Blacks Responsible For Passage of Anti-Gay Proposition 8

By Robert Paul Reyes

"Supporters of gay marriage, frustrated over a ballot-box defeat in California, have channeled much of their anger toward the towering white spires of Mormon temples.

For months, the Mormon church sought to portray itself as just one member of a coalition of Catholics, evangelicals, black Protestants and others supporting Proposition 8, a measure to stop gay marriage in California." The Associated Press

It's true that Proposition 8 was financed primarily by individual Mormons who opened their pockets at the behest of Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City.

But it's unfair to single out Mormons, most organized religions were strongly in favor of Proposition 8. Mormons make up a tiny percentage of the electorate in California, it was evangelicals, Catholics, and people of faith of all stripes who are responsible for the passage of this abominable proposition.

In Old Testament times the Jews sacrificed goats to appease an angry God. In this " more enlightened" age, almost all religions scapegoat homosexuals, blaming them for all of society's ills.

It's deeply disappointing that blacks were primarily responsible for the passage of Proposition 8. According to USA Today, 70 percent of African Americans voting in favor of this discriminatory measure.

It's ironic that on the same day that we witnessed the milestone of an African American winning the presidency, it was African Americans who were responsible for denying another minority the most basic of human rights: The right to marry.

Religion is so pernicious and odious that it can make African Americans, who have endured discrimination for centuries, vote for a measure that is blatantly discriminatory toward gays and lesbians.

Some would argue that California is one of several states that allow civil unions or domestic partnerships with spousal benefits, and that homosexuals should leave well enough alone.

Homosexuals are not second class citizens and they shouldn't settle for anything less than the legalization of same-sex marriage. At one time inter-racial marriages were illegal, an inter-racial couple today would be outraged if they had to settle for a civil union instead of a bonafide marriage.

For a long time gays and lesbians have been in the forefront of the battle for racial equality. It's high time that African Americans returned the favor and supported gay rights.

Robert Paul Reyes is a NewsBlaze writer on Politics, Pop Culture and Pointless Pontificating. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.