On being black, gay, and conservative in America

Being part of the African-American and LGBT communities has not always been compatible with my conservative views. In America, being black or gay on its own is enough to have someone comfortably assume, or rather expect, that you're liberal. Early on it did not occur to me that I would have to "answer" for my views. Growing up in New York, diversity is supposed to be embraced. With so many forms of diversity in race, religion, culture, sexuality, and other embodiments of identity-based diversity every facet of my upbringing was marked by the principle of respect for other people — and their differences.

As I grew up, I began to notice I was different from the rest. I did not believe in socialism, I believed in free markets. I didn't believe in PC cancel culture, I believed in free speech. Approaching the age of 16, the infancy of my political perspective, my activities and views became cohesive. In New York you'll be hard pressed to find conservatives. In America, within the black and gay communities, you'll certainly need more than luck. It wasn't long before I was running into trouble for being a conservative New Yorker, which compounded when people realized I was a gay, black conservative.

Today, the American left has secured near unanimous support from minority communities. Of course everyone has the right to their opinion. On the other hand, when no Democrat nominee has won below 70 percent of the black vote since 1960, with similar statistics within the LGBT community, I do ponder the nature of the near-unanimous support and devotion of these voting blocks. What is important is upholding the value of accepting what's different in someone else, and this includes their viewpoints too.

It is worthy to admit that there is a sort of reckoning that is done before recognizing one's minority group status and right-wing politics. In the United States, conservative ideology is shaped around the majority. In a majority-rules society, whether accepted as just or not by the majority, minorities are left out by virtue of being not in the majority. The conservative principle of forging your own path makes sense until you have disproportionate representation in society, business, and politics. To the credit of both the Democratic and Republican parties, historical strides in electing African-Americans and African-American women from all stripes have been made.

It is definitely valid ground asking why one holds the views they do, especially if they to taking a position on an issue. What becomes problematic is when you are dismissed by co-workers, co-students, friends, or family for simply thinking on your own. Unfortunately, my past bi-partisan work has had effects on my personal life.

There's also an underlying fear even expressing myself as I do now. What if schoolmates "decide" that I've gone too far? If friends and family "decide" disagreement calls for an alteration or even ending of our relationship? What if I'm deemed a traitor and I'm cancelled; excluded from participating in society — for thinking. Excluded from society for my diversity. Last I checked that was a no-no for the left, at least in theory.

Moving past those who will cancel you from the get because you buck the norm, there have been plenty meaningful conversations I've had with fellow minority individuals about being conservative. It's not that these conversations don't go well necessarily; however, it has become increasingly difficult to form any consensus as the country lurches to the left.

There was a time where liberals and conservatives could get together and get something done, find something common in one another. In any case, with the establishment media and academia running ramped with the liberal agenda, this adds another difficult front in trying to exist in myself and hold the views that I do.

Usually one gets blacklisted after doing something. Usually this "something" is a wrongful action, rather objectively. To try to imagine what it is to be a minority conservative imagine being on that list before you've done anything. Before you've opened your mouth, before you've expressed an opinion. It isn't a black or white feedback issue, it's a confusion and sometimes rejection from all sides in many encounters.

Being rather socially liberal on issues such as gay marriage (obviously) and others gives me a certain level of privilege in that sense, a removal of my name from the pre-destined blacklist. Based off a plethora of interactions, it's the cracking open of the egg of my opinions that begin the fundamental breakdown of any hope for a good exchange.

That's not to say that all liberals are for cancel-culture or reject my views. Plenty of meaningful and passionate conversations and debate have taken place between myself and open-minded Democrats. More specifically, it's this generation that has increasing intolerance towards intellectual diversity.

Being comfortably raised liberal around the US mainstream media, and having that hammered and reinforced by academia, it is hard to expect of American youth an outcome that leads down a path of conservatism. In 2016, had it been up to only the 18-34 voting block, Secretary Clinton would've won every state except West Virginia. In a climate like this, there is also a clear generational issue.

Intellectual diversity is under threat in the United States. Shunning and expelling those with other opinions from society is not only common but widely excepted. Shamed to admit it, cancel culture has made me fearful for advocating for sensible conservative policy and getting my voice out there.

With all the critique, there does fall a responsibility, however. Individual liberty, responsibility, free markets, and limited government are principles that society should celebrate and uphold. It's not the job of a minority conservative to complain, but rather advocate to change conservatism to bring fresh ideas and more people into the fold.