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N-Word Hurled at Blacks During Westwood Prop 8 Protest.

I understand that people are angry, and I understand that a 70% victory for Prop 8 in the black community looks really bad – if that number is even correct. But there are some things you need to remember:

1) The numbers simply do not add up. We would have had to turn at LEAST an additional 20-25% of black voters into NO votes to even have a CHANCE at flipping the result. A similar shift in only 2-3% of white voters would have had the same result. Yes, many black voters came out to support Obama and also supported Prop 8, but you have to look at more than percentages in order to get the real picture here. We can be disappointed in or saddened by the breakdown of the black vote on Prop 8 without placing blame or turning this into a racial dispute. We might also suggest that the No on 8 campaign could have done a hell of a lot more to create allies in and be allies to the black community, and not only so they would have something to remember on election day when they voted on our rights. In the end, don’t forget that black LGBT Californians want and deserve the right to marry too.

2) Remember that by arguing that this is the black community’s fault, you’re accepting the logic of the Yes on 8 campaign, which INSISTS that their victory was the result of the surge in black voters. Doesn’t this sound at all suspect to you? To me, it seems like this is a way for them to get in a triple-whammy – increase homophobia AND increase racism AND deepen the divide between the LGBT and black communities (thereby increasing strife between oppressed minority groups), all the while standing back and pretending like their lies and money had nothing to do with it.

Are we going to let them get away with that?

If you want to place blame, place the blame on the people who funded, contributed to, endorsed, and ran the Yes on 8 campaign of lies and deceit. Blame them, because THEY are responsible for this outcome.

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