Blacks & Cali's Gay Marriage Ban
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Posted in:
Unconventional Perspective
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| Dawud Walid | Nov. 18, 2008 | 9:30 AM |
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The answer resides in gay marriage proponents' fallacious analogy in comparing the issue of gay marriage with the civil rights struggle of Blacks in the context of America's socio-political history.
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I must admit that I'm a little taken aback at the blame game that much of the White gay community is placing on Blackamericans for the recent passing of Prop 8, which banned same sex marriages in California.
Although I reside in Michigan, I, like the majority of Californian Muslims from my anecdotal observations, only favor heterosexual marriages. I can easily see how Prop 8 passed in California, and how it probably would have passed even if a greater percentage of Black Californians would have voted against it. My issue is with how some “progressives” are subtly and not so subtly accusing Blacks of “reverse discrimination” in voting for the Black Obama to be president yet voting against gay marriage.
California is still a state compromised of over 50% Whites with a Latino population that is at least 5 times larger than the Black community. The Asian community, which consists of a mix of Filipinos, Vietnamese, Chinese, Koreans and others, is also larger than the Black community in California. Thus, I'm perplexed how Blacks, which make up less than 7% of California's population, are being illogically singled out by some within the gay community regarding the passing of Prop 8.
The answer resides in gay marriage proponents' fallacious analogy in comparing the issue of gay marriage with the civil rights struggle of Blacks in the context of America's socio-political history.
It is true that despite the plastering of Ellen Degenere's lesbian "marriage" across magazine covers and a number of gay pop culture icons reaching notoriety, America is not fully accepting of homosexuals, especially when comparing America with Western Europe. However, the historical narrative of hate crimes and discrimination against gays pales in comparison with the dehumanization, violence, and disenfranchisement of Blacks, beginning with approximately three centuries of chattel slavery.
I am in no way diminishing the criminal nature of hate crimes against gays or anyone else; hate crimes and vigilantism against any group is totally wrong and un-American. My issue is that such comparisons are not analogous and are not accepted by most Americans.
Hence, 7 of out 10 Blacks voted for Prop 8, not simply because of moral reasons, but also because of the framing by gay marriage proponents, majority of them being White gays, who pitched their position as a civil rights issue. Their messaging failed to resonate among the old civil rights guard within the Black Church, and also didn't sit well with Black gays and lesbians.
Even if half of the registered voters within the approximately 6.5% of Californians, who are Black casted ballots against Prop 8, it still would not have passed. The reality is that the majority of Californians and Americans are against gay marriage, regardless of their race and ethnicity. Framing this as a civil rights issue within historical context of America's civil rights movement will continue to cause gay marriage to fail around the country, especially among Blackamerican voters. |
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