Black pastors rally against gay marriage
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The pastors rallied Monday at an Atlanta-area church to show their opposition to gay marriage and to dispel comparisons to the civil rights movement.
About 30 of the pastors, along with 250 parishioners, signed a declaration meant to pressure state representatives to approve a constitutional ban on gay marriages, which will be considered again by the Georgia House as soon as this week.
“They claim, like us, they are an oppressed minority,” preached the Rev. Clarence James, an African-American studies professor at Temple University. “When the homosexual compares himself to the black community, he doesn’t know what suffering is.”
The declaration is being presented to state leaders Tuesday. It says same-sex marriage is not a civil right, and marriage between a man and a woman is important because it’s necessary for the upbringing of children.
“To equate a lifestyle choice to racism demeans the work of the entire civil rights movement,” the statement said. “People are free in our nation to pursue relationships as they choose. To redefine marriage, however, to suit the preference of those choosing alternative lifestyles is wrong.”
The group does not want to discriminate against gays, said Bishop William Shields of Hopewell Baptist Church. Instead, it wants to stand up for what is right, he said.
“It is a threat to who we are and what we stand for,” Shields said. “If nothing else gets us out of the pews, this ought to.”
The pastors preached to standing ovations and shouts of “hallelujah” and “alright” from the crowd, along with prayers and the singing of hymns.
“We believe in the sanctity of marriage,” said Shirley Borden of Atlanta, who came to the church Monday night. “Our voices need to be known.”
More than 600 people rallied last month outside the Georgia Capitol, saying a constitutional amendment would violate their civil rights. They held signs reading “Marriage is a civil right not a religious rite” and “We say no to marriage segregation.”
“How do they figure that it’s not a civil rights issue?” said the Rev. Paul Turner, a gay pastor from Atlanta who helped organize last month’s rally.
“This is just a way for those conservative leadership in the black community to say, ‘Look, this isn’t a matter of civil rights because we’re black and we didn’t have a choice in being black.’ And they think gays do, and that’s not true,” Turner said.
Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Georgia, but supporters of the ban say the constitution needs to be changed to make sure a judge does not direct Georgia to recognize gay marriages performed in other states.