Thread by @thrasherxy

1. OK, I’m tired but have time to kill waiting for a train, so I’ll attempt to write a thread explaining why Mayo Pete’s line that “Americans are capable of moving past old habits” frame is dangerous & for 2 reasons:

1. Racism doesn’t = homophobia

2. Emotion over structure

2. OK...So, the discrimination of (white) homosexuality & racism play out differently economically and should never be conflated as synonymous forms of discrimination. To start: White ppl have on average about 10X the wealth of Black ppl. economist.com/united-states/…

3. Emotion doesn’t change this racial disparity.

“Habits” don’t change this.

Seuxuality doesn’t change this.

Boot strapping education doesn’t change this!!! forbes.com/sites/susanada…

4. White gay ppl are NOT born w an economic disadvantage. They are, on average, born w 10x the wealth of Black (gay and straight) ppl. White gay ppl’s ability to buy a home, build home wealth, and not have their home drop in wealth is OK.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting!

5. White gay ppl’s ability to build wealth and pass on was in danger before marriage equality. They couldn’t accrue property together, bequeath to/inherit from a spouse, and pass on that wealth. No marriage messed up white gay ppl’s wealth building ability.

6. This ability to build wealth in property ownership, share it in marriage and pass on to offspring meant (and means) little to Black ppl (gay not straight) because, as @KeeangaYamahtta & others have shown, Black ppl have been excluded from THE major form of US wealth building.

7. So along comes marriage equality & while it does NOT protect LGBTQ ppl in many ways (ie immigration, employment, home rental), it DOES allow white gays of means to buy property, share in marriage & pass on that wealth to a spouse or kids. The White wealth hack was restored.

8. And BOOM! It didn’t take generations to fix this ability for white gay ppl to get back the hustle of wealth building denied to them in one generation. Early research after marriage equality shows gays couples as the HIGHEST EARNING TAX FILERS! treasury.gov/resource-cente…

9. So the economics of facing gay discrimination are worlds apart from facing economic racism. Compare that to how it would take a Black family an average of 228 YEARS to earn the wealth of a white family! treasury.gov/resource-cente…

10. And then there are ppl who are Black and gay.

And white & LGBTQ but too poor to own homes (and are discriminated against for low paying jobs or rental housing).

But overall, it’s dangerous to conflate all oppression into a feel good thing that can be undone by “habits.”

11. BC “habits” & “volunteering” & structural oppression can’t be undone by appealing to sentimentality. We need radical, anti-racist, affirmative action. & it don’t matter how much you starch your white shirt & smile & pander to respectability politics.

My train arrived.

🎤