CNN recently released a report stating that Americans are still split on the issue of gay marriage. Sources point to the mounting battle between supporters and detractors of the now infamous vote concerning Proposition 8: the California Marriage Protection Act, a possible amendment to the law that would define marriage as solely between a man and a woman — a constitutional shift that would indirectly ban gay marriage. After the proposition passed, U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker declared that it was unconstitutional and overturned the result. While this was a triumphant moment for detractors, supporters claim Walker’s decision will eventually reach the Supreme Court for scrutiny.
This ongoing battle royal for basic civil rights among homosexuals has endured countless social setbacks — so much so that onlookers from both sides of the aisle have tried to connect the mission to that of African Americans who rose from the shackles of slavery, survived Jim Crow, won a fight for civil rghts and managed to become a legitimate and necessary voice in a nation that survives on laws that were once used to enslave them. Highlighting the association, the popular gay magazine, The Advocate, featured Gay Is The New Black, a cover story connecting the two struggles.
Drawing on the popular Advocate piece, “The Tyra Banks Show” took the discussion to daytime television, featuring a special episode, “Is Gay The New Black?” Host Tyra Banks featured guests who argued that gay people are now the minority, disenfranchised class, alienated and denied their civil rights just as black people were in the past. Guest Sam Harris was appalled with reports that most black people in California supported Proposition 8, recording an emotional video condemning the faction.
Is it fair to compare the gay rights movement to the Civil Rights Movement? There are most certainly several important similarities, but is gay really the new black? There are compelling arguments on both sides, but what do you think? –constance collins