pay taxes, because I want my family to have adiquate healthcare, education, safety...I do support many other issues. I think your perspective might be a bit scewed.

Answer 8

I think that there are a lot of GLBT people out there with many backgrounds who are fighting for everyone.

Answer 9

i dont think so. I think GLBT are more aware of the problems that are happening around the world. What a stupid question.

Even if so, at least they are fighting for equality, unlike the current Bush administration who is fighting a fake war, and draining taxpayers money for NOTHING.

Answer 10

Why do some straight people only care about problems faced by the straight community? (that was an example) :P There are these kinds of people in every group/culture/class/etc

Answer 11

Many of them, especially the "activists" like Rosie O'Donnell, are entirely focused on their own agenda. They don't care who or what gets in their way. They are terribly narrow minded and quick to play the "gay" card to get their way.

I'm not saying that all gay people are like this. The few I've known through the years were very caring and loving individuals. However, much like the rest of us, they are usually only represented by the loudmouthed, idiotic members of their sexual preference.

Also, I do take offense to the "white" comment. Why do people of other races always use the "white" comment? I'm not gay, so I don't deal with homophobia, but I'm white, Christian, male, Southern, a father, and middle class. I deal with racism, gender discrimination, religious hatred, and even geographical discrimination. I have just as many problems as you and I deal with them as well as I can. Sometimes life isn't fair.