In general, negative attitudes toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community are generated for reasons including age, religiosity, education, political views, frequency of contact with gay people and the belief that gayness is a personal choice.With the substantial amount of anti-gay writings about why being gay is “immoral” and “unnatural,” it’s easy to see why there is so much homophobia today. But imagine being gay and having to go through the discrimination — and then being discriminated against further because of your race or religion.This is the discrimination endured by the black LGBTQ community.Members of this community face racial prejudice from the predominately white population as well as sexual prejudice from the predominately heterosexual population. And to top it off, they are viewed even more harshly for their sexual orientation by the black population than the population at large.Minorities pushing members of their own community into another minority is not new, yet it still surprises many. This is the concept of most bullying: put down someone whom you feel is different or weird so that you can feel better about yourself.The rumor is when a gay black male comes out of the closet, he is no longer seen as truly black, but gay. In other words, the less gay black men come out of the closet, the more stigmatized being gay will be in the black community.There is a group here at the University that serves as a support group for LGBTQ people of color called Pride. Like many gay members of the black community, this support group is on the down low. It comprises not only blacks, but also Hispanics and any other ethnic minorities who feel discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.The group opens its doors to all ethnic groups because many minorities find themselves in the same boat as gay African-Americans.LGBTQ people of Asian decent are expected to follow family and cultural traditions. These traditions do not include being gay. The movie “Saving Face” is a perfect example.Gay Hispanics also find that being gay doesn’t fit with their culture’s traditions. In general, Hispanic people tend to be very religious, especially Catholic. Gay acts are not tolerated in Christian churches, and the same feelings are upheld in the Hispanic communities.One minority that has not been touched upon is the Jewish or Muslim communities. Because there is little to no research done on this topic, we can only make educated guesses as to how each community judges gay members within it.Members of the LGBTQ community come in all different shapes, colors and sizes, with creeds of all different kinds. They are the minority of minorities still fighting against all odds for equal rights and respect.This has only touched the tip of the iceberg of gays in ethnic minority groups. The topic is complex as well as under-researched. But there is an easy solution: Treat others as you would like to be treated.Don’t discriminate. Isabel Blum is a 21-year-old communication disorders junior from New Orleans.– – – -Contact Isabel Blum at [email protected]