Comments on: Trayvon’s death should concern all who seek justice

By: Charles

Charles — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:20:29 +0000

Correction: William Levy, the white Cuban American on ‘Dancing With The Stars’.

By: Charles

Charles — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:19:13 +0000

Thank you for writing this rubuttal.

For the record, Hispanic isn’t a race. Hispanics can be of any race and many Hispanics are black or Afro Latinos. However, many white Hispanics like Ricky Martin, Ricky Levy, and Desi Arnez can assimilate into white America and are accepted by white America, gay and straight. A black or Afro Latino isn’t accepted by white America and being black is seen as being inferior by most whites in America, and Kevin Naff is one of them.

By: Sage

Sage — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:30:07 +0000

I appreciate this rebuttal by Maya Rupert. Even if it is being motivated primarily by a desire for damage control in the wake of a truly unfortunate decision by editor Kevin Naff and publisher Lynne Brown to publish Naff’s original op/ed piece in the first place. In a just and fair world, the publishing of Naff’s original piece simply would not have occurred and there would then naturally be no need for a “rebuttal.” Instead, wisdom, good journalistic decision making, cultural awareness and sensitivity, and good judgment would have prevailed. Alas and sadly, we do not live in a just and fair world; not to mention one where poor judgment occurs infrequently in journalistic circles.

As for The Blade–well–as a wise person said recently, this rebuttal will not cleanse away the stain on its reputation for a long time. And that is likely to be the only fair occurrence in this entire tragic affair.

By: Mark Meinke

Mark Meinke — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:20:22 +0000

A good and very necessary rebuttal. The Blade and Kevin Naff have not represented well this week.

By: Sage

Sage — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:40:31 +0000

I appreciate this rebuttal by Maya Rupert even if its motivation is primarily damage control for what I truly hope is the sinking ship that is the journalistic and media careers of both editor Kevin Naff and publisher Lynne Brown. In a just and fair world the publishing of Naff’s initial op/ed piece would have nailed the coffins on both Naff and Browns careers of influence in LGBT media and publishing. Alas and sadly, we do not live in a just and fair world. As for The Blade, well, as a wise person said recently, this rebuttal will not cleanse away the stain on its reputation for a long time.

By: mitchw7959

mitchw7959 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:36:35 +0000

Kevin Naff lost a lot of credibility and respect by publishing his repugnant views on the Trayvon Martin shooting, and the Blade will not cleanse away the stain on its reputation for a long time. Thank you, Maya, for this very necessary rebuttal.

By: Cathy Brennan

Cathy Brennan — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:00:04 +0000

The GLBT Community needs a come to Jesus moment about race. The White GLBT Community’s, shall we say, “obliviousness” to the concerns of African-American GLBT Community members fuels the rift between blacks and gays, as African-American GLBT Community members feel – quite rightly – that their experience as black in a racist society impacts them more than their experience as gay. This dynamic influences the GLBT Community’s political priorities, with White Gay Males seemingly united to push for Gay Marriage, and everyone else noting that other concerns might matter more, particularly to African-Americans.

Thank you for writing this piece.

By: cc

cc — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:09:38 +0000

Thank you for this! Thank you to the Blade for publishing this after Naff’s embarrassing article.

By: The Questioner

The Questioner — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:21:03 +0000

Thank you for this excellent response, Maya Rupert.