THE BOARD of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has voted to endorse same-sex marriage, putting the weight of the US’s most prominent civil rights group behind a cause that has long divided some quarters of the black community.
The largely symbolic move, made at the group’s quarterly board meeting in Miami on Saturday, puts the NAACP in line with President Barack Obama, who endorsed gay marriage a little more than a week ago. Given the timing, it is likely to be viewed as both a statement of principle as well as support for the president’s position in the middle of a closely contested presidential campaign.
All but two of the organisation’s board members, who include many religious leaders, backed a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, according to people told of the decision. Borrowing a term used by gay rights advocates, the resolution stated: “We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution.
In a statement, Roslyn M Brock, chairwoman of the board, said that “we have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law. A spokesman for the group declined to discuss a breakdown of the board members’ votes.
The practical implications of the NAACP’s decision are unclear. Several of its leaders have already expressed support for same-sex marriage, and local branches have repeatedly opposed measures to ban such unions, most recently in North Carolina, where voters just passed a referendum against weddings and civil unions for gay people.
The strongest opposition to same-sex marriage within the black community has come from church leaders, whose opinions may not be swayed by the NAACP. In its resolution, the board appeared to be sensitive to those objections, reaffirming its support for religious freedom. But the group’s endorsement could potentially bolster support for Obama with a key constituency: black Democratic voters who remain sceptical of same-sex marriage.
Black and Caucasian Americans are divided on same-sex marriage in similar numbers, according to the results of four aggregated polls conducted by the New York Times and CBS News over the past year. Yet there is greater opposition among black Democrats than white Democrats. Sixty-one per cent of white Democrats supported legalising marriage for same-sex couples, compared with 36 per cent of black Democrats, while 35 per cent of black Democrats opposed any legal recognition, compared with 18 per cent of white Democrats. – (New York Times service)