The Northwest Florida Daily News www.nwfdailynews.com reports:
OKALOOSA ISLAND - A new coalition chose the NAACP's state convention to announce its support Thursday for passage of Florida's Marriage Protection Amendment.
It was a strange place for the announcement; the Florida State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had come out against Amendment 2.
"We are against Amendment 2 and our reason is the amendment would allow a way for discriminatory practices to be used," said Adori Obi Nweze, president of the state conference. "(The NAACP) has been around for 99 years fighting discrimination in this country. It makes no sense we still have to face it in these times."
Amendment 2 would make marriage between a man and woman the only "legal union" considered "valid or recognized" in Florida.
Nweze said the Marriage Protection Amendment, which will be on the Nov. 4 election ballot, was abominable in its discrimination against people in domestic partnerships.
However, Brenda Lewis with the Blacks for Marriage Coalition, which organized the news conference, disagreed.
"How dare anyone compare the struggles and beatings that African Americans endured in their fight for equality to homosexual struggles," Lewis said. "The comparison is far stretching and offensive to the many African Americans who lost their lives in our fight for equality. Gay rights are clearly not the same as civil rights."
Mary Esther Mayor Chuck Bolton, who spoke at the news conference, said the Mary Esther City Council voted unanimously to support the "Vote Yes on 2" movement.
"I'm offended when people say the effect of the amendment is to take rights away from anyone," Bolton said. "We've got to protect marriage the way it was designed centuries ago."
The Blacks for Marriage Coalition's news conference was held after a debate on Amendment 2 at the NAACP's convention. The debate was between John Stemberger, state chairman of Yes2Marriage.org, and Nadine Smith with the Fairness for All Families Campaign.
Stemberger said the passage of Amendment 2 would protect the institution of marriage. Smith countered that it takes away protections and benefits from people in all domestic partnerships, not just gays and lesbians.
About a dozen ministers and several residents attended the debate.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/amendment_11621___article.html/marriage_conference.html
For information on Amendment 2 - www.yes2marriage.org
3 comments:
Do you really, really, really want to "protect" marriage? THEN MAKE DIVORCE MORE DIFFICULT! We have a 50% divorce rate in this country are you going to blame that on gay people? Get real! Discrimination is discrimination. Period! If gay people aren't going to be allowed to marry and have legal rights in their relationships then let's reduce their tax burden. After all, if you're going to treat your fellow humans as second-class citizens then why should they have to pay equal taxes for less than equal rights?
civil rights
"A broad range of privileges and rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and subsequent amendments and laws that guarantee fundamental freedoms to all individuals. These freedoms include the rights of free expression and action (civil liberties); the right to enter into contracts, own property, and initiate lawsuits; the rights of due process and equal protection of the laws; opportunities in education and work; the freedom to live, travel, and use public facilities wherever one chooses; and the right to participate in the democratic political system."
Gay rights and 'civil rights' aren't the same thing? It's a different name for the same struggle- the right to be treated equally, in all senses of the word. Gay people are fighting for their civil rights. Whether you are uncomfortable with homosexuality or not does not mean you have the right to discriminate against homosexuals. The same goes for religion and race. THOSE are the ideals that were established long ago. THOSE are the ideals we should be fighting to hold on to, not some modern idea of marriage. (Oh, and at one time it was illegal for interracial couples to marry. Should we have held on to that social belief?) Without change we never achieve progress. I would think that people who remember the struggle for black equality would be more supportive to others fighting for equality.
somewhere down the road we took a turn for the worst. i am a democrat and i believe that the gay struggle is not the same as racial discrimination and we need to stop comparing the two. because no one brought gay indivuals to america on a long uncomfortable cruise, sold and seperated their family members and yeah did i forget kill them!! if you are gay your are gay. why should the law comform to your sexual lifesyle. i don't get it. if you want to be with the same sex than do it! no one is telling you can't be together. and if the divorce is so high 50% as you say than why do homosexuals want to marry!! come on now!! everyone wants to have there cake and eat it too!! and people just shacking up gay or shraight should not be able to receive marital benefits. you want the benefits of being married but don't want to marry. what does this say to out younger generation. its okay to lay-up!! just give your body away to whom ever.....???
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