Entertainers who performed in black face were popular after the Civil War and in many following decades. The purpose of this form of entertainment was to belittle and demean those of the black race. In short, it was a form of acceptable racism which is no longer acceptable and rightly so. Some celebrities and even some political figures have had to explain away or apologize for having done black face in the past. Black face is condemned today because of its association to racism. This is understandable and the nation is correct to take such a position. It is an obvious position to take and not as bewildering as when racism is linked to items that are a far out reach like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claiming highways are racist.1
In 1964 the Civil Rights Act became law with the purpose to end discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin. Title VII of the law included gender protection in employment and today females are protected against discrimination in all areas the law covers. Given the Civil Rights Act becoming law and the progress made of reducing racism and advocating equality of opportunity for all people in the nation, it is concerning that some actions by those holding progressive left political positions are violating the Civil Rights Act.
The Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team is in the midst of a controversy regarding giving honor to the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” This group is composed of gay men who dress up as drag queens in Catholic nun apparel which at certain times is risqué. They conduct events and performances that have vulgar actions on display. On its website, the group states, “We use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”2 They are claiming by this statement that the Catholic religion is one of bigotry, complacency and guilty of seeking to hinder the human spirit.
This would appear to be a violation of the Civil Rights Law of 1964 since it reveals discrimination and hate toward a religion. Why would a Major League Baseball team want to pay tribute to a group that takes pride in violating the Civil Rights Law? It is ironic that the Dodgers in April of 1987 fired their vice president, Al Campanis, who made demeaning racial remarks on ABC’s Nightline show.3 The organization was sensitive to civil rights when it came to the black community, but the Catholic church, that is protected from discrimination by the same law, is mocked by the Dodgers who in essence are cohorts with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in this violation of civil rights.
If black face is to be disdained because a white person is pretending to be a black person for the purpose of ridiculing that race, should not dressing as a drag queen be regarded as the same? It is a guy pretending to be a woman to demean womanhood. Certainly this is the case with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence taking aim at nuns, but could it not be extended to all drag queen performances? Drag queen story times are men wearing female face for a performance that degrades the female gender by lifting up skirts to show underwear and by sexual suggestive dance moves that are degrading to the female gender. Most mothers would not approve of this in front of their elementary age child. If black face is not tolerated, then according to the Civil Rights Law, female face entertainment should not be tolerated.
Men who identify as females for athletic competition are basically performing in female face. Lia Thomas (formerly Will Thomas) joined the University of Pennsylvania Women’s swim team and competed winning a national championship. He still admits to being attracted to women and he still has his male anatomy parts.4 Athletes are forbidden to take performance enhancement drugs when competing, so why is a fully intact male allowed to compete as if a woman, with male hormones teaming through the body, just because he says he identifies as a female? This action is humiliating to the biological female swimmers and a case could be made their civil rights are being violated in light of the Civil Rights Law of America. The left always seeks a political advantage and they won’t let a little thing like the Civil Rights Act get in the way.
Notes
1. Stuti Mishra, “Buttigieg says America’s highways are racist and infrastructure bill will help fix it,” Yahoo News, November 9, 2021, https://news.yahoo.com/buttigieg-says-america-highways-racist-084800750.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
3. Grahame L. Jones, “Dodgers fire Campanis Over racial Remarks,” Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1987, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-09-mn-366-story.html
4. Patrick Reilly, “Teammates say they are uncomfortable changing in locker room with trans UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas,” New York Post, January 27, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/01/27/teammates-are-uneasy-changing-in-locker-room-with-trans-upenn-swimmer-lia-thomas/