Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Endorses Same Sex Marriage

In yet another development that will cause the anti-gay professional Christians and members of the homophobic GOP gnash their teeth, National Council of La Raza ("NCLR"), the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization has endorsed same sex marriage.  The Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Church can proclaim all they want that gay rights are not civil rights but their message is increasingly contradicted by those truly in the civil rights business.  Similar resolutions have been passed by other Hispanic organizations.  The move by NCLR and other Hispanic organizations demonstrate that NOM's goal of dividing Hispanics from gays is failing miserably.  A piece in the Washigton Blade looks at this development.  Here are excerpts:

Board members of the country’s largest Latino civil rights organization earlier this month unanimously passed a resolution in support of marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Eric Rodriguez, vice president of public policy for the National Council of La Raza, confirmed to the Blade that the vote took place on June 9 during a previously scheduled board meeting. NCLR did not provide a copy of the resolution, but Rodriguez stressed that there was little opposition to it.

The resolution passed less than a month after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons’ Board of Directors endorsed marriage rights for same-sex couples.

President Barack Obama on May 9 publicly backed nuptials for gays and lesbians during a White House interview with ABC News. NCLR President Janet Murguía applauded him for his “historic remarks expressing support for marriage equality” after the network broadcast them.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund President Thomas A. Saenz has backed same-sex marriage. His organization has not only represented people with HIV in discrimination cases, but filed amicus briefs in support of lawsuits that challenge California’s Proposition 8 and other states’ prohibitions on nuptials for gays and lesbians.

The Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens earlier this month also passed a same-sex marriage resolution during their annual convention. 

Ortega said he expects some Latinos will criticize the resolution, but Pino stressed that the majority of people to whom she has spoken about it are supportive.

“Our community is really evolving,” she said. “We’re coming to a place where we’ve realized that marriage equality is basically a civil rights issue. It doesn’t mean that Latinos want to get married in any of the churches. It’s about equality. And I think that a lot of our Latino brothers and sisters realize that and don’t think that we should be denied that opportunity.”

NCLR plans to formally announce the marriage resolution next month during its annual convention in Las Vegas.

Expect more whining from Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown and, of course, Tony Perkins.