Are marriage rights civil rights?
Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP, spoke out against the proposed marriage amendment in a visit to Minnesota last week. "There is a very active effort in this state to split the progressive coalition on this issue and to split the black community itself," he said. "The National Organization for Marriage is investing dollars in splitting our community in a way that is reprehensible and designed to do grave harm on a wide range of issues."
Jealous was articulating the position of the NAACP board, which adopted a resolution in support of same-sex marriage rights last May. The board said it saw the marriage issue as part of its continuing advocacy for equal protection under the laws. At the time, Jealous declared that "civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law."
Topic for discussion: Do you see marriage equality as a civil rights issue?
Create a More Connected Minnesota
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