The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 76/No. 24      June 18, 2012

 
NAACP champions civil
rights of same-sex couples
 
BY EMMA JOHNSON  
The position adopted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in support of equality in civil unions for same-sex couples deserves unequivocal backing from working people. The position helps strengthen the working class by striking a blow against discrimination.

“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution,” Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, said at a press conference May 21 in Baltimore, announcing the resolution adopted by the organization’s board of directors.

“We will oppose threats to the 14th Amendment guarantee of equal rights under the law in any state where this issue is raised,” he said. Civil rights “must be provided equally to all Americans.”

The statement drew a parallel to the fight starting in the 1950s by Mildred and Richard Loving “to end legally sanctioned marriage inequality based on race.” The Lovings—Richard was white and Mildred was Black—pressed their case to the Supreme Court and won a ruling overturning Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act, which banned interracial marriage. The NAACP said its position on civil unions for gays is rooted in that 1967 decision ruling the criminalization of interracial marriages unconstitutional.

The NAACP resolution is one of many confirmations of growing support for ending legal discrimination against gays.

A survey by ABC News and the Washington Post shows 53 percent in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage today compared to 36 percent in 2006. Among African-Americans the figure is 59 percent, up from 41 percent in their previous poll in the spring. Among younger adults up to the age of 30, some 70 percent are in favor.

These sentiments increasingly clash with the 1996 so-called Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President William Clinton. It defined marriage as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” It has been used to bar gay and lesbian couples from obtaining a variety of federal benefits, barring them from filing joint tax returns or collecting Social Security survivor benefits.

On May 9 President Barack Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage rights, but maintained that each state should decide. He stressed that this new position reflected an “evolution” of his personal opinion, pressed on him by his daughters and empathy with homosexual friends and colleagues. His record of flipping back and forth on the issue, however, supports the widely held view that his position over the last 16 years has been based on his calculated political ambitions.
 
 
Related articles:
Mariela Castro speaks in US on rights of women and gays
Cuban Revolution ‘fights all forms of discrimination’  
 
 
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