Huey Newton On The Women's and Gay Liberation Movements

[Marsha P. Johnson]

Speech given August 15, 1970

During the past few years strong movements have developed among women and among homosexuals seeking their liberation. There has been some
uncertainty about how to relate to these movements.

Whatever your personal opinions and your insecurities about
homosexuality and the various liberation movements among homosexuals
and women (and I speak of the homosexuals and women as oppressed
groups), we should try to unite with them in a revolutionary fashion.
I say " whatever your insecurities are" because as we very well know,
sometimes our first instinct is to want to hit a homosexual in the
mouth, and want a woman to be quiet. We want to hit a homosexual in
the mouth because we are afraid that we might be homosexual; and we
want to hit the women or shut her up because we are afraid that she
might castrate us, or take the nuts that we might not have to start
with.

We must gain security in ourselves and therefore have respect and
feelings for all oppressed people. We must not use the racist attitude
that the White racists use against our people because they are Black
and poor. Many times the poorest White person is the most racist
because he is afraid that he might lose something, or discover
something that he does not have. So you're some kind of a threat to
him. This kind of psychology is in operation when we view oppressed
people and we are angry with them because of their particular kind of
behavior, or their particular kind of deviation from the established
norm.

Remember, we have not established a revolutionary value system; we are
only in the process of establishing it. I do not remember our ever
constituting any value that said that a revolutionary must say
offensive things towards homosexuals, or that a revolutionary should
make sure that women do not speak out about their own particular kind
of oppression. As a matter of fact, it is just the opposite: we say
that we recognize the women's right to be free. We have not said much
about the homosexual at all, but we must relate to the homosexual
movement because it is a real thing. And I know through reading, and
through my life experience and observations that homosexuals are not
given freedom and liberty by anyone in the society. They might be the
most oppresed people in the society.

And what made them homosexual? Perhaps it's a phenomenon that I don't
understand entirely. Some people say that it is the decadence of
capitalism. I don't know if that is the case; I rather doubt it. But
whatever the case is, we know that homosexuality is a fact that
exists, and we must understand it in its purest form: that is, a
person should have the freedom to use his body in whatever way he
wants.

That is not endorsing things in homosexuality that we wouldn't view as
revolutionary. But there is nothing to say that a homosexual cannot
also be a revolutionary. And maybe I'm now injecting some of my
prejudice by saying that "even a homosexual can be a revolutionary."
Quite the contrary, maybe a homosexual could be the most
revolutionary.

When we have revolutionary conferences, rallies, and demonstrations,
there should be full participation of the gay liberation movement and
the women's liberation movement. Some groups might be more
revolutionary than others. We should not use the actions of a few to
say that they are all reactionary or counterrevolutionary, because
they are not.

We should deal with the factions just as we deal with any other group
or party that claims to be revolutionary. We should try to judge,
somehow, whether they are operating in a sincere revolutionary fashion
and from a really oppressed situation. (And we will grant that if they
are women they are probably oppressed.) If they do things that are
unrevolutionary or counterrevolutionary, then criticize that action.
If we feel that the group in spirit means to be revolutionary in
practice, but they make mistakes in interpretation of the
revolutionary philosophy, or they do not understand the dialectics of
the social forces in operation, we should criticize that and not
criticize them because they are women trying to be free. And the same
is true for homosexuals. We should never say a whole movement is
dishonest when in fact they are trying to be honest. They are just
making honest mistakes. Friends are allowed to make mistakes. The
enemy is not allowed to make mistakes because his whole existence is a
mistake, and we suffer from it. But the women's liberation front and
gay liberation front are our friends, they are our potential allies,
and we need as many allies as possible.

We should be willing to discuss the insecurities that many people have
about homosexuality. When I say "insecurities," I mean the fear that
they are some kind of threat to our manhood. I can understand this
fear. Because of the long conditioning process which builds insecurity
in the American male, homosexuality might produce certain hang-ups in
us. I have hang-ups myself about male homosexuality. But on the other
hand, I have no hang-up about female homosexuality. And that is a
phenomenon in itself. I think it is probably because male
homosexuality is a threat to me and female homosexuality is not.

We should be careful about using those terms that might turn our
friends off. The terms "faggot" and "punk" should be deleted from our
vocabulary, and especially we should not attach names normally
designed for homosexuals to men who are enemies of the people, such as
Nixon or Mitchell. Homosexuals are not enemies of the people.

We should try to form a working coalition with the gay liberation and
women's liberation groups. We must always handle social forces in the
most appropriate manner.

Do folks here have an opinion on forming coalitions with predominantly white women's and gay liberation groups?

[G1deon]

Nothing but a sidetrack... a distraction.

And who says they are oppressed ... they all over the TV, have their own newspaper, in the work force, in the middle of the mall kissing, have special laws governing them, shiiit.... they have the power to decide what artists get gigs in town. They ban our conscience singers who sing against them... Oppressed???!!!

J Edgar Hoover didn't seem so oppressed to me, he was given the highest position to take out and kill our revolutionary movement. And he attended all the big parties getting his freak on and felt no way oppressed.

Get outta here with that confusion

[Marsha P. Johnson]

Originally Posted by G1deon

Nothing but a sidetrack... a distraction.

And who says they are oppressed ... they all over the TV, have their own newspaper, in the work force, in the middle of the mall kissing, have special laws governing them, shiiit.... they have the power to decide what artists get gigs in town. They ban our conscience singers who sing against them... Oppressed???!!!

J Edgar Hoover didn't seem so oppressed to me, he was given the highest position to take out and kill our revolutionary movement. And he attended all the big parties getting his freak on and felt no way oppressed.

Get outta here with that confusion

Women and gay people don't control the media; straight white men control the media. You should get your shit straight before you come up in here making up nonsense to justify divisive counterrevolutionary rhetoric.

And a closeted gay fascist like J Edgar Hoover is no more representative of the gay community than a privileged assimilationist like Barrack Obama is of the Black community...

The gay folks and white women who are represented in the media aren't representative of these folks any more than Oprah represents me as a Black woman.

And I'm guessing you're talking gays protestin people like Buju Banton? Well they got every right to protest him, if you listen to some of his music he's calling for a genocide against all gay people. There isn't nothing in that song to raise conscience of Black people, only to make us direct our anger away from the real oppressor. If Garvey is his hero, wheres his song about genociding the owners of Fortune 500 companies??? There aren't any because he needs them to sign his paycheck.

[G1deon]

Yes I was solely speaking on gays... the most unnatural living being still walking the face of the earth today.

No Hoover doesn't represent y'all, but he is of you... he dresses like you, has sex like you, and is unnatural like you. And I wouldn't call him a closet gay either, because he openly got his freak on and didn't care what others thought of it.

You should however appreciate your gov't and TV people, because without them.. you would still be in the closet, where you should be.

U say they should ban the singers?? ...the answer is that they could and are, and proves my point that YOU and they are far from being in a oppressed position... get outta here with your noise.

You say people such as Buju can't raise the consciousness of people with that song... cuz it's not needed to raise up, it's to stop the confusion y'all want to poison the people with. A baby is created from a Woman and a Man. I do not need to raise my awareness on that just as I know the sun shines in the day and the moon at night.

What you call my need to raise my consciousness on a gay death-style is nothing but your gay-gospel to make me believe I am wrong and less-conscious without accepting your poison... your propaganda of self-suicide

When y'all pick your same-sex partner to live out your beautiful life together and die out together.. I have no problem with. But that isn't good enough. You adopt(poison) children, have test-tube babies and whatever unnatural reproductive method you need to keep your madness going.

You fight the losing war against the law of nature and the laws of the universe and now you want to tell me you natural and oppressed... get that shit outta here. The one whom you call oppressor is your savior and saving grace. The Universe is your true enemy. You are the off-spring of the oppressor ...a flea who would like nothing more than hitch a ride on the back of a Lion. Your battle is not my war.

Just so you know... your weak talk on the fortune 500 corps(we we call the system) signing pay-checks... they sign the leaders of your movements pay checks.

Leave Garvey's name outta your mouth while your promoting your gay movement, ain't nobody falling 4 your garbage.

Move this to the Contested Zone... so I cut you up in peace-s and finish you off there

[G1deon]

Source- London Free Press - Local News- Premier feels 'sense of responsibility'
Ontario should pay for in vitro fertilization: Report

• Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, and Australia fund IVF treatments.

• The Ontario government should be in the baby-making business.

• IVF costs should be covered for women up to 42 years old, including gay and single parents and those with HIV, the panel recommended.

• The Ontario government should provide funding for up to three cycles of in vitro fertilization for women

• one cycle of IVF costing about $10,000, according to the panel.

OPPRESSED BY WHOM???

[GoodTimes]

If its not really relevant(homosexuality) to you, theres no need to
go around cutting heads off.

Anyway the gay movement could never join in with the movement of the people, because essentially it seeks to bring us disharmony through gentrification, and the isolation of Black gays/les. A feminist movement would be different, because Black women have always been leaders, and held things down. White feminist are the exact opposite though, they "tell you why you should leave your man, and let them eat your pu$$y" to quote Sista Souljah.

[SoularFlarez]

i dont SUPPORT oppression of any group....

but.....

when lookin at the present state of the Black FAMILY.......... how has homosexuality or (white) feminism benefitted us???

men creepin on the low with other dudes and infecting their women
women talken bout they dont need no man, messin round with her girlfriends

I dont support either one of those issues, but I DO respect each person's FREE WILL.

to each their own.......

[Eka]

It my belief that.....We are so far from spirituality that we have grown bored with the physical realm. We want more and turn to other things believing that's who we are. Many say god doesn't make mistakes but at the same time they are not happy with who they truly are. It takes for them to get a sex change and/or go to the other side to feel complete.

This occurs because of unhappiness within ourselves, or pain from past relationships. They are people yes, but most need healing to understand themselves and love themselves so they will not turn to things that aren't in our true nature. I also believe our eating habits play a big role in this change.

As for calling them oppressed or supporting them, I do not choose sides. I will not support because I do not agree with it. But I will not force some one to heal something that they are not ready to heal.

[GoodTimes]

Originally Posted by Eka

It my belief that.....We are so far from spirituality that we have grown bored with the physical realm. We want more and turn to other things believing that's who we are. Many say god doesn't make mistakes but at the same time they are not happy with who they truly are. It takes for them to get a sex change and/or go to the other side to feel complete.

This occurs because of unhappiness within ourselves, or pain from past relationships. They are people yes, but most need healing to understand themselves and love themselves so they will not turn to things that aren't in our true nature. I also believe our eating habits play a big role in this change.

As for calling them oppressed or supporting them, I do not choose sides. I will not support because I do not agree with it. But I will not force some one to heal something that they are not ready to heal.

I think that sometimes over exposure to stress and trauma can cause a persons brain, and thus hormones to be desensitized to the opposite sex and other areas of life. Its probally the reason for other things that plague our community too like Bi polar disorder, low self esteem. I think that healing is the way to go, instead of isolating people. To me its kind of like Black people that arent interested in being conscious and wise minded, they need healing too, we cant just drop them off the ship.

[Marsha P. Johnson]

Originally Posted by SoularFlarez

when lookin at the present state of the Black FAMILY.......... how has homosexuality or (white) feminism benefitted us???

men creepin on the low with other dudes and infecting their women
women talken bout they dont need no man, messin round with her girlfriends
.

Thats a bullshit double standard.

Men go creep around with women all the time, too, but I don't see you condemning heterosexuality.

Men cheatin with men aint got shit to do with homosexuality; if anything its got to do with folks tellin gay men that being gay is wrong.

Maybe if we stopped hating on gays, and started tolerating them, so many of them wouldnt be tryin to get married to a woman in the first place.

---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 PM ----------

Originally Posted by GoodTimes

If its not really relevant(homosexuality) to you, theres no need to
go around cutting heads off.

Anyway the gay movement could never join in with the movement of the people, because essentially it seeks to bring us disharmony through gentrification, and the isolation of Black gays/les. A feminist movement would be different, because Black women have always been leaders, and held things down. White feminist are the exact opposite though, they "tell you why you should leave your man, and let them eat your pu$$y" to quote Sista Souljah.

The gay mainstream ain't the gay movement. The gay mainstream is a capitalist ploy run by rich white straight advertisers.

Thats why gay pride, which used to commemorate the Stonewall riots now advertises shit for Coors, Nike, and Bank of Amerikkka; because its been hijacked by straight white people. Thats why gay neighborhoods are comprised of straight people owned gay bars who try to kick poor gay and transgendered people of color out.

[GoodTimes]

Originally Posted by Marsha P. Johnson

Thats a bullshit double standard.

Men go creep around with women all the time, too, but I don't see you condemning heterosexuality.

Men cheatin with men aint got shit to do with homosexuality; if anything its got to do with folks tellin gay men that being gay is wrong.

Maybe if we stopped hating on gays, and started tolerating them, so many of them wouldnt be tryin to get married to a woman in the first place.

---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 PM ----------



The gay mainstream ain't the gay movement. The gay mainstream is a capitalist ploy run by rich white straight advertisers.

Thats why gay pride, which used to commemorate the Stonewall riots now advertises shit for Coors, Nike, and Bank of Amerikkka; because its been hijacked by straight white people. Thats why gay neighborhoods are comprised of straight people owned gay bars who try to kick poor gay and transgendered people of color out.

The gay mainstream is the movement, the movment is in the mainstream. On every television, in every magazine, newspaper, rainbow signs on the street post. I dont see the difference because they both oppress Blacks, gay and straight. Its not even just straight Whites but also alot of Jewish wealthy homosexuals who run the elite, and dictate what goes on in the world. I dont see a major problem with being a homosexual, but I see there being a problem with a SYSTEM that wants to infiltrate peoples lives with it, and encourage them to be gay too, and eventually convince our people to stop producing, aswell as keep them in poverty. Thats why the gay movement could never join the "Black movement."
While in Africa we have homosexuals that they call "Diviners" or whatever there isnt a gay movement, just individual gay people like its always been.

[TureBandele]

Originally Posted by Marsha P. Johnson

Thats a bullshit double standard.

Men go creep around with women all the time, too, but I don't see you condemning heterosexuality.

Men cheatin with men aint got shit to do with homosexuality; if anything its got to do with folks tellin gay men that being gay is wrong.

Maybe if we stopped hating on gays, and started tolerating them, so many of them wouldnt be tryin to get married to a woman in the first place.

---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:55 PM ----------



The gay mainstream ain't the gay movement. The gay mainstream is a capitalist ploy run by rich white straight advertisers.

Thats why gay pride, which used to commemorate the Stonewall riots now advertises shit for Coors, Nike, and Bank of Amerikkka; because its been hijacked by straight white people. Thats why gay neighborhoods are comprised of straight people owned gay bars who try to kick poor gay and transgendered people of color out.

I dont give a damn about no faggot not even black these fags (flaming) when you see em have money and prestige.The faggots have always been there in white society but they had to kick back because of christianity after the fall of greece and rome they were'nt accepted so widely.The last four roman emeporors were gay the most dominatnt white conquerer alexander the freak was gay so thats not powerful.

listen to what richard nixon said about the gays and how powerful they are
maybe thats why they threw him to the dogs



Theres a event called bohemiem grove where all white the power movers go there and fuck each other in the ass and do occult rituals.Theres a tape where a male snger is on stage and they boo him cause he said he fucks girl.Theres another incident where a male porn star got recruited as a waiter acciendently they say when it came out in the mainstream.Also nixon in the above video says its 'the most faggiest thing ever' and its only the elite of the business/political world that can attend.

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by G1deon

Yes I was solely speaking on gays... the most unnatural living being still walking the face of the earth today.

No Hoover doesn't represent y'all, but he is of you... he dresses like you, has sex like you, and is unnatural like you. And I wouldn't call him a closet gay either, because he openly got his freak on and didn't care what others thought of it.

You should however appreciate your gov't and TV people, because without them.. you would still be in the closet, where you should be.

U say they should ban the singers?? ...the answer is that they could and are, and proves my point that YOU and they are far from being in a oppressed position... get outta here with your noise.

You say people such as Buju can't raise the consciousness of people with that song... cuz it's not needed to raise up, it's to stop the confusion y'all want to poison the people with. A baby is created from a Woman and a Man. I do not need to raise my awareness on that just as I know the sun shines in the day and the moon at night.

What you call my need to raise my consciousness on a gay death-style is nothing but your gay-gospel to make me believe I am wrong and less-conscious without accepting your poison... your propaganda of self-suicide

When y'all pick your same-sex partner to live out your beautiful life together and die out together.. I have no problem with. But that isn't good enough. You adopt(poison) children, have test-tube babies and whatever unnatural reproductive method you need to keep your madness going.

You fight the losing war against the law of nature and the laws of the universe and now you want to tell me you natural and oppressed... get that shit outta here. The one whom you call oppressor is your savior and saving grace. The Universe is your true enemy. You are the off-spring of the oppressor ...a flea who would like nothing more than hitch a ride on the back of a Lion. Your battle is not my war.

Just so you know... your weak talk on the fortune 500 corps(we we call the system) signing pay-checks... they sign the leaders of your movements pay checks.

Leave Garvey's name outta your mouth while your promoting your gay movement, ain't nobody falling 4 your garbage.

Move this to the Contested Zone... so I cut you up in peace-s and finish you off there

The only unnatural ones are religious nutters, which Huey Newton thankfully was NOT. The Black Panthers still were a bit lacking in respect for Black women, but that was the nature of the times and at least some progress was made in this direction.

Sista Assata would know much more about this, so i defer any further comment on that issue to her and any other women of the Panthers who post here.

[G1deon]

New UN Head Says Homosexuality "Totally Unacceptable"


NEW YORK, September 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an interview prior to his first address, the UN General Assembly's new president said that homosexuality is "not really acceptable."
Ali Abdussalam Treki, a veteran diplomat from Libya, was responding to a journalist's question about his position on the UN's "Declaration for the Universal Decriminalisation of Homosexuality" at a press conference prior to the opening of the 64th session of the General Assembly.
"It is a very thorny argument," he said. "As a Muslim, I do not agree with it. My opinion is not in favor of this matter at all.
"I believe it is not acceptable for most of the world, and it is totally unacceptable for our tradition and religion. And there are some countries that allow that, thinking it is a kind of democracy ... I think it is not," he added.
The response of the international homosexualist movement was swift, with one group saying that Treki's comment was contrary to the principles of the founding Charter of the United Nations. The International Lesbian & Gay Association (ILGA), one of the leading international homosexualist lobby groups, this week issued a statement demanding an explanation from Treki for his "failure to consider the protection of the life and safety of lesbians, gay men, trans, intersex and bisexual people all over the world."
ILGA continued: "The worrying and serious implications of this attitude, coming from the new head of an institution which is supposed to regard human rights - all human rights - as the most sacred value, cannot be overstated."
The UN declaration was opposed by a group of Arab countries and was signed only by a total of 66 of the UN's 192 member states, including all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries. Until the election of Barack Obama as president, the US was the only western country that had refused to sign.
Late last year, the Vatican's representative at the UN, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, told a French news agency that those opposed to the declaration were concerned that it would place even more pressure on countries to adopt or expand same-sex "marriage" or civil unions and would generally fuel the movement to normalize homosexuality.

"States which do not recognize same-sex unions as 'matrimony' will be pilloried and made an object of pressure," he said.

----------------

Oppressed??... don't buy into it

[GoodTimes]

I read about that last year G1, talk about globalization. They were foolish for even proposing such a thing, thats not gonna fly in a muslim country. And also Britain was talking about removing aide from Jamaica, if they refused to decriminalize homosexuality, because of that British gay dude who got killed by one of his johns. (wouldnt that be his fault?)

Anyway, dont give a damn about this shit. The only movement important to me is the movement of the people, BLACK people. Why dont they start getting tight and trying to create laws when we(Black people) get beat up and murdered?