Channing Kennedy

Race-Baiting Gay Marriage Opponents Foiled by Integration

Adam Serwer, better known to some as dnA, has an excellent post over at the American Prospect on the color of LGBT activism in Washington, D.C., and how it’s changing — and not changing — the political landscape.

In Washington, D.C., the anti-gay-rights movement attempted to put recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states to a citywide referendum (it was rejected by the Board of Elections and Ethics) hoping that the city’s mostly black population would come out against it. This dynamic may explain why Bishop Harry Jackson, an African American religious leader, has been put forth as the face of the anti-gay-marriage movement.

There’s only one problem: The face of LGBT leadership in D.C. is often black.

…

Nick McCoy, D.C. based marriage-equality activist affiliated with the Young Democrats who testified in front of the D.C. ethics board against the marriage-equality referendum, says he often runs into this perception. When he testified in front of the Concerned Black Clergy in 2004, and again in front of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2005, he says he was asked the same question: “What are you first; are you black or are you gay?”

McCoy says he told both groups the same thing: “I haven’t had a choice in the matter. I’ve been able to be strong enough, and I’ve made the decision, to live out both of those lives.”

Check out the rest of the article at the American Prospect.

Posted at 2:43 PM, Jun 26, 2009 in LGBT | Video & Multimedia | Permalink | View Comments