Friday, August 19. 2005Sexual Preference or Sexual RacismTrackbacks
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It's not racist to have a racial preference in sexual partners any more than it's "sexist" to prefer men over women. So I'm white and dig white guys and black guys, but not Asian men. That doesn't make me racist. That just means I am human and, as in all areas of life (food, music, literature), I prefer some things more than others.
#1
on
2007-02-14 21:44
#1.1
on
2007-03-03 00:07
I guess the big question here then is sexuality a preference or an orientation? If it's the later than there is a big difference in sexual orientation and racial preference, thus it might be a false analogy.
Most queers I know will tell you at some point they questioned the origin of their sexual orientation and many people, from scientists to lay person, still research and wonder the origins of sexual oriientation. Maybe in world where race is such a hot button topic we forget to wonder about the roots of our "racial preferences" as the previous MH refers to it. Why would a person "prefer" one race over another? What would cause someone to totally discount an entire race of people and not find one individual in an entire race of people sexually attractive? If we're honest with ourselves and start to ask those difficult quesitons we might be surprised at our deep seated attitudes towards race. I do think there is a difference between sexual orientation and "racial preference" and I do think that the later is a form of racism, an unconscious form of racism but racism nonetheless.
#2
on
2007-02-14 23:08
This is a great discussion so I wanted to chime in!
Dictionary.com offers 2 definitions for "racism" that can make either point stated above. The first is "a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others." There is an assumption here that racism only happens if you believe your race is superior to others. So, if I'm white but I happen to only date asians, I would not fall into that definition. The second definition is the one we usually default to, "hatred or intolerance of another race or other races." I would not compare racial preference with sexual orientation. But I do think racial preference goes along with any preferences we may have that lie at the superficial level - I guess that not wanting to be with butch women or with women with underarm hair, would mean that I am discriminating against them. "Hello, my name is Alice, and I am racist."
#2.1
on
2007-03-06 14:30
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