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ABC/WaPo Poll: Black Support for Gay Marriage Exceeds General Pop

New polling by ABC News/Washington Post finds more Blacks now support marriage equality than the general population.

The new poll finds "strong" support for equal marriage from 53 percent of Americans.  Fifty-nine percent of Blacks want to legalize same-sex marriage and 65 percent favor President Obama’s position. The data is "a new high among African-Americans in ABC/Post polls, up from four in 10 in recent surveys to 59 percent now," adds ABC News.

Another first: The number of Americans who "strongly" support same-sex marriage (39 percent) outweighs the number who "strongly" oppose it (32 percent).

The new polling comes about two weeks after President Obama's historic announcement supporting marriage equality. The NAACP also announced its support for equal marriage rights last weekend.  Two words: Leadership. Matters.

Full results HERE.

REPORT: Racial Slur on Name at Rick Perry's Hunting Ranch

Texas Gov. Rick Perry continues his free-fall skydiving contest from the Republican presidential primaries. The Washington Post reports on the racially-charged nickname of the Perry hunting ranch

In the early years of his political career, Rick Perry began hosting fellow lawmakers, friends and supporters at his family’s secluded West Texas hunting camp, a place known by the name painted in block letters across a large, flat rock standing upright at its gated entrance. "Niggerhead," it read. ...

[T]he name of this particular parcel did not change for years after it became associated with Rick Perry, first as a private citizen, then as a state official and finally as Texas governor. Some locals still call it that. As recently as this summer, the slablike rock — lying flat, the name still faintly visible beneath a coat of white paint — remained by the gated entrance to the camp.

When asked last week, Perry said the word on the rock is an "offensive name that has no place in the modern world." [...]

"My mother and father went to the lease and painted the rock in either 1983 or 1984," Perry wrote. "This occurred after I paid a visit to the property with a friend and saw the rock with the offensive word. After my visit I called my folks and mentioned it to them, and they painted it over during their next visit. Ever since, any time I ever saw the rock it was painted over."

Perry’s version of events differs in many respects from the recollections of seven people, interviewed by The Washington Post, who spoke in detail of their memories of seeing the rock with the name at various points during the years that Perry was associated with the property through his father, partners or his signature on a lease.

The Perry campaign denies the charge and claims the sign has been whitewashed—literally and figuratively.

Herman Cain became the first GOP presidential contender to respond, claiming the name was "vile" and "just plain insensitive to a lot of black people."

And if Herman Cain has to say that good ole' boy racism is "vile" and "insensitive" ...

Anti-Marriage Maryland Lawmaker Accused of Theft to Fund Wedding

Awww. One of the Maryland lawmakers responsible for derailing marriage equality in that state has been as charged with embezzling campaign funds "in part to pay for her [own] wedding," reports the Washington Post.

Del. Tiffany T. Alston, 34, a little-known freshman state lawmaker before this spring, is charged with writing herself checks and cashing them to pay for at least $3,560 in expenses for her wedding day. According to the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor, she also wrote herself checks to help pay the salary of an employee in her law firm.

Alston’s wedding, attended by some fellow lawmakers and sorority sisters, was derided this spring by some gay activists. With whispers and shrugs outside Annapolis hearing rooms, some said it was ironic that so close to the celebration of her own nuptials a lawmaker reversed course and opposed letting gays marry in Maryland.

Among other charges detailed Friday in a five-count indictment filed in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Alston faces a charge of felony theft, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000. She also is charged with one count of misdemeanor theft, one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary and two election law violations. The misdemeanor charge also carries a potential 18-month prison term.

The Democrat initially co-sponsored the marriage equality bill but later opposed it "for [her] constituents." When the bill was in committee, Alston and another delegate literally ran from the hearing room to delay the vote.

Reap, sow, pot, kettle. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Washington Post Profiles Bayard Rustin's Legacy and Sexuality

As the nation prepares to dedicate the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall, Bayard Rustin is finally receiving some of the recognition that he has long deserved. There have been a number of recent tributes to the late civil rights organizer and MLK's top lieutenant.

The Washington Post publishes an excellent profile that stresses that most civil rights leaders and historians have ignored Rustin's legacy because of his sexuality.

It was around this point in August 1963, in the sweltering days before the March on Washington, that Eleanor Holmes Norton was waiting for someone to say something really nasty about her boss. She was a march volunteer. The boss was Bayard Rustin, the march’s chief organizer and the man widely viewed as the only civil rights activist capable of pulling off a protest of such unprecedented scale.

And he was gay. Openly gay. That year again? 1963.

"I was sure the attacks would come because I knew what they could attack Bayard for," says Norton, now the District’s nonvoting delegate to Congress. "When the anniversary comes around, frankly I think of Bayard as much as I think of King. King could hardly have given the speech if the march had not been so well attended and so well organized. If there had been any kind of disturbance, that would have been the story."

The opposition that Rustin faced:

In 1960, Adam Clayton Powell, the minister-congressman from Harlem, threatened to float a rumor that King was one of Rustin’s lovers if King didn’t exile him from his inner circle. King pushed him away, reluctantly, and Rustin resigned from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

"Bayard had a lot of baggage — communist youth member, conscientious objector," says Walter Naegle, Rustin’s partner for the last decade of his life. "But being gay was the one thing that was still unforgivable to a lot of civil rights leaders."

But others never abandoned him, most notably A. Philip Randolph, a dean of the movement and Rustin’s longtime mentor. When the moment came for an unprecedented mass gathering in Washington, Randolph pushed Rustin forward as the logical choice to organize it.

In mid-August, with the march looming over Washington as a growing juggernaut, it was then-Sen. Strom Thurmond who took aim at the man steering it. Speaking on the Senate floor, the South Carolina segregationist, then a Democrat, filled eight pages of the Congressional Record with detailed denunciations of Rustin as a draft-dodging communist homosexual and a convicted “sex pervert.” Thurmond had the entire file of [Rustin's arrest on a morals charge] entered in the record.

Bayard Rustin was openly gay in the 1950s and early 1960s—even in the South. That is an incredible profile in courage.

The renewed interest in Rustin comes at the same time the Black civil rights community is debating gay rights and homophobia. The more things change, the more they remain the same no?

Read the full profile on Bayard Rustin HERE.

Background ...
Tributes to Bayard Rustin
Irene Monroe on Rustin and MLKs Dream
Billy Strayhorn Documentary on PBS
Brother Outsider Screenings
Black Museums Should Celebrate Gays
"Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin"

WATCH: President Announces Bin Laden is Killed by U.S. Forces

The mastermind of the worst terrorist attack on American soil has been killed, President Barack Obama announced in a late night Sunday television address. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a firefight with American forces in Pakistan on Sunday, almost 10 years after the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.

Watch the address AFTER THE JUMP ...

Obama revealed that the most hunted man in the world was cornered by American military and CIA operatives at a mansion in a suburb of Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. "His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity," said the President. “"And on nights like this one, we can say to families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done."

The Washington Post describes the operation:

The operation took place in Abbottabad, a city of about 100,000 in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 100 miles north of Islamabad. ... Obama said that he was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden’s whereabouts in August 2010 but that it took U.S. intelligence officials “many months” to run down the lead.

U.S. officials did not share with foreign governments any details about the operation before it took place, a senior administration official said, including with Pakistan, whose leaders were informed after the raid. Only a “very small number” of people within the U.S. government knew about it, the senior official said.

News of bin Laden's death attracted celebrations and crowds in Washington and New York City, reports CNN. "Hundreds of people arrived at the White House late Sunday night and chanted, 'USA! USA!'," reports CNN. "They then chanted, 'Hey, hey, goodbye!' in reference to the demise of bin Laden and then spontaneously sang the national anthem."

Unfortunately, the news increases the possibility of retaliatory terrorist attacks. "U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world were placed on high alert following the announcement of bin Laden's death, a senior U.S. official said, and the U.S. State Department should be sending out a new "worldwide caution" for Americans shortly. Some fear al Qaeda supporters may try to retaliate against U.S. citizens or U.S. institutions."

Watch the address AFTER THE JUMP ...

WaPo: Same Sex Couples Lead to Marriage Licenses Doubling in D.C.

So much for Western civilization ending once marriage equality arrived in our nation's capitol. One year after same-sex unions became legal in Washington D.C. and the number of marriage licenses has doubled, reports the Washington Post.

The total number of applications more than doubled since the first same-sex couples lined up to get their licenses, from about 3,100 in the previous year to 6,600 during the past 12 months, said Leah H. Gurowitz, spokeswoman for D.C. Superior Court, which issues the licenses. Although the court does not differentiate between same-sex and heterosexual couples in its record-keeping, in previous years the number of applications varied by only 100 or less. So virtually all the increase is due to same-sex couples, Gurowitz said.

WaPo interviewed two same sex married couples profiled last year on R20. One of the couples is Rocky Galloway (left) and Reggie Stanley—who were among the first couples applying for marriage licenses.

In the year since Rocky Galloway married his longtime love, Reginald Stanley, in the District, the rhythms of their lives haven't changed all that much. They still get up every morning, get their twin 2-year-old daughters prepared for their day, go to work and live their lives the way other happy, committed couples do.

What has changed, however, is knowing that their union is now legal, the same as marriages between men and women have always been, said Galloway, 50, of Chevy Chase, an account manager for an IT firm. "There is something about marriage. It's a distinct institution," he said. "If you say you are married, people get it. If you say you are in a civil union, they say, 'Okay, but what is that?' Being married gives your relationship a different level of validity."

He said they have faced no discrimination or criticism for getting married. "It's been interesting meeting people, like when we're with the kids, and they assume that you are in a heterosexual relationship and you correct them and say 'My partner is male.' They get right through it," he said. "That is to the credit of the advocacy groups and the people of D.C. and the fact that we are very transient and many, many cultures come to live in this area. We're more open and embracing than some."

The Post also interviewedCandy Holmes and wife Darlene Garner, who also applied for licenses on that first day. Holmes is a 33-year federal employee and is fighting to get medical benefits for her wife, which unfortunately is prevented by the Defense of Marriage Act. But that could change in the next few years ...

You May Enjoy ...
Rocky Galloway and Reggie Stanley Get Marriage Licenses
WATCH: 1st Same Sex Couples Apply for DC Licenses
WATCH: Video of First Same-Sex Couples Married in Washington DC
WATCH: DC's First Same Sex Weddings
Lesbian Couple Hopeful to Receive Federal Benefits

Concerns Over Passage of Marriage Equality Bill in Maryland House

The Maryland House of Delegates could vote for the marriage equality bill by the end of next week, reports the Washington Post. The bill passed the Maryland Senate by a 25 to 21 vote last week.

Approval in the House is far from assured. The Catholic Church and "Maryland's black churches" are expected to ramp up opposition, the Post reports.

With attention turning to the House, supporters there acknowledged Thursday that same-sex marriage has been a hard sell with African American lawmakers from Prince George's County, as well as conservative Democrats from Southern Maryland and the Baltimore suburbs.

The Washington Blade has a thorough report on Friday's House Judiciary Committee hearings. There are also concerns over its passage and the curious defection of a key sponsor.

"There’s an effort to derail this bill like none I’ve seen before," said gay State Sen. Richard Madaleno (D-Montgomery County), the author and one of the lead sponsors of the marriage equality bill in the Senate. In a telephone news briefing on Friday, Madaleno said the mainstream media have repeatedly reported an earlier assumption that support for the bill was greater in the House than in the Senate, and approval of the measure in the Senate guaranteed its passage in the House.

The pressure could be working:

A warning signal that support in the House could diminish surfaced earlier in the week when Del. Melvin Stukes (D-Baltimore City), a co-sponsor of the marriage bill for the past four years, withdrew his sponsorship. Stukes told the Baltimore Sun he thought the bill would have given same-sex couples the right to obtain civil unions rather than marriage. Once he realized the measure would allow gays to marry he determined he made a mistake, he told the Sun. "I’m very sorry that I got on the bill," he said.

Activists said privately that they were baffled over Stukes’ change of heart on the bill because he represents a progressive-leaning district in Baltimore where the majority of residents would not object to his support for allowing gays to marry.

Stukes' about-face is troubling, notes Joe Sudbay at AMERICABlog. "Stukes represents the gayest areas of Baltimore. He's been a sponsor of the marriage bill for FOUR years. Now, he's pretending that he didn't know it was about marriage?"

If you live in Maryland, please call your legislators and ask them to support the marriage equality bill. Please.

Maryland Gay Man Fatal Stabbed, Police Arrest Partner

Prince George's County (Maryland) police have arrested a Washington D.C. man in the brutal stabbing death of his partner, reports the Washington Post.

Edridge Slaughter, 42, of Northeast D.C., was charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Christopher Alan Trueheart, 44, authorities said. The two were in a romantic relationship, and Slaughter stabbed and slashed Trueheart to death after a dispute, law enforcement sources said.

Police were first notified of the incident after Trueheart's sister went to check on her brother and found him fatally wounded inside his apartment in the 4400 block of 23rd Parkway Sunday afternoon, sources said. Officers arrived to find Trueheart dead on the scene, authorities said. Cpl. Henry Tippett, a Prince George's County police spokesman, said the incident stemmed from some type of "personal dispute," but he could not provide any further details.

Investigators found Slaughter Monday near Kentucky Avenue and Old Silver Hill Road in the District Heights area, authorities said. According to police charging documents, he had some of Trueheart's property and "provided a full confession."

Slaughter is being held without bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 14, reports the Gazette.

Christopher Alan Trueheart was employed by the United States Dept. of Agriculture. Friends of the deceased tell Rod 2.0 that he was popular, "outgoing", and active in the DC chapter of ADODI, a Black gay activist group.

Virtual tributes tributes can be left at his Facebook.

The Washington Post obituary published on Thursday is HERE.

REPORT: Marriage Equality Bill Has Votes to Pass in Maryland Senate

The Washington Post reports "a bare majority" of Maryland's state senators "have said publicly that they will vote" for SB 116, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act.

The deciding vote: Joan Carter Conway, a veteran Baltimore Democrat.

In interviews Monday, two more senators said they intended to vote for the bill, increasing the number who have made such commitments to 24 - the bare majority needed for passage in the 47-member Senate - according to an ongoing Washington Post tally.  The Post's count of 24 senators includes one - Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore) - who has said she will not vote for the bill if she believes it will fail. Conway told The Post last week that she "would pray real hard" and vote for the bill if hers was the deciding vote. Still, it is clear that the legislation, which has stalled in previous years, has considerable momentum.

More on Carter Conway's decision at the Baltimore Sun:

She is uncertain whether she can make the leap to backing gay marriage. She finds herself torn between her religious background and her sympathies for minority groups. As a black woman, she said, she views herself as a "double minority" — and so is uncomfortable with casting a vote that would cause anyone to feel subjected to discrimination.

Conway said her district, which includes Ednor Gardens, Waverly, Guilford and other North Baltimore neighborhoods, is about evenly split on the issue. The three delegates in her district are co-sponsoring the House version of the legislation.

On Monday, two previously uncommitted state senators presented a Valentine's Day gift to marriage equality supporters.

"I think it's the fair thing to do," said Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County), who said she had gone back and forth on the bill a few times. "I just weighed all the options. I think it's fairness." Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer (D-Baltimore County) also voiced support for the bill in an interview Monday, saying, "I don't see how you can deny the right" to gay couples to marry.

If the Senate passes passes SB 116, the bill moves to the House where supporters are "confident" they have a majority.

If passed, Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he would sign the bill. Maryland would join five other states and the District of Columbia to allow same-sex marriages. Since February 2010, Maryland has recognized valid same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

Virginia Dem. Sen Jim Webb to Retire After One Term

First term Democratic Sen. Jim Webb (VA) will not seek re-election, he announced in a statement today.

"After much thought and consideration I have decided to return to the private sector, where I have spent most of my professional life, and will not seek re-election in 2012. Notwithstanding this decision, I have every intention of remaining involved in the issues that affect the well-being and the future of our country."

Webb, the former Navy Secretary in the Reagan Administration, was the sole Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee to vote on May 27 2010 against adding the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

Seven months later, Webb's position changed. On December 18 2010, Webb voted for cloture and final repeal on the historic 2010 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Act.

The Washington Post adds:

Webb's decision, long anticipated by many in Virginia politics, will make his seat more difficult to hold for his party. Ex-Sen. George Allen (R), who lost the seat in 2006 to Webb, is running to win it back, and a handful of other GOP candidates are also running. Some Democrats hope ex-Gov. Tim Kaine will decide to run for the seat, but he has given no indication yet that he is interested.

It looks like it will be more difficult for the Democrats to retain their Senate majority. Of the 33 Senate seats up for re-election in 2012, 23 are held by Democrats.