Weaponizing queerness to disseminate white supremacy has to stop

We saw this video a few days ago. In it, Brain Buster who is a United States Marine is reacting to the George Floyd protests on his Instagram story.

Buster is, however, more worried, and in his words “disgusted” “disturbed” and “really pissed off” about the protesters burning the American flag than he is about the reason behind the protests in the first place. 

We will not go into the details about the significance of flag burning to the oppressed class, we will, however, address Buster’s claim when he says: “I am white, I am gay,” implying that being gay is in some way supposed to rid him of his white privilege. 

Here is a man trying to weaponize his queerness into further perpetuating oppression. Let’s break down the problem with this speech that nobody asked for beginning from what was in our opinion, some of the most worrying statements. 

“Let me tell you something, I am white, I am gay….and I have plenty of African American friends, and I understand that they work harder for their shit.” 

The best way to prove you’re not a white supremacist when you in fact are is to mention and pretend to address your white privilege, deploy another system of oppression to your rescue, other the group calling you out,  say you’re friends with them, and then allude to understanding their struggle.

James Baldwin brilliantly captures what would be our response to this section when he says: I know a great many white people, men, and women, straight and gay, whatever, who are unlike the majority of their countrymen. On what basis we could form a coalition is still an open question. The idea of basing it on sexual preference strikes me as somewhat dubious, strikes me as being less than a firm foundation. It seems to me that a coalition has to be based on the grounds of human dignity.

To add to Baldwin, we are going to say that whatever form of unity we have as White gays and Black gays has to begin from a point of human dignity and not sexual preference. While the latter is without a doubt a unifying factor, and this coalition can culminate in sexual preference but if we are going to eliminate the possibility of weaponization which we so often see, it has to begin from a mutual belief in justice and freedom. 

“I want to say I hope this man gets justice, but…” 

When you succeed every statement about justice with a “but,” then you do not really want justice, you want it only on certain conditions and within certain parameters. You are more importantly making yourself the center of a conversation and a theme that should never include you. 

Referring to George Floyd as “this man” is equally an attempt at othering him and keeping him out of a dialogue that is in fact centered on him and the many other Black people who have died from anti-Black violence. 

“I choose to make a comment about men and women risking their lives and you guys burning the flag is disrespectful.” 

When you are more worried about disrespect than about murder, check yourself. 

“If I saw a crowd of people burning a flag, I would put my life on the line to save that flag because I serve for my community, for the LGBTQ, I will do anything to protect them.” 

When you’re more concerned about symbolism than actual progress, when you would die for representation than actual work, you need an introspection. 

Also, can someone clarify how saving a burning flag is helpful to the LGBTQ community? What we see here is the attempt to insert into a conversation about race, queerness. And it is it not to say that queerness doesn’t matter in racial conversations, it does. 

The problem with Buster is not that he is White and gay, it is that he attempts to brandish and defuse his queerness into being racist. And that should never be okay.