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What does voting NO mean? (photo: Vote No Minnesota)

On July 24, 2012 at New Salem Baptist Church located at 2507 Bryant Avenue North, there will be hosting a forum on the marriage amendment and same sex marriage. This event starts at 6:oo p.m. – all are welcome. “Gay Marriage is no more a threat to traditional marriage than you walking outside in the Minnesota winter and being bit by a King Cobra.” ~D. Allen

by Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/The Independent Business News Network

Minneapolis, MN (IBNN/Gay Marriage & Rights/July 16, 2012)…There’s a controversy brewing in ecumenical circles about the “morality” of gay marriage. While in some “Black churches” you don’t have to look any farther than the choir director, organ player or deacons to find heinous abuses of young parishioners at the hands of church officials. While there is no scripture in the bible saying that being “gay” is “bad,” some religious leaders still throw the book at anything having to do with Gay Rights.

My mother used to tell me, “It doesn’t matter who you love – just love somebody.” Despite my political views (A proud Independent Conservative), I have to say if the GLBT community wants to marry each other, more power to them. My political upbringing has reminded me it’s important to stay out of other people’s bedrooms.

The debate on Gay Marriage is similar to the debate on Gays in the military; Gay Rights and Growing Up Gay. Homophobia runs deep in the mainstream. The journal “The case for gay rights: from Bowers to Lawrence and beyond” (by David A.J. Richards) has a quote that is striking and sums up what should happen, “With contractualist equality, the analysis rejects pleasure/pain as the basis of a personal calculation in favor of an a priori rule supposing moral dignity for each human being and the universal ability to exercise moral reasoning, thus enabling empathy for any given situation, including resistance to homophobia.”

Some videos on YouTube show what I feel is an ongoing bigotry toward Gays in America. It’s almost to the point of being over-baring. With the GLBT community positioning themselves to be a force to recon with, those who are ignorant and fill of fear must get a clear understanding of the GBLT community in the United States.

The rise of the GLBT community started long ago. To my knowledge it was recognized and pushed further into the mainstream in 2006. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) made history on June 30, 2006 as the first organization for families and allies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people to ring the Closing Bell (SM) at the New York Stock Exchange.

Gay buying/spending power is expected to hit $2 trillion by 2012. This comes announcement comes from “The Raw Story,” which says, “The purchasing power of the GLBT community is estimated today to be a massive $641 billion, with projections reaching $2 trillion by 2012. Add in the buying power of the millions of family members and friends who show fierce allegiance to fair- minded corporations, and you get a message that no company can afford to ignore: equality is good for business,” said Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the more than 200,000-member organization. Huckaby goes onto say, “This economic clout and product loyalty is only going to grow. We are here to give the business world this wake-up call and to help companies compete.”

Some same-sex marriages have a dual income of more than 80k per year. These unions for the most part are active politically and socially. To abandon the spending power for the sake of a religious position doesn’t make much sense – but neither do the Republicans in 2012.

Corporate America is operated by some of the most “powerful” gay men in the United States; unfortunately many have decided not to come out of the closet. The support of gay marriage is a civil rights issue. Also in education, gay men run a tight ship, but also have the privilege of White Privilege. In some cases, this creates a double-edge sword of progressive misconduct on the part of gay power brokers that use privilege to put their plight ahead of others who have been denied basic civil rights for hundreds of years.

The only challenge I have with the Gay Rights/Marriage thing is when the GLBT Community wants to ride on the Black Civil Rights train.  While I understand the need for association to show a similar plight, the Black struggle and the Gay struggle are two separate issues that should never be looked at under the same lens.