I have a confession. A confession that would make my sixth grade history teacher cringe. A confession that would probably  make black suffrage advocates shake their heads in dismay.  I almost drank the Kool-aid. I almost decided not to vote in the upcoming election. Hear me out.

Prior to news breaking alleging that many black pastors were advising their congregations to opt out of voting in this election, I hadn’t really put much thought into the candidate that I would be voting for. As a young adult and a student, it just seemed to me that President Obama had my best interests in mind and at heart, and that was who I had planned on voting for. However, my firm stance was shaken as I made my rounds one morning, scanning the web to see headline after headline implying that black pastors were advising their congregations not to vote in the upcoming election because of Obama’s advocacy for issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. Apparently, deciding between Obama and Romney was like choosing between two evils. Call me naive, but I had never really even taken those factors into consideration. Yes, his stance on the subjects directly conflict with basic biblical principles; however, I never stopped to make the correlation between my presidential candidate of choice and my religious beliefs prior to reading these headlines.

But the more I thought about it, the more conflicted I felt. Would me deciding to go to the ballot box and vote for the Democratic party be a direct contradiction of my Christian beliefs? Yet the thought of voting for Mitt Romney made me absolutely sick to my stomach. Because I couldn’t find a peace of mind with either men at the time, I decided that I would do like the other Christians mentioned in those articles I found online–I had decided not to vote. I knew it wasn’t the best choice, but what was I to do? Considering how much Christians endorsed President Obama in the fist election, comparing him to Dr. King and all, compared to the way in which they are at odds with him now was like watching two parents fighting and being unsure of which side to choose. So, I made up my mind to do what most children would do when caught in the middle of two feuding parents. Stand there and do nothing.

All was well in the world again. I didn’t have to choose between my Christian upbringing and my political party of choice. “May the best man win,” I thought as I made myself comfortable, nestling in the gray area instead of choosing sides. That is until one day, while on Twitter, I came on across this image of a man hanging from a streetlight post with a sign on his chest that read: This N-Word voted. I felt hot tears well up in my eyes as everything I’d ever learned about the Civil Rights Movement and the fight for black suffrage came rushing back to my memory. I thought of all the people who lost their lives so that I could have the right to vote. In that moment I came to my senses. Voting is a responsibility and a privilege. No one ever said that choosing between presidential candidates would be easy, but blood was literally shed so that people like you and I could be able to vote and choose. Deciding not to participate in this presidential election is a cop out that I almost took. But I am so glad that I came to my senses. While deciding between presidential candidates in this current election is a hard decision, know that someone died just so that you would have the right to make that decision. I don’t know about you, but I know where I’ll be next Tuesday…

Jazmine Denise is a freelance writer living in New York. Follow her on Twitter @jazminedenise

All photos are courtesy of Shutterstock

Source: starpulse.com

From BlackVoices

Dear Chick-Fil-A,

You and I sure have had our share of good times. I fondly recall the first moment I ever met you: it was at the Atlanta airport. I’d always heard about you, and was a little nervous to approach. You were everything everyone said you were and more. It was truly love at first bite. I told you I’d come back, and I did — time and time again. We met in various cities all over the country, each time better than the last, as if we’d never been apart. Isn’t that what true love is, where it picks up right it left off?

You can imagine my excitement when I heard you were moving west to my city, Los Angeles. I’d be able to see you as much as I wanted, with no shame or recriminations. Our love would no longer have to be in secret. We could love out loud, for the entire world to see. I was in bliss, and for a time I was truly truly happy.

But baby, lately you’ve been doing me dirty. You’ve been speaking with a forked tongue, spewing hate instead of frying love. Who would have thought that a chicken sandwich would become a symbol for both free speech and intolerance at the same time? It brings a whole new meaning to the question, “Do you it want light or dark?”

I don’t understand why you’re jeopardizing what we have. You’re forcing me to choose between my heart and my stomach. Your president has said that you believe that a marriage is only between a man and a woman. But if anyone keeps eating at your establishment, the only relationship that’ll matter is between a man and his cardiologist. It’s not like anyone, gay or straight, is getting married in your restaurant — nor will any gay couple ever be serving fried food at their nuptials.

You say that gay marriage is a sin, like in Leviticus 19:22. But a preceding verse, Leviticus 17:14, says, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.” You don’t cook your chicken in a kosher way. On what grounds are you picking and choosing which edicts to follow?

Read the rest of D. L.’s letter on BlackVoices.com.

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Image: FoxNews.com

-The country added 163,000 jobs last month, a huge increase when compared to the 64,000 that were added in June. Even with this good news, there’s bad. First, the unemployment rate is up to 8.3 percent. Second, the country is producing as much stuff now as it did before the downturn, when there were five million more jobs. If companies can do more with less, they will. And third, the jobs being created is only covering the new people coming into the workforce. Add to that the ongoing concerns about the European economy and things are still looking pretty dark. But, the Federal Reserve sounds like it’s now ready to act with stimulus measures, so that could be a good thing.

-Gabby Douglas has the gold! The 16-year-old won the women’s all-around competition yesterday, becoming the first black American to win that coveted prize. Even with all the that, people have found a reason to bad mouth her. The Internet has gone in on Douglas’ hair, of all things. We’re going to ignore all that. #GoGabbyGo.

In other Olympics news, Michael Phelps is competing in the last individual race of his career today. And the U.S. basketball team is cruising, setting a points record beating Nigeria 156 to 73. Want to imagine getting your own gold? Go to the BBC site where you can plug in your height and weight and find out which Olympic athlete you resemble.

-Those angered by Chick-fil-A’s position on same-sex marriage are staging a kiss-in in protest. Participants will show up at restaurants across the country and kiss other protesters of the same sex. Wednesday was “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” which brought record-breaking sales. The day was organized on Facebook and attended by many who support the stance put forward by company president Dan Cathy. Chick-fil-A restaurant locations are largely in regions where support for same-sex marriage tends to be low. But if the company tries to move into areas where the tide on the issue is turning, the company will likely run into trouble.

-The U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria and (former U.N. Secretary General) Kofi Annan is stepping down from his post at the end of the month. During a press conference, Annan criticized the lack of action and support he received from the Security Council. Violence continues in the country, where the city of Aleppo is now the main site of fighting between the government and rebels. More than 14,000 people have died.

-A study conducted by two liberal advocacy groups, U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and Demos, found that just 47 people have given 57.1 percent of the $230 million donated by individuals to PACs during this 2012 election. Super PACs supporting Mitt Romney have spent $144 million on TV advertising in swing states so far. Billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his family have donated  good portion of the $36 million that they’ve given to Winning Our Future, a PAC with ties to Newt Gingrich. They’ve also given $10 million to Restore Our Future, a PAC started by Mitt Romney’s former aides. The report’s authors ”calculate that it would take 321,000 middle-income families, donating an equivalent share of their wealth (0.15 percent), to match the Adelsons’ giving,” The Washington Post reports.

Still a little unsure of what a PAC is? Stephen Colbert started his own super PAC and invited legal expert Trevor Potter on The Colbert Report to explain what they are and how (horribly) they’re allowed to be behave.

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Source: minnesotaforequality.com

If you’re looking for a greeting card for your gay friend’s wedding, Target has you covered.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that Target now stocks cards for same-sex couples:

Same-sex marriages aren’t recognized in most states, but Target stores nationwide are now selling greeting cards to celebrate them.

Placed on card racks under the headings of “For two special men” and “For two special women,” the cards are adorned with phrases such as “Mr. & Mr.” and “Two very special women, one very special love.”

The cards hit shelves in mid-June, a month after the retailer began selling T-shirts with gay pride themes, and two years after Target drew a backlash for a $150,000 donation it made to a group backing Tom Emmer, the Republican gubernatorial candidate who opposed gay marriage.

Target offers a range of greeting cards that appeal to a variety of audiences, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, spokeswoman Molly Snyder said.

“Target is focused on diversity and inclusivity,” she said.

Hallmark has been selling same-sex greeting cards since 2008, but Target stocks Carlton Cards. The company told the Star-Tribune that they and Target jointly decided to offer “wedding cards relevant for everyone.”

The store hasn’t come out and publicly backed same-sex marriage, but had been known for gay-friendly practices until the company decided to donate to an organization that happened to be in support of non-equal rights back in 2010. Since then, Target has taken very public strides to strip the “Target doesn’t support Equal Rights!” reputation it gained after that donation. They seemed to be ridding themselves of that perception for good until just last week Frank Ocean’s manager, Christian Clancy, cited that donation and accused Target of discriminatory practices after they refused to shelve Frank’s pre-released album. Target swiftly denied the accusation in a statement to Billboard Magazine and Clancy apologized calling his initial comments, “a knee-jerk reaction”.

Target may never live down it’s “anti-gay” reputation no matter how unwarranted, but it looks like anyone looking to pull the gay card on them should at least check their greeting card section first.

What do you think of Target selling same-sex greeting cards?

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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advocate.org

Kameron Slade won a class speech competition and that allowed him to be part of the school wide speech competition at P.S. 195 in Queens, NY.  Instead of taking on a topic that many other students would probably pick, 10 year old Cameron decided on something else: same sex marriage. Kameron, along with his mother and teacher, worked diligently on the speech so that he would be prepared for last Friday’s competition.

He didn’t get to do the speech because just two days before, the principal told Kameron’s unidentified mother that he needed to change the topic or be removed from the contest.  Although Kameron changed the topic (he spoke on animal cruelty) and subsequently lost the speech contest, his opinions on same sex marriage conversations as it pertains to children apparently remained the same:

“There is no point in really trying to hide it because us children, we are going to figure it out some time now or later.”

When news fthis story broke on NY1, there was immediate outrage from gay and lesbian advocates and caused Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott to speak on what was happening. Walcott said the principal, also unnamed, felt she needed to connect with the parent community first because of the nature of the topic.  A final decision was made on Friday that Kameron would be allowed to deliver the speech at an assembly at the school on Monday.  If any parents have problem with their child hearing the speech, they’re encouraged to contact the principal.

Interesting indeed.  There would likely be some children in the audience who would might still be sheltered from knowing about same sex relationships and marriage so to find out from a fellow student might be a bit much.  On the other hand, children today learn a lot about social happenings while being in school so it’s possible that it would have been easier to understand coming from a classmate.

Do you think the principal made the correct decision? Would you have been upset if a speech like that was delivered in front of your child? What is a good age to talk to your children aboutgay and lesbian relationships?

Source: Hiphop-n-more.com

I can’t tell yet if President Obama’s really started something with black male rappers and acceptance of homosexuality or if these stars are just being trendy, but after Jay-Z expressed his support of the POTUS’ controversial same-sex marriage stance, T.I. has done the same.

In an interview with MTV’s RapFix Live, TIP made it clear that the push for gay couples to be able to marry is a non-issue for him.

“Just to speak honestly and being frank, I don’t care,” he told Sway. “I think that if a matter doesn’t affect your daily life, you shouldn’t take a hard stand on it. If it’s not something that directly affects you, if it doesn’t affect you, what difference does it make to you what other people are doing with their lives?

“I think that you should be able to do whatever you want to do,” T.I. remarked. “I don’t see how it matters one way or another.”

Although Tip hasn’t been able to vote for the past several years due to being on probation since his 2007 weapons arrest, this September his probation will be lifted and when he was asked who he was voting for he responded:

“I don’t think that’s a hard question….Obama.”

When we think about it, there are only a handful of rappers who really matter in the game right now and I wonder if T.I. and Jay-Z’s endorsement of same-sex marriage will start to peel back the anti-homophobic layers covering hip-hop. There’s a big difference between saying I don’t care what they’re doing over there and backing a gay or lesbian rapper but if these guys openly support homosexuality in one form they better be ready to accept it in another if confronted with it.

What do you think? Are T.I. and Jay-Z being trendy or could they really bring about change?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: religion.blogs.cnn.com

Question: Why is the news obsessed with what the black community thinks about same sex marriage?

I mean, they don’t ask the community about their feelings on the economy. Nor are we invited to share our thoughts on topics related to foreign affairs. But every since President Obama pledged his support for same sex marriage the spotlight has been put onto black community as political pundits and journalists alike wait with baited breath to hear what we think about it.

I don’t know about the rest of yall but I’m kind of offended. Two months ago, when the Black community was all a huff over the Trayvon Martin case, I don’t recall CNN or MSNBC rushing to get a comment from the likes of GLAAD and the Human Rights Coalition. Sure both groups did put out statements taking a strong stand against the injustices around the Martin case. But those statements never made it to the press. Nor were their cameras in what could be classified as traditional “gay spaces” asking them their opinions on Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence. I’m willing to bet though, that if a poll were done, like the many CBS/NBC/Gallop/New York Times polls we’ve seen about the black reaction to Obama’s announcement, we probably too would see a diversity of thought from the LGBT community including those who supported justice for the Martin family to those who downright thought he had it coming. I mean, just because you are gay, doesn’t mean that you can’t be racist.

Of course, it would be illogical to think that if a number of gay and lesbian, transgender and bisexual folks believe that Zimmerman was innocent than the entire LBGT community must be condemned. But that is what is happening to the black community now on the issue of same sex marriage. No matter how internally diverse we are, in the eyes of the mainstream it is one for all and all for one. The obvious explanation is that this is an attempt to drive a wedge – or at least exploit a supposed wedge issue that is already there – between the two communities, especially considering that the long standing narrative is that black voters let their Bible-thumping ways get in the way of any sense of justice for the LGBT community.  We’ve seen that vilification of black folks in 2008 with the passage of California Prop 8 and we see it most recently in North Carolina with Amendment One – even as new evidences proved that other factors such as geographical location of the voters and generational differences in attitudes proved to be much more determining factors than actual race.

But the media needs its villains and scapegoats. And instead of putting the blame squarely on the state and federal governments, who choose to derail or flat out refuse to enforce the basic promise of equality under the 14th Amendment, they use the tried and true arguments of state rights and majority wins, which is as old as struggle for equality itself.  First off, black folks have never been that politically powerful. And secondly, do you honestly think if a law, in regards to civil rights for black folks, were on the ballot today it would pass by the majority? Heck no, that’s why federal mandates were created to force the hands of states, who seek to deny people basic rights.

But all of that is secondary to the discussion at hand. More to my point: black people are a monolithic group, similar in kind to the Borg from Star Trek.  We look alike, talk alike and therefore must think alike – at least by the mainstream media standards. Never mind the hundreds of free thinkers, black intellectuals, college professors, and ordinary blacks who’ve spent their entire lives either living or pondering on the intersection between being Black and being gay. Their views don’t matter. The only opinions that do matter belong to those, who the media has deemed the sole authority on the black experience: mainly the Southern black conservative church.

For the last few days since President Obama’s announcement, many mainstream news media, along with several black media outlets have been tripping over themselves to parade every single conservative preacher, Deacon and brother in a Christian barbershop in front of the cameras to give their brimstone and fire accounts of why President Obama and “the gays” are going to Hell. These people are scary and often feed into the political theater that the black community is largely homophobic, thus throwing their support for President Obama’s reelection campaign in jeopardy. It’s good fodder for 24-hour news stations, whose main objective is ratings, but bad for our community, who just can’t escape having our thoughts and images marginalized to fit someone else’s agenda.

Source: Black Voices.com

From Black Voices.com

There were plenty of black ministers who spoke out against President Obama’s stance on marriage equality and the media was happy to interview them. But there’s another side to this story. There are black and Latino ministers who strongly support the president and his newly stated stance.

Support for marriage equality among African American and Latino groups has increased over the past few years. A recent Public Religion Research Institute poll found that a majority of Latino Catholics and a third of black Protestants support marriage equality.

See who these men and women of God are at BlackVoices.com

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Source: Eurweb.com

These magazines are getting more and more salacious as the days go on. First there was Time’s controversial breastfeeding cover and now Newsweek is following suit with a cover crowning President Obama as the “first gay president.” Clearly, President Obama is heterosexual so the cover with its headline is rubbing people the wrong way. One news anchor on CNN even argued that since some people still believe that the president is not a Christian and that he wasn’t born in this country, when he’s presented evidence to the contrary, is it really wise to make yet another false statement about him?

Let us know what you think about the cover and check out what the author of the cover story, openly gay political blogger Andrew Sullivan, had to say about President Obama’s announcement and what effect it had on him at Eurweb.com. 

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Taking a break from her busy responsibilities as a single mother, 21-year-old Bristol Palin took a moment to write a blog post criticizing President Obama’s support of gay marriage today. Unfortunately she didn’t take enough time to consider the hypocrisy of what she wrote when she questioned how much Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, influenced his coming out of support so to speak. She wrote:

“While it’s great to listen to your kids’ ideas, there’s also a time when dads simply need to be dads,” wrote Palin.

She continued, “In this case, it would’ve been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that while her friends parents are no doubt lovely people, that’s not a reason to change thousands of years of thinking about marriage. Or that – as great as her friends may be – we know that in general kids do better growing up in a mother/father home. Ideally, fathers help shape their kids’ worldview.”

Ah, the old, ‘but we’ve been doing it this way forever’ logic. Ever heard of progression, Bristol? I’m more concerned with why she’s not nearly half as invested in thinking about the fatherly lessons her child is missing out on while her baby daddy Levi Johnston focuses on his “modeling” career, tell-all book, and coming baby with his new chick. If needing a mother and a father in the home and tradition are the only arguments she has, I’d say she lost this round, although she does come up with another interesting justification for why President Obama declared his support of gay marriage: TV.

“In this case, it would’ve been nice if the President would’ve been an actual leader and helped shape their thoughts instead of merely reflecting what many teenagers think after one too many episodes of Glee.”

And with that I would like to thank Bristol for her not well thought-out entertainment today. Your job is done and you have successfully earned all the seats in Alaska that your mother is not currently occupying.

Check out her entire blog post and the 352 readers and counting who are going in on her here. What do you think about what she wrote?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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