Gay Marriage and a Moral Minority

A reader,R. J. referred me to a column in today's New York Times that looks at the the issue of the high percentage of black women who voted for Proposition 8 and the thoughts of the author, Charles Blow on why black women voted as they did. While I personally find it far beyond ironic that blacks, and black women in particular, have been perhaps unknowingly duped into supporting the agenda of white evangelicals and Mormons (blacks have been able to hold the priesthood only since the late 1970's) who historically have supported slavery, segregation, Jim Crow laws, and are against affirmative action that assists blacks, the column is interesting and perhaps gives some insight into the dialogue that needs to happen to open some hearts and minds. Here are some highlights:

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There were far more black women than black men, and a higher percentage of them said that they voted for the measure than the men. How wide was the gap? According to the exit poll, 70 percent of all blacks said that they voted for the proposition. But 75 percent of black women did. There weren’t enough black men in the survey to provide a reliable percentage for them. However, one can mathematically deduce that of the raw number of survey respondents, nearly twice as many black women said that they voted for it than black men.

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Why? Here are my theories: (1) Blacks are much more likely than whites to attend church, according to a Gallup report, and black women are much more likely to attend church than black men. . . . (2) This high rate of church attendance by blacks informs a very conservative moral view. While blacks vote overwhelmingly Democratic, an analysis of three years of national data from Gallup polls reveals that their views on moral issues are virtually indistinguishable from those of Republicans. . . . (3) Marriage can be a sore subject for black women in general. According to 2007 Census Bureau data, black women are the least likely of all women to be married and the most likely to be divorced. Women who can’t find a man to marry might not be thrilled about the idea of men marrying each other.

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Proponents of gay marriage would do well to focus on these women if they want to win black votes. A major reason is that black women vote at a higher rate than black men. . . . But gay marriage advocates need to hone their strategy to reach them. First, comparing the struggles of legalizing interracial marriage with those to legalize gay marriage is a bad idea. Many black women do not seem to be big fans of interracial marriage either. . . . Second, don’t debate the Bible. You can’t win. Religious faith is not defined by logic, it defies it. Instead, decouple the legal right from the religious rite, and emphasize the idea of acceptance without endorsement.

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Then, make it part of a broader discussion about the perils of rigidly applying yesterday’s sexual morality to today’s sexual mores. Show black women that it backfires. The stigma doesn’t erase the behavior, it pushes it into the shadows where, devoid of information and acceptance, it become more risky.

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[P]itch it as a health issue. The more open blacks are to the idea of homosexuality, the more likely black men would be to discuss their sexual orientations and sexual histories. The more open they are, the less likely black women would be to put themselves at risk unwittingly. And, the more open blacks are to homosexuality over all, the more open they are likely to be to gay marriage. This way, everyone wins.