Social media users, particularly gay men of color, tweeted with the hashtag #GayMediaSoWhite this week to address mainstream gay-centric media’s erasure of non-White perspectives.
According to Mic, the hashtag grew out of several tweets from Black queer rapper Mykki Blanco on Monday (March 28) that criticized gay-centric outlets and organizations like Logo, GLAAD, Out and Attitude for their lack of diverse representation. Out responded with a since-deleted tweet criticizing Blanco:
That original @outmagazine tweet they still haven’t apologized to @MykkiBlanco for pic.twitter.com/Bg7sY4SCuk
— Ira Madison III (@ira) March 29, 2016
This tweet from blogger Viktor T. Kerney birthed #GayMediaSoWhite, and people soon began using it to highlight the ways prominent gay-centric media systemically erases LGBTQ people of color. Check out these representative tweets:
Even straight guys get covers before we do #GayMediaSoWhite pic.twitter.com/3adrXpZ3iE
— Viktor T. (@wondermann5) March 28, 2016
They’ll campaign if a baker won’t make gay wedding cakes but don’t care about issues affecting LGBT POC, like homelessness #GayMediaSoWhite
— marcus (@marcuswstow) March 29, 2016
There’s a black gay man running for the mayor of BALTIMORE and that barely gets any gay media coverage #GayMediaSoWhite
— Phillip Van De Kamp (@MajorPhilebrity) March 29, 2016
When valid issues queer people of color face gets overshadowed by GLAAD and HRC fundraising galas and marriage equality #GayMediaSoWhite
— Diatonic Dissonance (@urbangaygriot) March 29, 2016
The thing about #GayMediaSoWhite is that there are tons of LGBT POC writing for non-gay publications, about topics LGBT ppl read
— Ira Madison III (@ira) March 30, 2016
(H/t Mic)