Illegal Discrimination is Illegal Discrimination – Period

The misnamed organization, “Minnesota for Marriage,” has been saturating the airwaves with a commercial featuring former TV news anchor Kalley King Yanta asking the question, “Who should decide the definition of marriage.” She goes on to state that they think the people should decide. She urges us to vote “Yes” on the proposed amendment seeking to add discrimination to Minnesota’s Constitution, so that “voters always have the final say.”

The commercial is wrong on so many levels, it’s pathetic.

The United States Constitution has the final say. And, despite the efforts of modern-day Republicans to weaken it, the U.S. Constitution still guarantees freedom and equality for all; not just the wealthy, not just those in the majority, and not just certain religious groups. Freedom and equality for all. Our Constitution exists to protect the rights of everyone.

I always find it annoying when extremist groups adopt a name which attempts to hide their true purpose. Perhaps it’s because a name like “Minnesota for Illegal Discrimination,” while more accurate, just doesn’t sound nice.

It isn’t nice.

A few weeks ago, the group presented a photo-op featuring a variety of religious leaders standing on the steps of the state Capitol encouraging a “Yes” vote on the proposed Constitutional amendment. This was expected. Throughout our nation’s history, many of our most irrational, discriminatory, laws have been promoted by religious leaders.

As recently as the 1960’s there were white churches in the Deep South still preaching that segregation of the races was okay. They had also preached that there was a Biblical basis for slavery, so slavery was okay.

This brings me to Rev. Jerry McAfee, of the New Salem Missionary Baptist Church of Minneapolis. At the Capitol photo-op, he appeared with the rest of the religious leaders urging a “Yes” vote. But, he took it a step further. He stated that it was “an insult” to compare discrimination against same-sex marriage to racial discrimination. He’s quoted as saying “While they certainly have their own rights, to equate it on the same level as a civil rights struggle that my people have gone through? It’s an insult to me." (Added emphasis is mine.)

I nearly went ballistic when I heard this particularly ignorant comment. Here was a black man who is regarded as a “Civil Rights advocate” not only speaking FOR illegal discrimination, but also stating that he was “insulted” that a minority group, with their “own rights” would be demanding rights equal to those of “his people.” Similar words were once heard coming from Southern whites as they sought to maintain illegal segregation, “They are entitled to their own rights. We have given them their own schools. They have their own drinking fountain, and their own bathrooms out back. They have their own seats at the back of the bus. I’m insulted that now they want use the same schools, the same water fountains, the same bathrooms, and the very bus seats reserved for my people.”

Until the U.S. Supreme Court declared such laws unconstitutional in 1967, it was still illegal for couples of different races to marry in 17 states. Those states had defined marriage to be only between same-race couples. Among the arguments used by those states to show that their laws were not discriminatory was similar to one heard today -  Blacks could marry anyone they want to, as long as it was another Black (today’s version: Our laws are not discriminatory, same-sex couples can marry anyone they want, as long as they’re a member of the opposite sex).

Illegal discrimination is illegal discrimination - Period.