Black clergy's silence hurts gays

[kweerwolf]

(Commentary by Yolanda Young in USA Today)

The Republican Party continues to use the issue of gay marriage as an inroad to garner the support of black ministers — and black voters.

President Bush's offering to Herbert Lusk, an African-American minister opposed to homosexuality, of appointment to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS is only the latest maneuver.

While a few black ministers have called for greater acceptance of gays and lesbians — such as the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was recently a speaker at the Black Church Summit organized by gay advocates — most reject both of these extremes, choosing instead to remain silent on this issue.

Consider a joint statement issued last year by four Baptist denomination leaders, representing close to 15 million members, offering positions on everything from the war in Iraq to support of a national living wage. But one issue that is arguably the most divisive within religious organizations went unaddressed: same-sex marriage.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-03-09-black-clergy_x.htm