Lawmaker: Don't blame blacks for Proposition 8

CNN ^ | 6/15/09 | Wendy Wilson

[nickcarraway]

The California Supreme Court's decision not to retract Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, has sent the issue back to the forefront of conversation across the country. Most recently, New Hampshire became the sixth state to legalize gay marriages. While some 18,000 same-sex couples have already tied the knot in California, those who wish to walk down the aisle today will not receive the same privilege.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass says blacks have been falsely accused of passing Prop 8.

Some in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community blame the passing of Proposition 8 last November on conservative, homophobic African-Americans voters.

Not true says California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who has publicly spoken out against Proposition 8.

Bass spoke to ESSENCE.com to explain why she believes this isn't an civil rights issue, how African-Americans have been falsely accused and the mistakes the LGBT community has made in trying to get our support on this controversial issue.

ESSENCE.com: Were you surprised at all by the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban?

Don't Miss Essence.com: Congressman Payne on solving Darfur crisis Essence.com: Black couple adopts white daughter Essence.com: MC Hammer on marriage, money and his show KAREN BASS: Not really but I thought they might have gone the other way because so many other states have already legalized same-sex marriages. I'm not a lawyer but I believe there would have been mass chaos if they had nullified those marriages that have already taken place.

ESSENCE.com: Do you see the same-sex issue similarly to the civil rights issues African-Americans have faced in the past?

[Deb]

We don’t blame them, we give them credit.

[LottieDah]

Don’t blame Blacks for Proposition 8, blame white Mormons, Roman Catholic Mexicans instead...

[Mac from Cleveland]

The new reality show;

“When Perpetually Aggrieved Groups Collide!”

[Tzimisce]

Yeah - blacks can’t be discrimantory: they’re black.

[prismsinc]

What a way to assign credit to them! Geez, if I was a left wing hack, the last thing I’d want to do is open this self-inflicted wound again!

[prismsinc]

ROTFLMAO

[Big_Monkey]

Talk about trying to walk up the down escalator. In the interview, she never refutes (nor is she asked), about the central question in the California Prop 8 debate, "Did blacks account for the margin of difference in the margin of victory for Prop 8?". Of that question, the answer is clear, YES.

If not for the record turn out of blacks in the 2008 election, Prop 8 would not have passed. It would have failed by less than a percentage point.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

There were a lot of minorities at the Pro-Prop 8 rally in downtown Fresno a couple of weeks back. They outnumbered the white folks and I was glad to see them there.

[Oldpuppymax]

Astounding. The Cal. Supreme Court is portrayed as having done the voters of Kalifornia some great FAVOR by allowing their vote to stand! Absolutely disgraceful.