By Straight Talk

Nothing irritates me more than a news article spouting facts that deceive the uneducated reader. Except perhaps a journalist who writes the article.  Recently, Cathleen Decker had an article in the Los Angeles Times saying:

“…Overall, the poll showed a majority of voters in Los Angeles support the right of same-sex couples to legally marry, with 56% in favor and 37% opposed. That finding closely tracked results of November’s election, when Proposition 8, which limited marriage to a man and a woman, won statewide but lost in Los Angeles. 

 

But the poll also showed that within the city, views on the issue differed widely among racial and ethnic groups. 

 

White voters were most emphatic in supporting same-sex marriage, with 68% approving of it and 27% opposing. African American voters were almost the opposite, with 54% opposing same-sex unions and 37% supporting them. Opposition to gay marriage by African Americans was widely seen as a major factor contributing to the passage of Proposition 8…”

The last sentence here is not only absurd it’s ridiculous. According to the recent government poll African Americans make up 6.3% of the California population. That means (and we’re talking grade school math here…) 6.3% = African Americans in California Population and 54% of THEM opposed same-sex marriage. This means that African Americans that opposed Same-Sex Marriage = 3.4% of the population of California.

To say that the opposition to gay marriage by African American voters (3.4% of the population) is a “major factor” in the passage of Prop 8 is bordering on stupid. In fact, if Blacks voted the same as Whites you would only reduce the spread by 2%. Since according to state totals the voting results had a spread of 4.5% this means that Blacks voting identically to Whites in California would NOT have changed the results.

It makes me wonder what is the motivation behind Cathleen Decker’s articles? Is she just trying to stir up conflict between the Black community and the Gay community? Is she being paid by the Right Wing groups to divert the blame from them to the small group of Black people. I don’t know her or her motivations but she is clearly NOT able to convey the truth.

Useful Links:
Los Angeles Times article by Cathleen Decker

Tags: african american voters, black voters, gay marriage, Gay Wedding, lesbian wedding, myqueerwedding.com, Prop 8, proposition 8, same-sex marriage