MSM

The New Year's reception of the Aids Machine was this week. I sent my Auntie.

Of course she embarrassed all and sundry by not being able to hold her tongue on certain issues. She wasn't embarrassed herself, far from it.

A woman from Los Angeles cornered her towards the end of the evening and introduced herself as one of the members of the 'MSM' Congress. She'd just been told wittily by a (probably very drunk gay) man that it stood for 'Men Sucking Men'.

This was Auntie's response ....

"Men who have Sex with Men? Is that what we are supposed to call them these days? Isn't that just a tiny bit irreverent towards all those Gay men who have suffered, and sometimes died, for the right to express their sexuality?"

"Does a Bi-Sexual Man have Bi-sexual Sex when he has sex with a Man? No, He has sex, and because its two (or more) men, then its gay."

"Being Black isn't about the colour of someone's skin. Being Black is about the discrimination because of the colour of someone's skin. The moment one is not discriminated against because of their skin colour then they have no need to call themselves Black."

"Being Gay isn't about having sex with other Gay men. Being Gay is about being discriminated against because of that sexual identity. The moment a Gay man stops being discriminated against because of that then he loses the need to identify himself as being Gay."

"Re-claiming words such as 'Black' and 'Gay' are responses to oppression, discrimination and apartheid. When these things no longer exist then there will be no need for the oppressed minorities to distance themselves from the rest of the world. There will be no need for a 'Black Mentality. No need for a 'Queer Consciousness'. No desire for a 'Woman's Culture'. Why? Because there will be no more fear."

"But until that day I think its wiser to call a spade a spade. Don't you?"

Of course the LA woman explained that the government had demanded its use in order for them to qualify for subsidy. There's an answer to that of course, but thankfully Auntie kept it to herself for once.

MSM is infinitely oppressive and discriminatory as a term. It is repulsive and degrading and it is doubly disgraceful if 'so-called' Gay organizations use it.