Pete is pretty terrible, especially on race. Him aside, no one is saying it's an automatic for one minority group to empathize with another, are they?
I'm going to repeat this for this page because a lot of people seem to be missing it.
Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. talked about the similarities between homophobia and racism (and anti-Semitism):
"Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood.
I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice. But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.
For many years now, I have been an outspoken supporter of civil and human rights for gay and lesbian people...Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions.
Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender, or ethnic discrimination."