Gay porn mega-legend/budding fashion designer/all around good guy Boomer Banks spoke to HuffPost’s Kevin James Thornton about the hullaballoo he caused by posting a sign that called out the LGBTQ community’s tendency to segregate and discriminate amongst ourselves.
You recently posted a photo from the DC equality march that said “if your profile says no latino, no black, no asian, no fat or fem then you don’t belong here.” It got a lot of attention. Do you think you could sum up what that sign is saying?
Boomer: First of all, it wasn’t my sign. It was a sign I saw that moved me more than the other signs there because lately I’ve noticed that within the LGBTQ community there seems to be this underlying fight between each other. More than anything right now I feel like this shouldn’t be a thing because we have other people trying to fight us. We’re under fire from outside forces and fighting each other right now isn’t productive. It caught my attention, I took a picture and posted it. I think it got a lot of good and bad responses because some people get it and some people don’t. To me that sign means it’s ok to have preferences ― that’s not something I’m discouraging ― but feeling the need to post those statements on social media? That’s going a little bit further and delving into a racial bias, in my opinion.What you just said there is the thing I think some people don’t get. When someone says “that’s just my sexual preference. I’m just being honest…”
Boomer: Right. Someone said to me that it was just a preference and to “get over it.” This is someone who lives in white privilege. I understand these are things we grow up being taught. This is what we are subjected to. If all you’ve ever dated are white boys, I get it. But it’s still not ok to make these statements out loud on social media…Right there’s a difference between saying I prefer these sorts of physical traits versus “No Black People.”
Boomer: I think the difference is being vocal. We all have things we like and don’t like. But if you are going to be vocal on social media… That I think is the point. At that point you become responsible for that comment. And that comment becomes a political statement of something you do or don’t allow. If that is race, then that becomes a racial issue.If someone says boldly on their profile “no Latinos” or “no Asians” do you think that is inherently racist?
Boomer: I think if they feel the need to say that… at this point in the progression of this topic that has been talked about over and over? Yes, I think at this point if you put that in your profile you are racist. This isn’t a new issue. We are fighting for equality. If you are defending your “preference” so strongly that you feel the need to say these things? It’s not ok.
Agreed.
Read the whole interview here.
(All photos via Instagram, top photo Aaron Jay Young for OUT)
Capital pride and #resist march u slayed me DONT TRY IT 🚫🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/u3RvVRZeyY
— Boomer Banks (@Boomer_Banks) June 13, 2017
