Ulises Sena Bautista

Edwin Escalante Cetina

IADIG 7-O

October 21, 2018

Untold Histories Summary: LGBT Experiences

The idea of blackness, crafted by generations of white supremacy, has been paralyzing and

narrow. Black Americans have struggled to free themselves of these limited expectations, to

transcend being seen simply as the brutish thug on the corner, the sassy and strong black

woman, the cheerfully selfless mammy, or the mindless entertainer. This invisibility, denying

the complexity of who we really are as human beings, has constantly threatened our own

sense of self and undermined our ability to realize our full potential as well as provided a

justification for centuries of societal and institutional abuse and exploitation.

But for L.G.B.T.Q. black folk, it has been worse, a double bind. Not only have they had to

contend with racism, disabling as it is for all black people, but their identities as queer and

trans living in a patriarchal and dominantly heterosexual world has added an extra burden,

including one often imposed by their own communities.

It is difficult for a person who is stereotyped to try to get out of the situation in which he

finds himself and even more when the population L.G.T.B.Q. in the majority they are carriers

of AIDS