Monday, June 11, 2012

"Obama Effect" Continues to Change Black Views on Marriage Equality

While some black pastors and black professional flim flam artists - I mean professional Christians - continue to be roiled by Barack Obama's endorsement of same sex marriage equality, rank and file members of the black community seem to be making a sea change in their views on civil gay marriage.  First polls in Maryland showed a flip in support for marriage equality from a majority against to now a majority in support among black voters.  Now, a poll in Florida indicates that a dramatic shift has occurred in black support for same sex marriage.  Obviously, the anti-gay elements in the GOP and white professional Christian organizations that have long expected the black community to be their water carriers in the marriage wars cannot be happy.  A piece in The Advocate looks at the Florida situation.  Here are excerpts:    

What a polling firm calls "the Obama effect" continues among black voters; this time, with a dramatic 48-point swing in Florida.

In September, Public Policy Polling found just 23% of Florida black voters supported marriage equality. Now not only do black voters support marriage equality, they favor it by a wide margin, 49% to 31%. It wasn't enough, though, to turn the entire state in favor of marriage with voters as a whole still opposed 45% to 42%.

PPP has identified a national trend of support shifting at the state level. First in North Carolina, 44% of African-Americans supported either marriage or civil unions just before a vote in May on Amendment One. That number shot up to 55% with opposition also falling drastically just days after President Obama announced his support.

Then in Maryland PPP pollster Tom Jensen said the firm had found a “major shift in opinion” among African-American voters, who a poll in May showed support the state's marriage equality law by 55% to 36%. The numbers had essentially flipped since March.

The white supremacist loving Tony Perkins must truly have his panties in a wad.

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