Will Gay Marriage Activists in DC Reach Out to Black Voters?

This sounds very familiar. The Washington Blade reports black gay activists in our nation's capitol "caution" activists who are determined to bring a marriage bill to Mayor Adrian Fenty's desk by the spring. The reason? Same-sex marriage activists "have not developed a strategy for winning support from black residents, who make up 56.5 percent of the D.C. population."

“There needs to be a discussion within the community with a diverse group of people to make sure there’s a consensus to move ahead with this,” said Darrin Glymph, vice president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest gay political group. “Then, if you decide to go forward, you need to reach out to the entire D.C. community, including the faith community and the African-American community.”

Glymph and other black gay activists pointed to the approval by voters in California of Proposition 8 as an example of a failed strategy for reaching out to minority voters. ... With blacks making up nearly 57 percent of the population in D.C., black gay activists said gay marriage supporters must redouble their efforts to reach out to blacks and other minorities in the District.

“I don’t know if we can obtain the allies to help us defeat a referendum in the District,” said Carlene Cheatam, one of the founding members of the D.C. Coalition of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Men & Women. “I’m not worried about our elected city government,” Cheatam said. “They are all supportive because they equate marriage rights with civil rights. It’s the general population that I’m concerned about.”

The majority of the council is behind a bill and the city's hottie and gay friendly Mayor Adrian Fenty says he will sign. But many gay activists—including many black LGBTs—do not see marriage as a priority and want Congress to grant the city full budgetary and legislative autonomy ... Under the city’s current home rule charter, Congress has authority to block or overturn any D.C. law and that would include a marriage bill.

The next step is a community-wide forum on December 11 to debate a marriage bill. Michael Crawford, the black DC gay activist who blogs at Bloggernista and Bilerico, is facilitating the event. Crawford wants diverse input and more black participation and admits gay rights activists do not have the infrastructure to oppose an anti-gay referendum to ban same-sex marriage in the District. "Getting it through the City Council and signing it into law by Mayor Fenty is only step one," Crawford says.

It's almost unbelievable that in a city that is overwhelmingly black, the gay marriage movement has failed to reach beyond city hall and include black businesses, churches, pastors and voters. After the disappointing No on 8 campaign, the racial blame game that followed and reports it ignored black LGBTSs and black voters, well, it isn't surprising. It sounds like Washington DC marriage activists need to move forward cautiously and reach out for broad support so that it isn't torpedoed by the city's powerful anti-gay black pastors, rejected by voters at the polls, or, vetoed by the Congress. 

Black Activists Urge Caution on Marriage [Wash Blade]

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Comments

[Rowan]

outreach, outreach!!

[Pharrell Luvr]

Of course they need to talk to the community and get their input. But this is sadly typical of largely gay organizations.

the city is more than half black, its chocolate city, and no black outreach. smh

[dEVIN]

ROD, please stop ogling Mayor Fenty. He's mine, lol!

[Positively Divine]

i wish them the best of luck. let's not have a repeat of california.

[Bill]

Let's see if the lessons were learned. Also, it is better to get autonomy first. Then they can legislate themselves without congress intervention.

[Mel Smith]

This is what the gay community message in D.C. should be: "our families deserve the same protections that heterosexuals are afforded with marriage." "We would like to marry ONE person." "Our love is equal and real as yours." "Religious bigotry is a sickness." "Respect thy neighborh as thy self." "It's not cool to discriminate against a group of people." "Why can't we have the same marriage protections that you have." "Misunderstanding of sexual orientation= Ignorance, fear and discrimination." "Say NO to religious based prejudice."

[Mel Smith]

This should be the message of gay activists in D.C.: "Our families deserve the same protections that heterosexual families have." "Say NO to religious based discrimination."
"Misunderstanding of sexual orientation = Ignorance, fear, prejudice, and discrimination." "We would like to legally marry ONE person." Marriage = federal protection for all." "Love thy neighbor as thy self." "It's not cool to use religion as a tool to oppress others with." "Do you know the meaning of sexual orientation?"

[Pastor Michael-Vincent Crea]

1 December 2008
World AIDS Day 2008
"Keep the Promise"

Peace to ALL!

Having lived in D.C. for seven years, marching and surrounding the Capitol, literally, hand-in-hand with activists led by former D.C. Delegate Walter Faunteroy [D]
and including a local, non-Black, gay pastor and his congregation, as speakers, I know what it takes and have seen what happens when political goals and community development are founded on first educating and respecting members of both D.C. secular and faith communities. That was in 1989.

I've experienced also the worse. The late poet, great activist and native of Harlem Craig G. Harris and I, co-chaired the first HIV/AIDS Conference to Metropolitan D.C. Catholics in 1988, under the very same-gender relating and respecting pastor, George A. Stallings, Jr. Afterwards, however, I was fired by Stallings for speaking up about a priest, having sex with a teen in the rectory. The Washington Post later reported that priest, as having sex with youth in the Cincinnati jail. He, the chief of staff, the homophobic, i.e., self-hating or DL, music director and his wife, all, very sadly died of AIDS.

The Black Gays and Lesbians group invited me to attend their monthly meetings sponsored by then Health Commissioner, the very outstanding Dr. Reed Tuckson, one of our conferees and open to ALL LGBT Human Rights.

Add the veto of a Congress not necessarily against statehood but,
now, to save face back home after being worse in the polls than the Bush dickcheneyship, politics in D.C. has a complexity beyond both complexion and religious convictions.

Timing is more than 'everything' in the district. It is greater than the sum of its parts, pastors and partisans, speaking both electorally and evangelically, regarding marriage equality, or any matter, per se.

Long before Prop 8's failure being blamed on Blacks, I have said the stench of non-Black LGBT
prejudices is only outdone by their separate and unequal, mostly
isolating, ignorant and inflamatory political posturing based on pigmentation rather than
equalization of every LGBT person.

Personally, having written a 1987 final reflection treatise for Same-Gendered Unions aka Marriages
for my M.Div. degree at The Catholic University of America in D.C., I would advocate for "Liberty and Justice for ALL" first, with LGBT activists and others in D.C. driving forth
the ending of its slavery as the last plantation, and then, enacting a state constitution from the get-go, without 50 other states having any say, about including the rights of marriage equality for ALL.

"We, the People," first for ALL in D.C., shall set the foundation and totally turn around the number ONE Human Rights and citizen issue in the contiguous U.S. As I've said since the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Ed.: "No Representation Without Equalization!"

Speaking of turning the Capitol around rather than on its head by any pre-mature ejaculations for
marriage equality, I have long advocated for "C.D." statehood: the Commonwealth of Douglass, named for Frederick Douglass, its most famous, formerly enslaved, free citizen, U.S. Marshall and a man whose own second marriage was of mixed ethnicity.

His home is still in Anacostia, where a state capital could bring considerably more community growth and prosperity, like non-Black LGBT 'ghettos' or 'gated' communities of Dupont Circle, Capitol Hill and Northwest D.C.

Many nuances need to be respected before marriage nuptials are realized and equally enjoyed. Only timing and openly teaching
among Black and non-Black members,
as well, as LGBT and non-LGBT activists shall wed "YES, WE CAN" and "I DO," once and for ALL, in the 51st state "THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOUGLASS," then following Massachusetts lead, on their own!

With peace, prayers & LOVE,
Steadfast in Spirit & in Truth,

Michael-Vincent Crea, Pastor
One World Life Systems
http://www.oneworldlifesystems.org

[Jamal]

D.C. can pass monetary laws and same-sex marriage at the same time. It's not an either/ or situation.

[Eric]

OK. Maybe I misread the original article, but are they saying that this will be put to vote in January? So, they are attempting to do all this outreach and coalition building( or lack thereof)within only a months time?

And yes, Adrian Fenty is MINE!

[Eric]

Nevermind, I reread the article, it's clear now.