Slog
News & ArtsMonday, May 21, 2012
Gay Marriage NAACP's Endorsement of Same-Sex Marriage Shows Its Fidelity to the Event of Black Civil Rights
Posted by Charles Mudede on Mon, May 21, 2012 at 8:09 AM
In a move that some called historic, the county’s oldest African American civil rights group voted Saturday to endorse same-sex marriage.Black civil rights was not about blacks; it was about the human condition. This is the truth revealed by that event, that social movement. An event (and here I'm borrowing and slightly altering—indeed simplifying—one of Alain Badiou's main concepts), reveals the truth. That truth can be Galileo seeing with his telescope the moons of Jupiter and suddenly realizing that small bodies orbit large ones—the next morning, the dawning fact that we are going around the sun and not the other way around. The matter does not end with seeing the truth, but being faithful to it. This shows the event's truth, which is not its isolation or singularity but its universality.The National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People passed a resolution supporting gay marriage at a meeting of its board of directors in Miami, saying it opposed any policy or legislative initiative that “seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the constitutional rights of LGBT citizens.”
....“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law,” Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the 103-year-old NAACP said in a statement.
2
Right move for human rights, but this probably puts the NAACP out of phase with its supposed constituency, many of whom cling to homophobia, either Jamaica-style or owing to the old-time religion. But anyway, bold action by the national organization.
5
Though many deny it, there has also been a historic liaison between the black and gay communities:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu3XG02_T…
6
@4 Yes.
Given that you appear to be the kind of asshole that makes arguments implying that colored people could use some "advancing", you know, out of disproportionate poverty, crime, etc., your level of cognizant dissonance is striking.
Given that you appear to be the kind of asshole that makes arguments implying that colored people could use some "advancing", you know, out of disproportionate poverty, crime, etc., your level of cognizant dissonance is striking.
7
@2 - does it really put the NAACP out of touch with its constituency? I've seen recent polls showing support for gay marriage amongst African Americans at between 39% & 50%, and opponents of gay marriage in a minority. But the questions in these polls are never striaghtforward, things like "Is gay marriage acceptable in terms of your values or morals?" - a possible, more nuanced, answer to that is, "no, but I respect other people's right to marry regardless of my personal values".
I suspect that if the issue was framed to African Americans (as I'm sure it will in the run-up to the presidential election) in the terms of "The NAACP believes that gay marriage, like interracial marriage and the civil rights of African Americans, should be constitutionally protected and not be left to the whims of lawmakers to grant and remove", that the majority of African Americans would agree. In fact, framed like that as a civil rights issue, I would think it possible that proportionally more African Americans than white Americans show support for gay marriage.
I suspect that if the issue was framed to African Americans (as I'm sure it will in the run-up to the presidential election) in the terms of "The NAACP believes that gay marriage, like interracial marriage and the civil rights of African Americans, should be constitutionally protected and not be left to the whims of lawmakers to grant and remove", that the majority of African Americans would agree. In fact, framed like that as a civil rights issue, I would think it possible that proportionally more African Americans than white Americans show support for gay marriage.
8
Look at who the public faces of gay rights are and I think you'll see why the racial disparity in support for same sex marriage is so large. Who, prior to Obama and the NAACP, was out there as a high profile black spokesperson for gay rights? Without someone to relate to and see as an example of how LGBT people are normal to counteract the cultural and religious message it's hard to get people on board. That's human psychology, Aesop nailed it a couple thousand years ago ("familiarity breeds contempt" is not really a good translation of the moral since in the fable the fox runs away from the lion, then stops and lets him pass, and finally walks right up and chats before going off on his business).
9
Wasn't Galileo placed under arrest by the Catholic Church for his discovery? The more things change...
10
" proportionally more African Americans than white Americans show support for gay marriage."
Ahhhh, excuse making, the well worn game of a guilty white liberal.
Good luck getting the Moslems and Dalai lama to like embrace poofery. . .
“But the purpose of sex is reproduction, according to Buddhism. The other holes don’t create life. I don’t mind – but I can’t condone this way of life.”
Dalai Lama, Daily Telegraph
Ahhhh, excuse making, the well worn game of a guilty white liberal.
Good luck getting the Moslems and Dalai lama to like embrace poofery. . .
“But the purpose of sex is reproduction, according to Buddhism. The other holes don’t create life. I don’t mind – but I can’t condone this way of life.”
Dalai Lama, Daily Telegraph
11
"Without someone to relate to and see as an example of how LGBT people are normal to counteract the cultural and religious message it's hard to get people on board. That's human psychology, "
Oh I see, black bigotry and racism has context we must understand. How nice of you.
Oh I see, black bigotry and racism has context we must understand. How nice of you.
12
You know, I was expecting Dan to write a positive post regarding the NAACP's support for marriage equality.
14
Fucking awesome! For too long, it has been said that the gay struggle wasn't a human rights, or a civil rights struggle. One woman yelled at me for suggesting such, and stated loudly that black people were just trying to be treated like human beings. I told her that was exactly what gays were doing, and then she told me that it wasn't my battle, that I should let the gays fight it. I told her that civil rights are a battle which we all need to fight, for everyone, for all of us. That is why I don't care if it is gay rights, woman's rights, minority rights, or even the rights of white people to not be blamed for their ancestors mistakes by being subject to policies which harm them in the name of "equal rights", I fight for everyone's rights, everyone!
15
@12 - This. It's pathetic and makes me sad for Slog and disappointed in the Stranger. It's this type of callous indifference that is why people are distrustful of the motivations of white gay men.
Charles, in another thread I implied you didn't care and yet you're the only person who's posted anything on it at all. Thank you.
Charles, in another thread I implied you didn't care and yet you're the only person who's posted anything on it at all. Thank you.
16
I'm late to find it, but this is a beautiful post, Charles. Very elegant and very true. Thank you!
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