There is a long-standing debate as to whether the black civil rights movement and the gay rights movement are related. While there are unquestionable differences, one undisputed parallel has yet to be highlighted; there is a current discussion within the Democratic Party as to whether supporting gay rights is politically viable, just as there was a similar discussion about supporting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (not to mention, acceptance of interracial marriage). The argument can be made (and heavily defended) that the Democratic stronghold in the South began to crumble due to the Democratic Party's embrace of civil rights. This erosion of support for Democrats, with the South now a major base of the Republican Party, can be looked at as a political disaster for the Democrats. Yet no one questions whether the promotion of civil rights was the right thing to do.
Now there is a new prominent civil rights issue, gay rights, which the African-American community is playing an indirect, yet integral part in. Many Democratic policy makers worry about losing black voters over the gay rights issue. A very religious bloc (albeit a historically socially progressive, religious bloc), the black community is increasingly split over the acceptance of gay rights by the Democratic Party. And there are many Democratic leaders who fear the alienation of their ever-faithful black voting contingent if gay rights become a major part of the party platform (which, regardless of how the issue is exploited by either side, it is not already).
A recent uproar over an especially harsh and anti-gay pulpit speech by the prominent black D.C. Baptist Rev. Willie Wilson has brought this issue to light. After much pressure, Wilson has since apologized for his remarks, but his initial hard-line stance has illuminated a growing gap within the African-American community. There are those who see equality for gays and lesbians as an important part of the civil rights debate and those who maintain that homosexuality is a sin and should be treated as such. There are many studies on homophobia in black communities in the United States, and it seems that this homophobic sentiment is just as much a social stigma as it is a religious attitude. Yet if gay rights can be framed a religious issue before LGBT activists can frame it an equal rights issue, there may never be a chance to form a true alliance between the LGBT community and the black community. If this becomes a reality the Democratic Party will be forced to make a choice: fully embrace homosexual equality or continue a vague promotion of tolerance. The first is the right thing to do but the second may be the more politically viable option. Let us then avoid this choice. Let us open a dialogue now and show each other how much we can help one another. It is certainly true that the civil rights struggle of the mid-20th century was much different than the struggle for equality at the beginning of the 21st century. Yet a fuller discussion of why these movements are different will lead to a deeper understanding of how similar the ultimate goal is for both, equal rights and justice for all.
