Folks like Kevin Hart are exactly why I wrote SIN AGAINST THE RACE. Nothing hurts more than when straight, cis black folks turn against their own because of anti-LGBTQ bigotry and hatred.
Nothing he has said or done has made up for the vile remarks he made during his comedy routines or in his tweets. In fact, his “apologies,” including his appears on The Ellen Show, have been all about him, his career, his life, a symphony of “I, Me, Mine.”
Hatred of the sort he spouted emboldens others to commit atrocities against LGBTQ folks. Black transgender women in particular, like transgender women of color across the country, are the frequent targets of violence.
A true apology would include acknowledging this reality and an unambiguous commitment to combat the violence and end it, to save the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community.
I frankly don’t really care whether he hosts the Oscars or not. That’s not the point. The point is that we don’t need another black celebrity normalizing anti-queer hatred and then refusing to own it when he gets called on it.
Until he owns his past and acknowledges how hurtful his words have been to the black LGBTQ community in particular, he has not apologized. He’s simply trying to save his career from criticism. And that’s nowhere near good enough.
© 2019, gar. All rights reserved.