ABSTRACT
Months after the Campaign for Military Service's efforts to reverse the ban on gays and lesbians in the military fell to crushing defeat, the racial representation of the issue reverberates throughout gay politics. According to the United States General Accounting Office Congressional Report on homosexuality in the military, white men are the group least affected by the anti-gay ban. Although the national media's depiction of gay life has grown more extensive recently, it has not grown more complete. In the past gay black activists have often been hesitant to take a public stand against black homophobia because of racist attitudes among white gays ignorantly claiming that blacks are more homophobic than whites. A well-dressed young black woman is speaking into the television camera. She tells the viewing audience that gays are trying to "elevate themselves to the level of minority." The video is called Gay Rights, Special Rights, produced by the Traditional Values Coalition.
