Wed 9 May 2012
President Obama: 'I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.'
Obviously this isn't a hip hop thing, or a fashion thing, or a celeb thing (but isn't everything connected?)'.but it's a big deal when the President of the United States calls for a last minute TV interview, and tells ABC News that his position on gay marriage has 'evolved' from thinking that civil unions were adequate for same-sex partners'to now believing that gay marriage should be legal and recognized. This comes just one day after North Carolina decides that gay marriage is a no-no. And just a few days after his veep Joe Biden said that he fully supports gay marriage because he was enlightened by the sitcom Will and Grace. LOL!
As William Truman and Grace Adler goes, so goes the Nation'
Now, there is some debate about whether Obama was forced into taking a public stance because of Biden's comments. And there's some grumbling that Obama tiptoe-ed into the stance when it was safer for him politically.
Meanwhile, others feel like Obama's actually taking a huge risk because the concept of gay marriage (while it makes total sense to me) is still very contentious and controversial for the many less-open-minded folks in the country. (Pew research reports, via NPR: '46% favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 44% are opposed..')
Sometimes I wonder if opposition to this is more of an age thing'are there still young people who feel like gay marriage is a 'threat' to the American way of life? What does that even mean?
Watch the Daily Show recap of Vice-President Joe Biden's kooky gay-marriage endorsement'
After the jump
Joe Biden, pop culture expert, lol.
NYC Mayor Bloomberg's response to Obama's announcement: (via Politicker)
'This is a major turning point in the history of American civil rights. No American president has ever supported a major expansion of civil rights that has not ultimately been adopted by the American people'and I have no doubt that this will be no exception,' Mr. Bloomberg said. 'The march of freedom that has sustained our country since the Revolution of 1776 continues, and no matter what setbacks may occur in a given state, freedom will triumph over fear and equality will prevail over exclusion.'
Related:
President Obama on #TrayvonMartin: 'If I Had a Son, He'd Look Like Trayvon'All Of Us Have To Do Some Soul Searching'
Fight the Power Friday: Talib Kweli Visits 'Occupy Wall Street' and More'
May 9th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Joe Biden, Now Obama, It's about damn time! ' in my future voice
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May 9th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
meh I'm old school enough to see the gay agenda for what it is. Read 'After the Ball'' by Marshall Kirk to see what I mean by 'AGENDA'.
I know some folks gonna call me a bigot (a tactic straight from after the ball), but I have my reasons to say this. Most young folks don't reason anything out they just eat whatever pop-culture feeds them.
Oh well..
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May 9th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
I don't get why it's still an issue over there in the States (just like a whole bunch of other issues like the whole black & white thing). Gay people are able to marry here for more than 10 years now. Who cares?
Why would you want to marry any way these days?
But I'm from a country where you can walk into a coffeeshop and get some weed if you want to, so I guess we just have a totally permissive society.
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May 9th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
obama needs those votes. plus, if they wanna get married and be miserable like everyone else, let 'em. lol.
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May 9th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Wow ' old white people stay losing'
https://twitter.com/#!/gsp1984/status/199912861139615746
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May 9th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
I think black people being against gay marriage is hilarious, we weren't allowed to own land and they would also take our kids away from us because it was scientifically proven(back then) that we were inferior, thus being unfit to raise children. So goes the cycle i guess, we get rights and decide to refuse others, maybe in 50 years Gay people will deny Cylons their right to vote.
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Miss Info Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
wow. kudos to cutting right to the bone. and also working in a Battlestar Galactica reference. this is the comment of the day. Are you a writer?
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yoprince Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
i have to disagree with equating the black struggle with the LGBT struggle.
i do believe they are both problems caused by white male hegemony, yes.
However, while I do believe some people are born with a greater disposition to same-sex attraction, this is not the same as being born 'gay.' What people don't realize is that the conservative religious right could care less about your dispositions. Their stance is if you were born that way, then SUFFER. Suffer in the name of christ. Go to work, go to church, get married, and save your gayness for your fantasies at night.
Of course, I think it's all poppycock and you should live how you want, but I do understand their logic. There is a choice of sorts; you can choose to embrace your disposition or embrace the suffering.
Blacks have NO choice. We are colored the way we are colored. There is no choice of denial. This, for me, is a significant difference.
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Miss Info Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
wow. that is a very tricky tricky thing'the belief that sexual orientation is a choice. That can lead to the idea that being gay is a weakness, or a surrender. While fighting the 'urge' and being hetero is a triumph? I don't think I agree with that. But I understand that race and orientation are not parallel identities.
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yoprince Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 9:23 pm
Well, I totally disagree with the apotheosis of suffering in general.
But religion places all of its bets on just that idea. And I can't expect them to stop in that regard when it comes to homosexuality.
as much as I hate to admit this, I guess I just feel that in the context of the USA being a stupidly religious nation, the current argument against full gay rights is much stronger than the argument against civil rights for women and blacks in the early and mid-20th century.
kudos to myself and jason for getting two 'wows' out of Miss Info in the span of two hours.
Miss Info Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
I love when the comments section is used for actual commentary about larger issues. even though I know the actual readership of these posts is way smaller. I dunno'sometimes it's discouraging, but this is why I blog anyways. To just talk about things I'm interested in. And oftentimes'that's not just about rap.
So thanks to the folks who join in.
May 9th, 2012 at 8:22 pm
i agree gays should be able to get married.
i don't deny, however, that it is a threat to the American way of life. the USA is a country that has never elected a female president, nor would we ever elect an outright atheist. what does that tell you? we are still a patriarchal, Protestant society.
sometimes it may be hard to remember but the USA is not just New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta and Chicago.
you can't forget the people who watch 2 and a Half Men, eat at Olive Garden and go to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and on New Years Eve. these people are threatened, and i don't know the numbers, but they're probably having more kids than the rest of us.
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