It wasn’t that long ago that “there was no such thing as putting a pastor on hold” when the leader of a D.C. church called city hall, said the Rev. Patrick J. Walker of the New Macedonia Baptist Church in Southeast.
But when Walker, whose church has 2,000 members, asked to sit down with D.C. Council members this summer to discuss same-sex marriage, some of them wouldn’t meet with him, he said.
“This city certainly is no longer church-friendly,” Walker said.
The clout of the local faith community, particularly the black church, in D.C. politics has been declining for decades. But with the council heading for a vote next week on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, the near-certain passage of the legislation has come to symbolize both political and spiritual changes in the District.
I am definitely behind the times. My perception of The District has been shaped by the days of Marion Barry, mayor from 1979 to 1991 and again from 1995 to 1999. But the article states:
[blockquote] white voters in the District … made up 70 percent of the population in 1980. Today, according to census data, they account for 54 percent of the city’s population [/blockquote] The black population is more likely to vote against gay marriage. But now there’s this: [blockquote] “But if you look at the gays and lesbians, they make up 19 percent of the electorate. That’s a sizeable voting bloc.” [/blockquote] Even if they’re only 15 percent, they tend to make a noise that is disproportionate to their size. But witness this:
[blockquote] the Board of Elections and Ethics has twice rejected requests by a group of ministers for a referendum on the issue, ruling in favor of gay rights activists who argued that such a vote would be discriminatory. [/blockquote] What?
More proof that gay activists are in favor of justice only when they are on the losing side.
CORRECTION: I cut and pasted from the article, and got a wrong number.
The black voters in The District made up 70 percent of the population in 1970.
Yep, that’s our nation’s capital all right! I can’t help but wonder, especially based on Br_er Rabbit’s comment, why blacks vote for Democrats over and over; they just get thrown under the bus.
About 90 percent of blacks vote for Democrats. Democrats are in favor of same-sex marraige. Black clergy against same-sex marraige notice that their influence in D.C. is falling. Duh? What goes around, comes around. Statmann
Thanks for the clarification Mr. Rabbit. I grew up in Alexandria with a knowledge from my father of the demographics of the region. Whites have not been a majority in the District since the early to mid 60’s. BTW, the black Catholic population of the city is quite sizable though with not enough clout to overturn the city’s gay community centered on Dupont Circle which is where the post collegiate 20 somethings who work on the hill are located. It isn’t as much a question of numbers as money, influence and political organization. Of course, the fact that blacks tend to vote overwhelmingly democrat means their opinion on other issues is considered irrelevant. Same with pro-life republicans. They dont count much either because everyone knows they wont vote democrat. The ones with the greatest clout are the independents and whoever is well organized and generous to campaigns.
““But if you look at the gays and lesbians, they make up 19 percent of the electorate. That’s a sizeable voting bloc.†”
Homosexuals are disproportionately represented in the nomenklatura, and thus their presence in DC is strong. Sometimes it seems DC is a gayer city than San Francisco. While blacks may outnumber the homosexuals, the latter are quite rich, and the former in the DC area, most definitely not. Money talks as we know, so that will also be felt in DC. Yes, it’s ironic in the extreme to see all queer social justice types now using their wealth and power to silence black people, but is anyone honestly surprised?
Statman: No, blacks are NOT for same-sex marriage. They helped defeat Prop 8 in California last year. Dems were furious. Their pastors ARE representing most of their pewsters. If this issue was put up for referendum, it would be defeated. Ergo why I wonder why blacks still think the Dems represent them and keep voting for them.