*HBO’s “Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland” documentary explores the death of Sandra Bland, a politically active 28-year-old Black woman who, after being arrested for a traffic violation in a small Texas town, was found hanging in her jail cell three days later.
The “must see” documentary premiered December 3rd, but the week HBO began promoting the project, many slammed the film and refused to support It because they believe Bland was homophobic.
As reported by madamenoire.com, in a March 31 vlog, Bland shared her thoughts on whether businesses should be required to serve gay couples if homosexuality contradicts their religious beliefs.
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Patti LaBelle Giving Ariana Grande Props Reminds Folks She’s a Brown-Faced White Culture Vulture
In the video, she said:
“This morning, what’s on my mind is this whole law that’s trying to be passed in Indiana. People are upset because they feel that it discriminates against a group of people and against a certain culture. And my question is, what about all the laws and practices that have been in place since the beginnings of time? What about that one big thing called slavery? That was quite discriminatory, yet it doesn’t even get the same amount of attention that it should. We are still dealing with discriminatory laws, in place, from slavery, that are still in effect today.
So for everybody so mad about some business people choosing not to cater to that…*shrugs*. Being gay is a choice. Being Black ain’t. That’s just how I feel. You don’t agree? That’s ok. And I’m not totally against homosexuals. I have homosexual family members, homosexual friends. That’s their choice. I don’t agree with it completely, but I feel that if a business chooses not to cater to that, that’s their choice. Being Black was not a choice, yet I’m discriminated against everyday. People who look like me are discriminated against everyday.
So while everybody so mad about this one law, think about the millions of laws that have been passed based off of slavery practices.”
Sandra Bland didn’t deserve to die. Nor did the world deserve her blatant homophobia and hatred. https://t.co/TqSqWUzEE1
— Carpe DM (@SUN_Of_Uhhh) April 19, 2018
Veronica Wells of MadameNoire writes:
“I had no idea, Bland had said such things. And I had no idea that there was a sect of the Black community who felt conflicted about marching and protesting for her, when there were other Black women who had presumably and definitely been killed by law enforcement.”
Wasn’t Sandra Bland homophobic? Why do we need a documentary on her? pic.twitter.com/wT1uFOQ3o6
— scorpio black ? (@92playboi) November 29, 2018
Black Women here is what #StephonClark thought about you. Stop marching/protesting for this fool that did not care about you. He would NOT have done the same for you. #BlackWomenMatter pic.twitter.com/pDNLrGVTlO
— ❤️ (@Loveelly24) March 30, 2018
She continues:
For as much as the gay community has contributed to the fight for Black liberation, with people like Baynard Rustin, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes (allegedly), Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Marsha P. Johnson and in more contemporary times, DeRay McKesson and Black Lives Matter co-founders Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors, there are still so many Black people, who don’t consider the struggles of the LGBT community as a problem—because being Black is harder.
The way some members of the LGBT community feel about Sandra Bland is the same way, many Black women felt about Stephon Clark, the 22-year-old father who was shot in the back and killed by police officers. After his death, we learned he had made some disparaging remarks about Black women.
To know that Stephon Clark and his girlfriend were exactly that really makes me want to leave that situation alone because now she’s requesting the help and support from the women she hates… request help from the white people you love so much.
— Morticia. ? (@SayYana_) March 30, 2018
Wells concludes with:
No one is arguing that Clark or Bland should have had their lives snatched prematurely because they spoke against further marginalized members of their own community. But we can’t blame Black women for not rallying behind the late Stephon Clark.
And I certainly can’t fault the LGBT community for deciding to do the same in the case of Sandra Bland and this documentary.
What’s your take on Bland’s statement and the mixed reaction to it? Sound off in the comments.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
