My Apology to Black Women for Gay America and Charles Knipp
At this year’s State of the Black Union, Dick Gregory apologized to President Bill Clinton on behalf of Blacks for our role in allowing Clinton to believe that he was Black.
To Charles Knipp, I apologize on behalf of gays for allowing you to think that you’re one of the Black women that you unsuccessfully try to emulate.
Charles Knipp is a self-described forty-five-year-old, fat, gay white man who believes he’s on a mission from God. A mission that involves mimicking Black women as his alter ego character Shirley Q. Liquor. Knipp describes Liquor as being “a welfare mother with nineteen kids who guzzles malt liquor, and drives a Caddy.” The character is favorite among his core audience whom Knipp describes as being “gay men, their moms, and rednecks.”
And while Isaiah Washington was unable to escape the wrath of gay America, Charles Knipp’s blackface minstrel show continues to be rewarded by gay Americans to the tune of $90k annually.
Imus may have called Black women "nappy-headed ho’s," but it’s Knipp who routinely tries to bring that image to life onstage as Shirley Q. Liquor when she tries to recollect the names of her "chirrun" with his skit "Who Is My Baby Daddy? Cheeto, Orangello, Chlamydia, and Kmartina…”
I blame gay America, from the political leaders to the club owners, for turning a blind eye to Knipp’s blatantly racist routines that in his words are performed mostly for “gay men, their moms and rednecks.” We are the reason that his racist act continues to go nearly undetected on the race radar.
And no matter how I feel about gay America, in particular white gay America, as a lesbian, a Black lesbian, by virtue of my sexual orientation, I am reluctantly tied to you as much as you are tied to me.
So I am just as much to blame for failing to help you understand that just because you usurp the Black Civil Rights Movement’s strategies and language and proudly display photos of your leaders with late civil rights icons on your websites that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still very serious race issues still at play in gay America.
I should have told you that Black women continue to remain under attack in this country. And that it doesn’t matter what our standing in corporate America, the White House, the media, who we’re married to, what our sexual orientation is, how straight and long our hair is, or how light our skin, we are still Black and we are still under attack. Hear me.
I should have sat your leaders down and explained that it is not okay for any white man, straight or gay, to perform in blackface and mock African-American names and holidays. I should have made you understand that many of the same gay nightclubs that book Knipp are owned by the same people that donate money to many of your gay civil rights groups. I should have connected the dots for you. My bad.
It was I who forgot to explain that while RuPaul is African-American, he’s as disconnected from Black America as Ward Connerly. So when he defends Knipp’s act, it should be taken with a grain of salt.
I should have introduced you to Angela Davis, bell hooks, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Sojourner Truth, Alice Walker, Ida Wells-Barnett, and the plight of the Black woman. Then maybe you’d understand why Charles Knipp’s act is so offensive to me as a Black woman. Then maybe you’d care.
Please forgive my shortsightedness. It won’t happen again.
Blacks are so often referred to as being the conscience of America. I want you to know that from this day forward, gay America can count on this Black lesbian to be its conscience when it comes to your involuntary and voluntary racist ways.
As for Charles Knipp, some would say that you need therapy. But I say forget therapy, I’m going to tell you this for free.
I’m sorry that you weren’t born one of the Black women that you so love to impersonate. I know how beautiful we are and how unfair it is that we are blessed with what your race often has to go out and pay for. But I say to you, love the skin you’re in. Most people in your situation settle for surrounding themselves with Black friends, marrying someone Black, moving into a Black neighborhood, listening to hip hop, watching BET, eating Soul Food, and voting for Barack Obama. Why don’t you give it try and leave the act of being Black to those of us who are? We have enough confused Black folks out there without having to take on a confused forty-five-year-old, fat, gay white man who thinks he’s Black.
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I share your disdain and horror of this minstral show.
Can you please clarify your statement: “just because you usurp the Black Civil Rights Movement’s strategies and language”?
Who is the you to whom you refer?
And did you really mean to use the word “usurp”?
Well said Jasmyne!!! Thank you for sticking up for us, I had never even heard of this guy until you wrote about him. I dont see how people can pass his act of as anything but racist. Mr knipp needs to heed the advice Dick Gregory recently gave to Bill Clinton. He will never know the trials and tribulations we face as black women, and he will never know our joys or strength. I got yr back on this. its 2008 this shit aint funny…. it never has been.
you go girl! it is $382.50 worth of people out chonder who agrees with EVER WORD you say. the rest of us mostly ignore it, or just stop by to read and see what type of attention grabbing attack of the day you have pult.
I just want to say AMEN!!! Thank you for finally saying something and standing up for our rights as black women. I am sssoooo tired of white men in general thinking that’s it’s okay to put down black women. We don’t all drive caddy’s and live off welfare and have 50 million children. I worked hard as heck to get to where I am in the white corporate world..I struggle everyday. This crap just makes it harder and harder..I’m fed up with it. Besides being fed up, it’s racist!!! You go girl!!!
as a white man who feels pretty secure and versed in social issues and concerns, i must admit that i used to allow myself to be entertained by this character. I appreciate a new perspective that solidifies how unacceptable his behavior is, and how insulting and racist to put it mildly… I will be involved in voicing my new freedom from these hateful and hurtful messages. Thank you.
Some people fail to see that jokes are of stereotypes and not the race.
Perhaps white people should start to get up in arms whenever they are the butt of a joke about white people being trailer trash. I happen to know many classy top notch white people.
Perhaps gay people should start to get up in arms whenever they are the butt of a joke about gay men being flaming queens. I happen to know many masculine gay men.
Perhaps asian people should start to get up in arms whenever they are the butt of a joke about asian driving ability. I happen to know many asians who drive just fine.
Perhaps jewish people should start to get up in arms whenever they are the butt of a joke about jewish people being cheap. I happen to know many jewish people who are the most generous people.
I also happen to know many well spoken, well educated black people who have never been on welfare and are not single parents.
Perhaps we should all understand the role of comedy, and understand that one universal about comedy is playing into the stereotypes that are out there…we all know them, and we all think them pretty absurd.
If you truly are going to be the conscience of gay america, I hope that you are out there ready to speak up at every stereotypical joke out there, and not just the ones that offend you.
Amen Jasmyne. The only good that I’ve seen come out of the Charles Knipp nonsense that now there are people who are willing to support anti-racism, anti-homophobia events.
Let me explain, there were Black ‘leaders’ who refused to address the issue of Charles Knipp coming to our community because it was a ‘gay’ issue. There were gay ‘leaders’ who refused to address the issue because it was a ‘Black’ issue.
Well, they’ve all had time to think about their reasoning and seem to have decided that they were wrong; gotta love guilt.
So, I continue my work and lately have been leaning on the wisdom of Shirley Chisholm. I’d try to offer you a few inspirational words, but Jasmyne, just keep doing what you do.
Thank you!
I had never heard nor seen this person until your mention of him. I don’t see how his character is generating so much cash. His ignorance and insecurity is sad but not justified. Because Black Women are and will continue to be the backbone of this country, we will be under attack! It is up to us to stand together as Black Women and understand that no matter what our circumstances are we are strong and powerful women.
Let’s not try to escape the fact that while there are Black Women who have had to use other means to make it through the struggle, we are and will continue to be the epitome of Womaness. Something that other races have tried to purchase but to no avail.
You keep bringing us the battle and we will fight it with you!
Peace and Blessings
Thank you, Jasmyne! Thank you! Thank you! Very well stated.
Well put Jasmyne! I could not agree more with this statement. I too apologize to black women as a black gay man. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much and very well stated. While reading your blog last week, I became aware of this jack***
Thank you for speaking out, and keeping us conscious. Isn’t there something we can do..petition his sponsors to drop him, HRC??
Thank you for this. As always, you speak truth to power. I have to say that this is one of those topics that white folks just don’t seem to get. Anyone who opens their mouth to defend this, especially if they do so in the name of real equality or because “white people get made of too” fails to understand the power imbalance that makes racism so insidious.
Is there anything that can be done about this guy at this point, with him having done that with your picture? Goddamn it, who hosts this bastard’s website? Is that even legal?
Lovely I believe she is referring to the [White] Gay Rights movement trying to align themselves with the principles of the Civil Rights Movement as a group of oppressed people who are combating discrimination. Usurp = Taking Over. It’s as much a political movement as a social one. I live in San Francisco a so-called gay mecca. I used to think that if a person identified as other than straight they had all of this insight into the suffering of others and behaved in a fair and balanced way. I met my first racist white gay men here in fact. I was shocked…shocked but then I realized they were not in any way obvious in demeanor AND they were still WHITE. They still enjoyed all the privileges of being white men – and if they chose to not reveal themselves a gay most people would not notice. When you can easily afford $3000 to rent an apartment or buy a house in this expensive city that has seen the decline of its Black population by 46% your world may entail some struggles but not on the level of most.
OMG! Charles Knipp is disgusting! Thank you SO much for taking a stand against this racist idiot!
Jasmyne,
I had the plug pulled on one of his potential shows that was supposed to occur in ATL in December of 2003.
I was villified by the gay community for objecting to Chuck’s insulting show and I was told to lighten up. I was also chided for not being a grateful recipient of the “funds” that were supposed to be raised because he was donating the proceeds to In The Life Atlanta. Because ITLA did not issue an immediate press release condemning the show, I resigned.
Charles Knipp regularly headlines Southern Decadence and other gay pride festivals in the south and all over the country. What’s even worse is that he actually has a FOLLOWING of black gays and lesbians who defend his act. He has been performing this character for at least a decade and I don’t see his popularity shrinking.
pleas i will like to no more about this.