I was talking with a friend yesterday about gay rights when he declared, "discrimination against gays; it's the same as discrimination against Blacks." Opponents of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) use the same argument concerning the discriminatory practices of the armed forces. But you cannot compare homosexuals to Blacks. Gays are not a race of people. Discrimination against Blacks is very different from discrimination against gays.

The Black struggle in America has historical basis and implication. Slavery and Jim Crow were practices that raped our families, our identities and our culture. Today, Blacks remain politically and economically oppressed. Poverty and violence have resulted from this systematic oppression. The gains of our ancestors seem to have been temporary.

In contrast, homosexuals are not economically oppressed. As gay rights advocates indicate, they are our lawyers, our doctors, our teachers, etc. Gays represent mainstream America in that they have gained economic freedom and affluence. Politically, many government officials have begun to admit their homosexuality. The struggle of gays is not comparable.
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