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In reply to the discussion: The war on the "far left" is an effort to move the Democratic Party to the right. [View all]pnwmom
(108,925 posts)on the larger African American community? Or are you just assuming his influence has been negligible?
Are you aware that support for marriage equality has been much lower among black Democrats than among whites, and that Obama has helped to change this?
Are you aware that Obama has also been speaking out in Africa on LGBT issues?
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2012-07-19/african-american-gay-marriage-obama/56340990/1
Four years ago, 70% of black Californians said they voted for a state ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. Today, though there is still resistance nationally, politicians, civil rights leaders and even hip-hop artists are helping the black community evolve on its views about gays.
In a recent Washington Post-ABC survey, black support for gay marriage rose 18 percentage points in one month (to 59%) after President Obama announced in May that gays should be allowed to marry. In the past, black support for gay marriage has lagged behind the national average. Why the shift?
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/27/obama_african_leaders_clash_on_gay_rights_ap/
THURSDAY, JUN 27, 2013 01:48 PM PDT
U.S. President Barack Obama, standing beside Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall(Credit: AP/Rebecca Blackwell)
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) Laying bare a clash of cultures, President Barack Obama on Thursday urged African leaders to extend equal rights to gays and lesbians but was bluntly rebuked by Senegals president, who said his country still isnt ready to decriminalize homosexuality.
Obama opened his weeklong trip to Africa one day after the U.S. Supreme Court expanded federal benefits for married gay couples. In his first in-person comments on the ruling, Obama said the courts decision marked a proud day for America. He pressed for similar recognition for gays in Africa, wading into a sensitive area in a region where dozens of countries outlaw homosexuality and a few punish violations with death.
When it comes to how the state treats people, how the law treats people, I believe that everybody has to be treated equally, Obama said during a news conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall at the grand presidential palace in Dakar.
But Sall gave no ground. Senegal is very tolerant, he assured Obama, but is still not ready to decriminalize homosexuality. Sall said countries make decisions on complex issues in their own time, noting that Senegal has outlawed capital punishment while other countries have not a pointed jab at the U.S., where the death penalty is legal in many states.
SNIP