On Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, allowing federal benefits to same-sex spouses who are legally married in their states. Subsequently, it threw out Proposition 8, making it legal again for gay couples to be married in California.
The DOMA ruling takes a step forward in the fight for LGBT equality by providing the same federal rights to same-sex couples as their heterosexual counterparts, including Social Security survivor benefits, immigration rights and family leave.
A historic day for the nation, the African-American religious community reacted with differing views on the news, as the black church remains divided over the issue.
‘Inevitable outcome’
“It is an inevitable outcome of legalizing marriage in certain states around the country,” Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Virginia tells theGrio. “I lead a very progressive African-American congregation who’s able to see the complexity of the issue and can say this: We believe the state ought to endorse it.”
The court ruled 5-4 on the provision, which didn’t eliminate all laws limiting the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, but made a significant stance some believe shows where the country is headed.
The decision noted that by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, the law violates the rights of same-sex couples by demoting their marriages to an inferior status.
Though SCOTUS rejected California’s same-sex marriage ban, it conversely left intact laws banning such marriages in 35 other states.
In Wesley’s mind, legalizing gay marriage is a civil rights issue, not a religious issue, and one for the government to decide. He recognizes the contentions within his own community, and suggests that even if personal beliefs conflict, the church should not be prejudiced.
“What does it mean to be married if you don’t have the same benefits that are offered to other couples?” Wesley observes. “I don’t think marriage is in danger or jeopardy. There is a difference in what we as people of faith are called to do, and what the state and the government are called to do and believe and enforce…We will not be biased or prejudiced against those who are gay and do deserve the right to be married.”
A media ‘barrage’ on gay marriage?
President Obama similarly backed the court’s ruling, tweeting this morning,
“Today’s DOMA ruling is a historic step forward for #MarriageEquality. #LoveIsLove.”
Yet according to Bishop Lance Davis, pastor of New Zion Covenant in Illinois, focusing on gay rights distracts from the more pressing issues concerning African-American freedoms, and furthermore, religious communities should not be forced by a media “barrage” to accept same-sex marriage.
If the majority of states do not support gay marriage, says Davis, the numbers provide the biggest testament to the country’s wishes.
“It’s been this long and still the majority of the state has not passed same-sex legislation,” Davis points out. “There is a whole segment of our society that has been overlooked and totally mistreated, and treated as if they are not part of country at all, and that is our children. For us to then bypass our agenda of saving our children and jump to the agenda of same-sex marriage, we think that it’s wrong.”
Similarly, the Coalition of African-American Pastors spoke out this morning against the SCOTUS rulings.
‘Devastated’
“We are devastated that the Supreme Court succumbed to political pressure by voting to weaken the sacred institution,” Rev. William Owens, President of the CAAP, offered today in a statement. “They neglected our most precious children who need a mother and a father united in marriage for healthy development. The African-American community has already been plagued with problems related to children growing up in single parent households. This ruling will only accelerate the further erosion of our communities and society.”
He adds, “African-Americans pay a disproportionate price as collateral damage of the aggressive gay agenda, and it will take leaders across the country to resist the cultural shift on marriage.”
Davis also disagrees with the notion that gay rights are equivalent to African-American civil rights, and says that the latter battle is still an uphill fight.
He recalls a recent experience when a white woman clutched her purse as she stepped into the elevator with him.
“It wasn’t because I was gay or transgender, but because I was black,” Davis comments. “For us to say that was an issue of the past and far gone is wrong.”
Accordingly, Davis remains adamantly against support of gay marriage, noting that the LGBT community received “all they wanted” when civil unions were allowed.
‘Why are we considered bigots?’
On that note, the church deserves the right to stand for its belief without suffering persecution.
“If it is an okay activity to cling to our Bible, and we want to cling to it and preserve it, why are we considered bigots?” Davis asks. “We continue on our fight for biblical definitions of marriage. We say that equality to [the LGBT community] is in that civil union law, and so we’d like for Illinois to remain a state that does not recognize same sex marriage…We talk about religious freedom. This takes away from religious freedom.”
Perhaps of greater concern however, Wesley points out that the focus of the African-American community should not shift to gay rights slander, rather it should push its attention to the fact that the Voting Rights Act suffered a major hit on Tuesday.
“We as a black church will raise more issue of the Supreme Court ruling than we will of the Voting Right Act just the day before,” he remarks. “For me, there is more at stake that we should be raising our voices over than whether a gay couple has benefits.”
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @courtgarcia