Giberti: Stand Together Not Apart

Allan Giberti
 
It should be obvious by now, that when you conflate history with a narrative it only widens the divide.
While this should be an article about the murder of George Floyd, it is instead about something other than Mr. Floyd. Sadly, this horror has all to frequently become a side note.

Too many of the peaceful protests have been hijacked by individuals who were hell bent on doing nothing more than looting and rioting. Even though we all know that there are two separate entities, the peaceful protesters and the rioters, we have watched too many of our governors and elected officials drag their feet on making that distinction and taking the necessary actions to keep us safe.

Why?

Sadly, it’s the usual mix of social justice, politics, political correctness and more politics. It does nothing to bring us together. It only furthers the divide, does nothing to honor the memory of George Floyd and drowns out the message of the protesters.

The problem with the whole political correctness schtick is that we are no longer defined by who we are but rather what we are. I can promise you that being gay hardly defines who I am and I certainly don’t want any special rights because of it. We never did

Equal rights, not special rights. And like so many “minority communities” we are not something to be evoked to fit your agenda. We are not a convenience. Unfortunately, too many Democrats are comfortable with omitting parts of history to fit their narrative, thereby dishonoring it and those who were a part of it.

Riots and violence, in the guise of protesting, are spreading across the country. As if the RI State House being vandalized wasn’t enough, less than 12 hours before the Providence Place Mall was vandalized and looted, candidate for RI State Senate District 34, Jennifer Volpe Douglas, posted this on her personal Facebook page,

“Stonewall was a riot and representation began with a single brick. Now support your black brothers and sisters in their liberation. #Pride #BlackLivesMatter”

Are you kidding me with this? I don’t know where to begin.

Wait a minute… Yes, I do.

First of all, do I think this post was responsible for the destruction that happened at the Providence Place Mall? I’d say this well exceeds any Democrat’s standards for accusing others of inciting and encouraging violence. They’ve been worked into a frenzy for less. but no. I don’t think this post was responsible for what happened Tuesday morning but it definitely doesn’t help the situation.

Secondly, in 1960’s, you had the problem of states criminalizing homosexual acts between consensual adults, even in the privacy of their homes.

The F.B.I. tracked known homosexuals and their associates. Cities outlawed wearing clothes of the opposite sex. They closed down gay bars and their customers were arrested and exposed in local newspapers. Laws allowed homosexuals to be detained for being homosexual and in some states, sex offenders could be committed to a psychiatric institution for life.

In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) as a mental disorder and remained there until 1974.

At the Stonewall Riots we fought back and yes, we rioted against all of it. We didn’t go home afterwards only to burn them down or destroy the livelihoods of other members of our community.

Third. Here’s a question. Are we standing with the peaceful protesters or the rioters and looters?  They are not synonymous.

Fourth. Are the protesters only considered “my black brothers and sisters” if I stand with them as a member of the LGBT community? What if I stand with them as an Asian-American? Actually, the answer is simple. Let’s just stand together instead of apart in our self-imposed, self-segregated groups.

That’s how we got into this mess in the first place. If you want to stop systemic racism, stop reducing up to our race. Stop dividing us into categories. Stop using us for political purposes. Just stop.
 

Allan Giberti is the host of RI Red Radio on 990WBOB.com. You can listen to Allan live on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7pm Eastern.

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