The Washington Blade reporting "Black opposition to gay marriage remains strong" has spread like a wildfire across the Blogsphere. The Washington Blade, the most accredited LGBT newspaper, pulled the information from the National Black Justice Coalition.
Research shows most blacks oppose both gay marriage and civil unions.
The findings come as some surveys show a majority of whites have dropped their objections to same-sex unions. A poll by Pew Research Center in May showed that fewer than 50 percent of whites object to gay marriage.
Released in April, the National Black Justice Coalition report notes that blacks “are virtually the only constituency in the country that has not become more supportive over the last dozen years” of gay rights.
It says Asian-Pacific Islanders showed the highest rate of support for gay marriage or civil unions at 55 percent. Support among whites was at 46 percent, among Latinos at 35 percent and among blacks at 23 percent.
The report notes those findings reflected “strong gains in each of these groups except for blacks.”
Some experts have been careful to note the findings should not be interpreted to mean that black Americans are the only ones who oppose gay marriage or civil unions.
Rev. Larry Brumfield, a black pastor at Westminster Church of the Brethren in northern Maryland, said he was saddened by the findings.
Brumfield, who is straight, said too few blacks accept sexual orientation as the immutable trait many scientists believe it to be.
“I think a lot of folk think it’s a conscious choice,” he said. “But like blue eyes or green eyes, it’s how God made us.”
It should be noted that the California NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has been an enormous supporter of marriage equality.
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