“In DC, blacks were crucial to gay marriage debate,” reads an Associated Press headline. This is not news; this is a statement of fact so obvious that pointing it out also points out, ipso facto, that news coverage is filtered through a white-centric lens. It is like saying white voters are crucial to the Fetal Pain Bill in Nebraska. Well, yeah, because there are a lot of white people there, but you aren’t ever going to see the Associated Press report “In Nebraska, whites were crucial to abortion debate.”
Perhaps the D.C. scenario is somewhat notable because blacks are generally viewed as against gay marriage? There’s actually a more accurate statement: Americans with strong religious affiliations are generally against gay marriage; race is a less determinative factor.
D.C. For Marriage’s Michael Crawford puts it best: “In D.C., outreach to African-Americans wasn’t part of the campaign. It was the campaign.”
This falls so excruciatingly in the “no shit” file, it’s noxious.
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Brian En Guarde
I admire the D.C. Counsel. Because of the racial hatred in this country, many black politicians have come too see that our struggle is identical to the legal and moral issues in Loving v. Virginia. You have to deeply admire politicians like Nia Gill in New Jersey, who spoke so forcefully on the floor of the New Jersey Senate on how gays face the same hatred that black leaders fought against.
Yet Another
Boy did I have to click gingerly to see what Queerty had to say about this. I was just as slow with scrolling down for comments. The irony here is even gay blog coverage is filtered through a white-centric lens.
Michael W.
Black people are awesome. I used to watch Wayne Brady every morning. Can’t believe they took him off the air.
Cam
In DC, the gay marriage push went through with barely a ripple. There were some pastors who tried to adgitate, but they were from outside the district. And the only council member who took the bait was Marion Barry, showing quite clearly two things.
1. That he still is a political hack
2. That is political instincts are gone, not only did he pick the losing side, but now that he is embroiled in a misuse of funds investigation, rather than censuring him and moving on as the council would have done previously, they have turned the matter over to the U.S. attorney to go after him. This is in part due to his attacks on the gay marriage bill. It is a winning strategy in DC to back gay rights, the council knows it and my guess is, it will soon be so integrated into DC life that you won’t hear about it again.
Cam
No. 2 · Yet Another said…
The irony here is even gay blog coverage is filtered through a white-centric lens.
________________
There is no irony in that. The coverage will come through the lens of whoever is writing it, reading it etc… If you read Kush over on “Blackgayblog.com” are you going to say it’s ironic that his writing comes through an afro-centric lens?
ChicagoJimmy
@Cam: Just a quick correction in case anyone is looking for the blog:
http://www.blackgayblogger.com/
I totally agree with your sentiment!
Cam
Whoops, sorry Jimmy! Thanks for the correction!
Like Rain on Your Wedding Day
One always treads on dangerous terrain when trying to disentangle irony. But I’m guessing it’s ironic since the Queerty article appears to be offering up a critique of using a white-centric lens, while consistently using said lens in its presentation and analysis of pretty much everything on this site. I don’t read it, but I suspect the folks behind blackgayblogger unabashedly embrace their Afro-centric lens, and would not have the temerity to suggest that doing so is problematic. So it would be quite silly to say that its ironic that gayblackblogger is shot through a Afro-centric lens.
Dcer
Blacks were also important and the most visible in opposition to gay marriage in DC.
Yet Another
@ Like Rain on Your Wedding Day
LOL at your name. And yes, thats what I was referring to. Thank you.
4 Douche BFs from my 20s (I am smarter now)
@Dcer: Whites were important in passing marriage bans in other states.
Yet Another
lol, everyone is important. Feel better?
Cam
Today is the day, friends have said there are lines outside the city offices for gay couples to get licenses. Great day to live in this city.
Karsh
Umm…yeah, what No. 8 said. Black and proud and gay. How ya like that?
(And it’s Karsh, not Kush. The latter is for smoking, the former is for poking. POW!)