By Rev. Mark A. Thompson
Same sex marriage (SSM) is America’s ripest civil rights issue. It is an issue so hotly contested that it cries out for resolution. It is ripe, precisely because the resolution is so simple and so politically and socially unobtrusive.
Unlike desegregation, SSM requires no one to share restrooms, water fountains or classrooms with anyone whom they are not already sharing them. SSM does not mandate that we all marry someone of the same sex.
President Barack Obama’s endorsement of SSM is courageous for two reasons. First of all, this is a moment akin to President Lyndon B. Johnson declaring “We Shall Overcome” in 1965.
The President’s endorsement of SSM is courageous, secondly, in that there is still a perception that this issue is a third rail for religious African Americans. I believe the perception of rampant homophobia in the African American community is as overstated as the perception that African Americans will not vote for the President now because of his endorsement. It is time for the African American community to overcome the stereotype of being homophobic.