Passing

A while ago, I saw a tweet about someone getting married to a dude who is "passing" for heterosexual. Of course, having just read Nella Larsen's "Quicksand," my mind is in a very interesting place. With people comparing the struggle for equal rights for gays to the Civil Rights Movement, it made me wonder… Is "passing" for heterosexual the same as passing for white?

The benefits of being white in the 1950s were numerous… White people were able to go where ever they wanted to go and enjoy the best accommodations. They didn't get beat for nothing, they didn't have to fear Jim Crow, and they had access to superior health care. Though there were miscegenation laws, they were able to marry freely. Being white guaranteed social acceptance.

Now… It's easy to say that no one has to deal with any of that now, but being straight in 2011 does afford a level of privilege. Homosexuals fight for basic rights that heterosexuals take for granted, such as the ability to marry freely and have legal and health benefits in that partnership. They want social acceptance and don't want to have to deal with hate crimes.

It's pretty easy to see why a black person who is able to would pass for white in the 1950s. Of course… There had to have been an emotional toll and endless criticism from black people who couldn't pass. From my privileged place in history, I have to say the pros associated with such a lifestyle outweigh the cons.

However, I can see much more damaging effects of "passing" for heterosexual. There's the similar emotional toll and criticism from homosexual, and gays also "pass" for social benefit, but there is a level of denial here that's missing from racial passing. Homosexuals who "pass" may not be ready to admit to themselves that they are homosexual. In that case, they aren't really "passing." On the other hand, "down low" homosexuals (that is, those who indulge their homosexual desires while deceiving a heterosexual partner…) bring problems that light skinned black people in the 50s couldn't. Passing for white may have produced "mysteriously" darker skinned progeny, but people weren't dying from a disease acquired from "down low" black people cheating on whites with black people.

Of course, I'm no expert… And I hate comparing struggles. Every struggle is valid to the people living it. However, it looks like in this case, the only people who come out on top are white people. Though some of them like to believe their race is being swallowed by some ominous "minority monster," they still dictate norms and make laws. I mean… even someone successfully "passing" for straight may still face racial discrimination.

I feel like all this is absurd, but it made me think... I'm anxious to know your opinion, though. Can you compare passing for white to passing for straight?