Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Prop 8 and race: round dos
Yesterday’s comments on my post about the failure of Prop 8 were a mish-mash of anger, indignation, and red zone verbosity. Sorry people. It had to be said. It’s never good to dog out readers and if you have been here long you know I’m respectful, even with those I disagree with. But going through all the comments made me tired.
Everything was thrown in the mix: black folk are homophobic, black folk are racist, I’m not helping those blacks anymore, I’m not voting anymore, stop making excuses for black people, black folk aren’t homophobic, religion is the culprit, and my favorite, your brothers and sisters did this to us.
As an only child, I don’t know these brothers and sisters that commentator is referring to (unless he knows something about my mother I don’t).
None of the comments actually dealt with anything I said. Maybe after the defeat of Prop 8 folk really don’t care for calm, cool analysis. They just wanted to strike out. Who knows? But what was even more depressing than the striking out is few offered any hard math, like numbers, on what actually went down. It’s my post so I’ll take the blame for that.
So as a service here is some math about Proposition 8 and the voting public in California. Look at it. Respond, agree with the assessment or not. But let’s at least have a foundation of knowledge before we start spouting stuff that is just counter-productive and has more to do with hysterics than adding light to a problem.
Prop 8 was largely won by out-of-state money and door to door soldiers from the Mormon church. Please go to
http://www.mormonsstoleourrights.com/#petition as part of a grassroots effort to get the Mormon (LDS) church tax exempt status revoked. I hate that Prop 8 passed, hate that my son cried and asked if we could no longer live as a family, and while taking this effort is not satisfying enough, it is a start. “Follow the money” was the phrase in “All the President’s Men” which led to the downfall of corruption – let’s all do the same here. The Mormon church’s activities, often underhanded, must be understood, must be stopped. Taking away their tax exempt status is the first step – if they’re largely responsible for spreading the lies, the least we can do is spread the truth.
The facts are that 70% of African Americans voted against gay equality. A staggering 75%of Black women voted against gay equality!Those numbers don’t lie. No one should discount the effect the Mormon churh had on the vote, but to ignore or excuse the blatant bigotry within the Black community and how their vote was a defining factor in the passage of Prop 8 would be inexcusable and counter productive. The African American community make up 10% of the California electorate, several News agencies (including last Night’s NBC News piece on Prop
report that the Black vote was crucial in passing Prop 8 and would not have been possible without their overwhelming support. To try and ignore the blatant homophobia within the Black community will not make the problem go away.
I’m posting a video link below which exemplifies the anti-gay bigotry sadly found in much of the Black Church in America. The prominent African American “Yes on Prop 8″ advocate actually accuses gay people of being pedophiles, and says gays “Can’t Reproduce, so they Recruit” children. This is the type of hatred that we CANNOT ignore. We have to speak out against it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrwj7SVWBMA
The facts are that 70% of African Americans voted against gay equality. A staggering 75%of Black women voted against gay equality!Those numbers don’t lie. No one should discount the effect the Mormon churh had on the vote, but to ignore or excuse the blatant bigotry within the Black community and how their vote was a defining factor in the passage of Prop 8 would be inexcusable and counter productive. The African American community make up 10% of the California electorate, several News agencies (including last Night’s NBC News piece on Prop 8 report that the Black vote was crucial in passing Prop 8 and would not have been possible without their overwhelming support. To try and ignore the blatant homophobia within the Black community will not make the problem go away.
I’m posting a video link below which exemplifies the anti-gay bigotry sadly found in much of the Black Church in America. The prominent African American “Yes on Prop 8″ advocate actually accuses gay people of being pedophiles, and says gays “Can’t Reproduce, so they Recruit” children. This is the type of hatred that we CANNOT ignore. We have to speak out against it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrwj7SVWBMA
(typo corrected)
Wayne,
Those CNN numbers have been called into question by the very link in my article. Now I know you are going to repeat them, and give the link to a preacher talking crap, but at least acknowledge the numbers you are presenting are called are in dispute.
Sincerely,
James
James, So they are suggesting that CNN is wrong? Do they have proof? Or is it just accusation? Seems ABC News was recently accused of an “attack on minority voters” because they reported shortly before the election that Obama’s mobilization of the Black community to vote would actually lead to the passage of Prop 8. Turns out, ABC News got it right. And until PROVEN otherwise, I’ll trust CNN’s integrity for now.
Wayne,
You could read the article yourself and take what you will.
Sincerely,
James
African Americans made up 10% of the people who voted in this election in California. Just under 10million voted in California – that’s 1 million votes for the African American community – 700,000 of that went for Prop 8. Prop 8 won by 506,414 votes. If the African American Community would have voted along a 50% margin like every other ethnic group – Prop 8 would have failed with 5,026,424 to 5,220,010.
James as I said, I trust CNN’s integrity over the Daily Kos. And CNN has not made any retraction of their exit polling data and news agencies such as NBC and the Associated Press continue to reference the same polling data.
The Daily Kos post is a rather weak attack on the methodology of polling! These methodologies are standard in all polling and does not call into dispute the 70% rate of African Americans voting Yes on Prop 8. And as I’ve said, CNN has not retracted any of it’s exit polling data, and news agencies such as NBC, MSNBC, AP, etc, all continue to reference the same polling data on the African American vote in California concerning the vote on Prop 8.
What is wrong with the exit poll survey? I don’t care about the projection part, all I care about are the people that actually took the survey, and of the blacks that did, the majority voted against gay marriage, right?
That’s what bothers me and I think other people.
The Daily Kos is a rag. It is the liberal equivalent of a skinhead blog. NOTHING that is posted on DK has any credibility with me.
Wow Wayne, you have done it. You have been able to prove that all of the problems for the white gay community lay at the feet of blacks and the black church. Of course proving that all blacks think and act the same. That all black churches preach the exact same words. That they are one mind in many bodies that should be hated. Good job..good thing no one thinks that about gay white males.
Now that you have won, could you now tell us how you plan to solve this plague upon our house? Without showing the same sort of bigotry you claim from them.
We as a gay community have much work to do. We must enlist allies and garner support. We must work with gays of all colours to influence from within. We must speak about our issues in public and come out of our closets..showing our levels of divirstiy (sorry wayne) and keep fighting at every turn to be treated equally as Americans. We must look at these elections in the same light as the Republicans after the Clinton loss. Regroup and find out what we did wrong. Racism, with a black president-duh-doesnt sound like a good idea. But I guess you will correctn this with the next election.
See, we can do more than spew hate.
!Wow Wayne, you have done it. You have been able to prove that all of the problems for the white gay community lay at the feet of blacks and the black church. Of course proving that all blacks think and act the same. That all black churches preach the exact same words. That they are one mind in many bodies that should be hated. Good job..good thing no one thinks that about gay white males.
Now that you have won, could you now tell us how you plan to solve this plague upon our house? Without showing the same sort of bigotry you claim from them.
We as a gay community have much work to do. We must enlist allies and garner support. We must work with gays of all colours to influence from within. We must speak about our issues in public and come out of our closets..showing our levels of divirstiy (sorry wayne) and keep fighting at every turn to be treated equally as Americans. We must look at these elections in the same light as the Republicans after the Clinton loss. Regroup and find out what we did wrong. Racism, with a black president-duh-doesnt sound like a good idea. But I guess you will correctn this with the next election.
See, we can do more than spew hate.
Eddie, your math isn’t totally correct. We lost by around 500 thousand votes. If 1 million people voted yes at 50%, that would be 500 thousand yes votes, vs. 700 thousand as actually voted. The incremental decrease is around 200 thousand fewer yes votes, which means yes would still have won by around 300 thousand votes.
No matter how anyone slices it, black people actually played a very small role in the yes victory. I think the media is trying to make a story, people are trying to scape goat, and I’m sure the mormons (who have a history of racism) would enjoy the limelight on someone else. Conservative christian fascists are more responsible for this than anyone.
Good job white gays, you are now just as prejudice as your heterosexual, Palin worshiping counterparts. I hope you all are glad to no longer help black folks just because a few voted for the ban. Thanks. Calling us names and finger pointing would get us on your side(rolls eyes)…right. So thanks guys, I’ll guess i’ll pick up MY toys and go home too.