President Obama is indeed a profile in courage. He has made history yet again with his announcement that he supports full marriage equality for gay and lesbian Americans. Bravo, Mr. President.
Now comes all the warnings and predictions of what this will mean for the election in November. One of those dire warnings is that this will hurt him with his supporters among Latino communities. This will not be the case and here’s why:
For so long, Republicans have loved to push the meme, famously touted by Ronald Reagan, that Latinos are, by their nature, more conservative on religious and social issues and therefore will be open to the Republican point of view. While it is true that Latinos are more conservative on these issues — Republicans love to use gay marriage and abortion as the key examples — they historically do not base their vote on these issues. That is why no GOP presidential candidate in history has ever been able to attract a majority of Latino voters.
Most Latinos believe these issues are deeply personal and should not be decided by politicians. They may be conservative in their beliefs on these subjects, but economic issues trump social ones.
In addition, many Latinos have themselves experienced discrimination and marginalization and as such, according to a study done by Bendixen and Amandi, a public opinion research firm that specializes in issues affecting Latinos, most Latinos “deeply believe in the American principles of equality, fairness, and do not support discrimination against gays and lesbians.”
In fact, the poll, done for the LGBT think-tank Movement Advancement Project (MAP) and The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), showed that majorities of Latinos broadly support equality for gays and lesbians:
• 80% believe that gay people often face discrimination.
• 83% support housing and employment non-discrimination protections for gay people.
• 74% support either marriage or marriage-like legal
recognition for gay and lesbian couples.
• 73% say that gay people should be allowed to serve
openly in the military.
• 75% support school policies to prevent harassment and
bullying of students who are gay or perceived to be gay.
• 55% (and 68% of Latino Catholics) say that being gay is
morally acceptable.
These findings, of course, won’t stop Republicans from trying to drive a wedge between Latinos and Obama.
However, given the open-mindedness of most Latinos, and their penchant for fairness, given what many have already gone through historically as well as recently in this country, this is not an issue that the GOP will be able to use. If they try, it may backfire, though I confess it will be difficult to inflict any more damage than has already been done to Republicans by Mitt Romney’s full embrace of right wing, anti-illegal immigrant stances.
In two new polls, Romney trails Obama — in one by 50 points, the other by 68 points — among Latino voters.
Republicans will nonetheless try to use the churches, the clergy, and every other religious avenue they think will be available to them to paint the president’s support for gay marriage as going against Latinos’ traditional, religious and cultural beliefs.
This view also is flawed. In Bendixen & Amandi’s poll, 69% of Latino Christians said that their religion is “accepting of all people, including gay people. In addition, 79% of Latino Catholics said a person could express support for gay equality and still be a good Catholic.” That poll also found that Latino Catholics were among the stronger supporters of equality, mirroring results from recent polls for U.S. Catholics by ABC News/Washington Post and Gallup, among others.
Republicans are right on one thing. Family is first and foremost for Latinos. But for Latinos, familia is all extended family and what is anathema to most Latinos is the thought that they would turn their backs on any family member for any reason, including being gay.
In fact, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino, co-founders of D&P Creative Strategies and arguably two of the most prominent LGBT Latina activists in the country, are spearheading a ground-breaking campaign entitled Familia es Familia (Family is Family) that will launch at the NCLR (National Council of La Raza) conference in July along with 19 of the most prominent national Latino organizations.
“Latino LGBT families deserve to have committed, loving relationships like their parents, grandparents and other loving family members have enjoyed. Our families are no different and Latinos inherently understand, accept and embrace that notion,” say Duran and Pino.
This election, however, will still be decided on economic issues. Kitchen-table, bread-and-butter issues will be first and foremost with Latino voters, as with all Americans. As Latino unemployment continues to go down, as Latinos realize that the Affordable Care Act gives 9 million Latinos health care coverage they didn’t have before, as Latino students are able to go to college and pay back their loans thanks to President Obama’s policies, and as Latino abuelitos and abuelitas are able to pay for their prescription drugs, Latino families will know who is fighting for them and theirs.
The president’s decision to support equal and full rights for gay Americans only adds to that equation.
It was a bold and courageous move based on being true to one’s personal and Christian beliefs. A move Mitt Romney could learn from.
as a Latina lesbian, I don’t understand how some don’t see this issue as a civil right issue. Why do I deserve to be less than you? Why can’t I visit my partner in hospital? why can I be fired just for being a lesbian? why can I be refused service in a restaurant? why can’t I decide who my social security benefits go to? why do I have to pay additional taxes on my health care for my partner because it is counted as income? why do some believe marriage will be devastated if I marry my partner of 14 years? I was raised a strict catholic, went to catholic schools but yet, I still am a lesbian. This is how I am. This is me. I do count myself lucky because I count my parents as my strongest supporters. They have marched in pride parades with me, they call themselves the parents of my partner because her family has turned their backs on her, they celebrate our anniversary, they buy Christmas presents for our pets, my mom outs me proudly to her friends…..like I said, I am lucky. I am lucky to be alive, I am lucky to be Latina, I am lucky to be an American, I am loved just the way I am. Thank you President Obama for understanding, for being courageous and being a leader of ALL your people. Like I said, I am lucky.
Hey María,
DO you really think Obama will support or even suggest that the gay issue be included in the Democratic Party’s platform? I don’t think he has the guts. He wants to sell the pie and eat it at the same time. He is a hypocrite, he wants to be OK with everybody to gain votes. One thing is being ignorant, lack of education/knowledge, and another is being stupid; when you have the knowledge and you don’t do anything about it! His statement was very unfair for the gay people. You can’t have it both ways my friend. What he did is a very cowardly statement. He is the President. If he wasn’t, who cares?
This is not a political or religious issue, it’s an spiritual issue for all who care.
What Christians need is more Biblical education and a closer relationship with God. The question is: Who is your teacher? What has he/she made you believe? I feel I have the education needed to totally disagree with Obama on this issue. It’s a matter of choice; and I choose to follow Jesus Christ’s teachings a long time ago. Apparently he hasn’t???
Solo para darles un pasaje de las creencias Cristianas: 1 Corintios 6:9 ¿No saben que los malvados no heredarán el reino de Dios? ¡No se dejen engañar! Ni los fornicarios, ni los idólatras, ni los adúlteros, ni los sodomitas, ni los pervertidos sexuales, 10 ni los ladrones, ni los avaros, ni los borrachos, ni los calumniadores, ni los estafadores heredarán el reino de Dios. 11 Y eso eran algunos de ustedes. Pero ya han sido lavados, ya han sido *santificados, ya han sido *justificados en el nombre del Señor Jesucristo y por el Espíritu de nuestro Dios.
Definición de la palabra Sodomía: Coito anal. Relación sexual entre hombres.
Obama está hablando de los próximos 4 años y los Cristianos estamos hablando de la eternidad. En 100 años todos estaremos muertos y sabremos si la Biblia decía mentira o verdad. No sé qué harán ustedes, pero mi familia y yo no nos estamos tomando ese riesgo. Si en 100 años descubres que la Biblia decía verdad, no te salva Obama ni la madre que lo parió. En 100 años todo estará olvidado; pero para ti y para mí no ha ni comenzado la eternidad; unido o separado de Dios.
Nuevamente te pregunto con la autoridad y respeto que Dios se merece, en quién has creído?
Si así lo prefieres, puedes despreciar y tomar la Biblia y botarla a la basura; pero no juegues con la salvación tan preciada para otros como yo.
Te aconsejo que verifique mejor sus datos sobre los “cristianos”.
Increíble que los homosexuales quieran adoptar niños que un día se van a enterar que su madre tiene un pene. Oh my God! Que vergüenza para ese niño(a) que no tuvieron parte en la decisión sexual de sus “padres”. Uffff!!!!!!
¡No se dejen engañar!
Un abrazo,
Ricardo Brun
rbrunr@gmail.com