Gay racism?
I’m not crazy enough to think there is no racism in SF. It’s just something I never experience first-hand.
But when I recently went home to Pennsylvania, it was a bit eye-opening. Now, I ended up going home on the Monday after gay pride. So, Friday night, out until after 4 a.m…. Saturday night, out until after 4 a.m…. Sunday night, tired, but still up until 10 p.m. on not much sleep the previous two nights. Then Monday, I fly back to Philadelphia. From being surrounded by tens of thousands of gays, to hundreds of thousands of gays, to… not that many.
By the time, friday rolls around, I need to be with the gays. It isn’t a question of hooking up, making out, meeting friends, even talking with anyone… I just need to have that energy around me. I never experienced that before. It is disconcerting to have guys not maintain eye contact in public, and all of the things that I consider normal anymore.
I go to the gay bar in Wilkes-Barre, and sit at the bar outside on the patio (to reduce my contact with secondhand smoke). Some boy next to me starts chatting, and I get to play the San Francisco card, which always makes for easy conversation. He asks about pride, and I mention clubbing on Friday until all hours, then a street party Saturday, etc., etc., and he asks what kind of club I went to.
So, I mention, it is a club called Dragon, and it’s this gay Asian bar.
"Oh," he says, taking a sip of his drink. "I don’t like the slanty-eyed ones."
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. The slanty-eyed ones?!
I debate my course of action. I mean, a lecture on racism seems a bit much. And, what was worse, is that he said it the same way people here would say "I’m not into Asian guys." It was how matter-of-fact he said it that creeped me out. I just play it off, saying I find Asian boys to be really hot or something.
After this comment, I start looking around and notice a group of Latin boys in the corner. I hear a lot more about Latinos back home anymore, mainly about "them" "taking over" and such. After Mr. Slanty Eye’s comment, I watch and see no other white boys approaching the Latin boys. Racism? Just something not happening in the 60 seconds I’m paying attention? Who knows?
So, I walk past the Latin boys on my way to the restroom. One of them says, "You’re cute," and walks past me. I say to him, "You should do something about that." (I’m more brazen at home). So, he stops, turns around and we chat. I meet the other Latin boys and they are very warm and welcoming.
When I go back to the bar, SlantyEyes is still there, and says: "I see you’re taking the long way back to the whites… slanty-eyed to droopy-eyed…"
I didn’t listen to any more of his nonsense, as it was closing time. I also got distracted when an overweight fag hag who drank too much, grabbed onto me in the hallway by the bar, and said "You need to hold me up until my friend gets here." So, I continue to hold her, and her friend never shows up. Eventually, I set her down in one of the seats, and leave the bar. That was the only racist remark I heard in the gay bars while I was there.
