feature: “looking back at huey newton’s thoughts on gay rights…”

In the wake of The Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage across the US, and in light of Obama’s endorsement of the LGBTQ movement, take a look back at Huey P. Newton’s Thoughts on Gay Rights. Hip Hop and Politics profiled a speech that the late activist and Black Panther co-founder gave August 15 1970 regarding the the women’s liberation and gay liberation fronts. See some extracts below and read it in full here.

By Alexander Aplerku, AFROPUNK Contributor

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“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 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 oppressed people in the society.”

“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.”

“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.”