Gay Rights, Civil Rights
Margaret Kimberley, in her Freedom Rider: Gay Rights, Civil Rights column from The Black Commentator (issue #110), talked about comparisons between discrimination faced by gay people and that faced by black people, and how "the black experience" as an image has been co-opted by opponents and proponents of gay equality, lately in the "debate" about marriage equality for gay people. Speaking of the opponents, she says:
The sleaziest among them even endorse George W. Bush because he is right on what they see as a moral issue, having defined immorality purely by sexual activity. Waging war or kidnapping an elected head of state are apparently not worthy of mention when morality is discussed. One particularly foolish reverend, Gregory Daniels of Chicago, made this unforgettable statement: “If the KKK would oppose gay marriage I would ride with them.”
This clarifies for me the uneasy feeling (always bordering on jaw-dropping incredulity) that I have had throughout the "debate"–and, indeed, most anytime that the subject of homosexuality comes up–namely, how disproportionate the response has been from opponents. Obviously, this can, has been, and will continue to be the subject of many essays, but here's one form of the question put in rather stark terms:
Is keeping two men from marrying so important that black people should get into bed [as it were] with the KKK to make certain that it never comes to pass?