News: Obama, Kevin Taylor, Irene Monroe, Black Gays and Marriage

· As advanced yesterday on Rod 2.0, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama receives the endorsement of the 60,000 plus Culinary Workers Union in Nevada.

· While the airwaves are flooded with images of Obama and his picture-perfect wife Michelle, author and openly black gay pastor Kevin E. Taylor asks if the presidential phenom will grant black gay men and lesbians the same rights in marriage.

"I really do like you Senator Obama, and I think you could be a glorious, viable, vicious vessel for change," Rev Kev says in the open letter at Chuma Spirit. "[But] I was deeply and personally devastated when you took the old guard, status quo stance on marriage equality. The thing that is most empowering about a strong leader is that even if they cannot do all things (only God can), it’s nice, it’s invigorating, it’s real to have someone say 'I will do everything in my power to make change.' "

· Vermont: As state officials hold public hearings on whether marriage rights should be granted to same-sex couples, a new group, the Vermont Marriage Advisory Council, "will hold forums and drum up interest through a Web site in hopes of enlightening people about the pluses of traditional marriage."

· Meanwhile, in neighboring Massachusetts, the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, a new statewide effort hopes to increase its support among black residents. "Having grown up in Boston and experiencing all of the discrimination as a young boy growing up in the '60s, and now as a gay man, it was a high priority for me to reach out to my own community," says David Wilson, one of the plaintiffs in the landmark case that made gay marriage legal in the Bay State.

· Finally, please send thoughts, prayers and good vibes to the Rev. Irene Monroe. In a moving essay at Bilerico, the author and columnist reveals she has breast cancer. "As each day goes by I get a tad stronger facing this daunting health crisis," she says, explaining the higher risk factors for black women, lesbians and bisexual women, such as access to health care and insurance. "I didn't wake up dead but I woke up still suspicious as to why so many women are confronted with this disease.... My cancer is Stage 1, my nodes are negative, my tumor is the size of a blueberry and there is no sign of metastasis. Whew! This is perhaps as good as it gets for a person diagnosed with breast cancer."

We love you, Irene. Stay strong.

Comments

[chris w]

Rod, these news wraps are great, I always love when you do them.

[Andy Niable]

Agreed--yer at the tops of my list of blogs I look to for news throughout the day. Keep up the great work, Rod.

[A. Ronald]

This question may be a little off-topic, but why isn't there a separate category on marriage?

[Alan T]

Well, the meme is that black gay men and lesbians are not interested in marriage but we all know that is not true.