Black activists urge caution on D.C. marriage bill - Washington Blade: Gay and Lesbian News, Entertainment, Politics and Opinion

NOVEMBER 22, 2009


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Washington Blade - ‘I’m a fierce supporter of marriage equality,’ said longtime D.C. resident Donna Brazile. But she added that voting rights and legislative autonomy for D.C. should be the top priority for the city in 2009. (Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP)

‘I’m a fierce supporter of marriage equality,’ said longtime D.C. resident Donna Brazile. But she added that voting rights and legislative autonomy for D.C. should be the top priority for the city in 2009. (Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP)

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Black activists urge caution on D.C. marriage bill
Dec. 11 forum to address timing of measure

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Nov 28, 2008 | By: LOU CHIBBARO JR | COMMENTS

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Tenn., had been shot and killed on a street not long after being beaten by police officers in a Memphis jail.

“I find it deeply ironic, and equally tragic, that the topic of ‘gay marriage’ (in the form of the recent controversy over the passage of California’s Prop. 8) once again threatens to monopolize the national queer agenda, while incidents such as Johnson’s death go under the radar,” he said in his e-mail message.

“I continue to believe that the excessive time, money, and political energy that the mainstream queer movement has poured into its push for ‘same-sex marriage’ comes at the expense of public discussions about people like Duanna — people that do not adhere to the upwardly mobile, masculinist narrative that ‘gay marriage’ pundits so often subscribe to,” Watson wrote.

The Blade reported on Duanna’s death and the death of another transgender woman in an article published Nov. 21.

Watson told the Blade this week that he and other black gays he talks to regularly have mixed feelings over whether the City Council should move forward with a same-sex marriage bill in January.

“I think there are other priorities in the African-American GLBT community,” he said. “And I think the evidence was apparent when I looked at the march here [against Proposition 8] a week or two ago. I could count on one hand the number of African Americans that I knew from D.C. that were there.

“And there really weren’t that many African Americans, period, who were there.”

‘The worst thing that could happen’

One local activist who attended the Nov. 19 closed D.C. Center meeting on the timing of a gay marriage bill in the District said sentiment similar to that expressed by Watson could be harmful to efforts to pass a marriage bill.

“The worst thing that could happen for the marriage movement in D.C. would be for a bill to be introduced in the Council and a group of ministers and a group from the gay community says this isn’t the right time,” the activist said.

According to the activist, representatives of local gay groups organized the Center meeting as a means for giving people a chance to present their views on Catania’s plan to introduce a D.C. same-sex marriage bill outside the glare of the media. The activist said no decisions were made on behalf of the community at that meeting and that organizers intended all along to call an open, community-wide forum to help make decisions on the timing of a marriage bill.

Michael Crawford, co-founder of the local gay group D.C. for Marriage and one of the facilita

COMMENTS

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rpcv84
Laurel, MD

0

Gay marriage in overwhelmingly black DC? Never happen. Ironically, the black community is surprisingly discriminatory and riddled with hate, isn't it???

Posted 11/28/08 - 1:25 PM

arcanum202
Baltimore, Md

0

Don't just holler that the black community is discriminatory and riddled with hate, when black gay people and black people, could say that of the white gay poplulation! Trust me, I know that the white gay male community is riddled with hate (goes to show that in this last election, the only minority that showed a rise in votes for Republicans and John McCain were white gay men!). Maybe if the white gay community (who wants this marriage thing so bad) partnered with the black community in genuine and visible ways, they would support your ridiculous cause to be married and miserable!

Posted 11/28/08 - 1:55 PM

rpcv84
Laurel, MD

-1

arcanum202: You wrote "Maybe if the white gay community (who wants this marriage thing so bad) partnered with the black community in genuine and visible ways, they would support your ridiculous cause to be married and miserable!" I agree with you. I've written numerous times that the notion of marriage for the GAY community as a whole is a joke. The gay community needs a lot of maturing and abidence to norms of acceptable social behavior (seen a gay pride day freakfest lately?, seen the criminal activities against the Mormons lately?, and so on...) before we can expect equal treatment.

Posted 11/28/08 - 2:11 PM

Shinynewthings

1

To date 30 states have banned gay marriage, which include lily white states such as Utah, Oregon and Oklahoma. As long as gay rights activist continue to frame homophobia as exclusively a black problem, they will continue to lose. The harsh truth is that Americans in general, regardless of color aren't supportive of gay marriage. If they were, we wouldn't be having this discussion. I guess that's a tough pill for white gay activist to swallow, much easier to blame the blacks I suppose. Blacks could be the least homophobic group in America and gay marriage would still be invalid.

Posted 11/29/08 - 3:25 PM

truthhurts82

0

My feelings on same sex marriage is this, im totaly against it. First being married is a gift and a priviledge from god, he's the creator of this sacred and special union.It should not be tainted with sexual immorality! God is soooo against it,so much that he destroyed a whole city because of it. If you want to be with someone of the same sex, do you thats your business but dont try to make it a public matter and have everyone else try to legalize your sin! Does any body care what god thinks anymore?

Posted 11/29/08 - 10:54 PM

Mr Chris

0

Shinynewthings: Thank you so much for what you said. Very True. They have never reached out to Blacks let alone the Black LGBT community. But such statements prove their biasness For instance this passsge here

Rev.Dyan Abena McCray, pastor of Unity Fellowship Church, which has a mostly black gay congregation, and Rev.Charlie Arehart, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of D.C., which also has a largely gay congregation,

See how they mentioned that Unity is mostly BLACK but failed to mention that MCC is mostly WHITE

GO FIGURE

Posted 12/1/08 - 1:11 AM

arcanum202
Baltimore, Md

0

First off, who still believes in God? That is so 1800! But anyway, I think that if gays who want to participate in this failed hetero experiment gone wrong, titled it something else, that the straights wouldn't have a problem with it.If all you want is the rights, take civil unions and call it a day. Many straight people, even those that don't admit to be,are religious. They tie religion with the term "marriage".Take the religious terminology out of it, and then what do they have to fight?Equal rights! Most straights could care less about gays signing up for misery, don't call it marriage.

Posted 12/1/08 - 8:39 AM

mikey683
Long Beach, Ca

1

Exuse me but I don't feel I need the permission of the black community to have civil rights. Maybe someone needs to give them a copy of the constitution and a polysci class. Constitutional right should not be up for popular vote. That why ther're called "rights".

Posted 12/1/08 - 11:59 AM

Shinynewthings

0

Sounds like Mikey is under the impression that the people who are in the power structure to place such measures on the ballot, to create anti-gay laws and discriminate against gay people through legal channels, are black. Therefore, it is blacks who need a "copy of the constitution and a polysci class." This is a prime example of why it is 30 states and counting. The gay community has no rational coherent message, no real leadership. They don't even know who or what it is they are fighting against. Sometimes I even wonder if white gays know that blacks gays exist? Doesn't seem like they do.

Posted 12/1/08 - 6:33 PM

mikey683
Long Beach, Ca

0

Well shiny sounds like you could use that polisci class. The bill of right is supposed to protect minority right from the majority. Thats how I get to have the same rights as everyone else no matter what you think of me. See how that works? Tell you friends.

Posted 12/1/08 - 9:02 PM

Shinynewthings

0

Mikey, Sounds like you may need an English 101 refresher course, since it's clear you did not comprehend a single word I wrote. You represent your movement well. Unfortunately for you, I'm gay.

Posted 12/1/08 - 9:32 PM

mikey683
Long Beach, Ca

1

Oh I got that shiny I just don't think you understand that no outreach to anyone is nessesary to achieve something that everyone is already guaranteed by the constitution. No one's opinion matters.I don't need to convince anyone I deserve rights I already have.

Posted 12/1/08 - 9:54 PM

arcanum202
Baltimore, Md

0

Then stop complaining about blacks blocking your "RIGHTS"...(How pathetic is that, that someone in this country thinks that blacks have enough power and presence to block anyone's rights - however, we are an easy scapegoat). Go get married Mikey683, it's your right! Don't let my gay black a ss stop you! LMAO!

Posted 12/2/08 - 10:39 AM

Shinynewthings

0

Mikey, Your understanding of my understanding is an obvious misunderstanding. It would be much easier to understand what I understand, if you understood what I wrote.

Posted 12/2/08 - 11:30 AM

KevinS
Atlanta, Ga

0

rpcv84: arcanum202: You wrote "Maybe if the white gay community (who wants this marriage thing so bad) partnered with the black community in genuine and visible ways, they would support your ridiculous cause to be married and miserable!" I agree with you. I've written numerous times that the notion of marriage for the GAY community as a whole is a joke. The gay community needs a lot of maturing and abidence to norms of acceptable social behavior (seen a gay pride day freakfest lately?, seen the criminal activities against the Mormons lately?, and so on...) before we can expect equal treatment.

rpcv84: you said "...before we can expect equal treatment" Does that mean that because crimes are committed by members of other minority groups that they shouldn't expect equal treatment either? That statement you made is just absolutely ignorant.

Posted 12/2/08 - 1:25 PM

txmichael

0

I'm not going to get into the black gay vs white gay vs black flame war. What I will say is that the problem with this bill -- even if it passes -- is that it lacks the larger context of a national campaign for same-sex marriage (and other GLBT civil rights). The other side has been successful because theirs has ALWAYS been a national campaign -- our side rope-a-dopes itself between firewall defenses and heartfelt (if doomed) efforts in supposedly friendly territory. http://50statestrategy.blogspot.com

Posted 12/2/08 - 6:12 PM

RCS

0

A lot just depends on what happens across the country. If the California Supreme Court overturns Proposition 8 and a few more states pass gay marriage into law, it could change the whole current dynamic. That could re-energize the gay marriage movement and get it going again. On the other hand, if things go against gays elsewhere, it could have a very negative impact here, too. We're just going to have to wait and see. One thing that is clear is that if the DC Council passes same sex marriage, there is going to have to be a lot of work done to make sure it stays passed.

Posted 12/3/08 - 1:14 AM

RCS

0

One thing that I would add is that if David Catania and his allies want to introduce this bill and move it through the DC City Council, it should be done right away. The longer the law stays in place before a new election and a potential anti-gay referendum comes up, the more likely DC voters are to realize that it is no big deal. In fact, by the time of the next election, it could be very old news indeed.

Posted 12/3/08 - 1:18 AM

jeri .

0

equality is equality. it has nothing to do with black or white, queer or straight. equality is for everyone. and just to keep the record straight, enough of the nonsense blaming discrimination against gays on black americans. the concept is ludicrous. "black" people only make up 14% of the nations population. it's those pinkish/beige "white" people keeping everybody down. so blame it on people of color? why? because they are the minority? or it makes you feel better? sh#t! get off your butt and demand equality. nobody is going to give it to us. demand it from that "white" majority. fight.

Posted 12/4/08 - 12:37 AM

0

I think most are missing the real point. Blacks are not against gay marriage because they are black, but because they are the most religious racial minority in the country, and they tend to belong to Biblically conservative denominations. The church is the problem, not the minority. For example, the Calif. polls show that over 80% of evangelicals voted for Prop 8, but for blacks overall it was in the 50% range.

Posted 12/4/08 - 12:39 PM