May 22, 2013
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Willing to Live Life with Integrity
Marriage equality
matter of justice
and freedom
by
M ichael S chuenemeyer
The plaza steps in front of the U.S.
Supreme Court were filled with thou­
sands of people earlier this year as the
nine justices heard oral arguments in the
two cases dealing with marriage equal­
ity.
There was a sense of history in the air
as Edie Windsor emerged with the en­
tourage of family, friends and lawyers,
and made her way down the steps.
Edie Windsor is 83 years old. She
met Thea Speyer, the love of her life,
in 1967. They were together 40 years
when Thea was diagnosed with mul­
tiple sclerosis and they decided to go
IM N M N a M M N N a a N M M M M
MMMRM
to Canada and get legally married.
Edie tended to Thea’s care until Thea
died 21 months later.
As anyone could well imagine, Edie
was devastated by the loss, but then
came the tax bill from the IRS for
$363,000 on the share of the homes Edie
and Thea had bought early in their life
together and which Edie had just inher­
ited.
For all intents and purposes, the fed­
eral government treated Edie and Thea
as strangers. That was something Edie
could not accept and she filed suit.
In the U.S. v. Windsor, the court is
considering whether the Defense of
Marriage Act, passed by Congress in
1996, is constitutional. The law prevents
the federal government from recogniz­
ing same sex marriages, and thus denies
legally married same sex couples more
than 1,000 federal rights and benefits
offered to legally married, different-sex
couples.
But more than the financial conse­
quences, laws like the Defense of Mar­
riage Act and the myriad similar state
laws, some of which have been en­
shrined in state constitutions, lack integ­
rity and violate the principles of justice
and freedom.
When my partner and I filed our taxes
and refinanced our home in Ohio this
year, the fact that neither Ohio law nor
the federal government recognizes our
legal marriage from California made us
betray each other when we had to tick
the box which reads “single.” It may not
seem like much, but it is a constant and
not-so-subtle reminder that our relation­
ship has little status and that we are
vulnerable.
Edie Windsor commented in an NPR
interview the week before the oral argu­
ments, “Marriage... symbolizes com­
mitment and love like nothing else in the
world. And it’s known all over the world.
I mean, wherever you go, if you’re mar­
ried, that means something to people,
and it meant a difference in feeling the
next day.”
As we wait to learn whether the jus­
tices will allow the government to con­
tinue to treat Edie and Thea as strangers,
it has become increasingly clear that the
question of marriage equality is no longer
if, but when. This isn’t to say it is just
going to happen.
A change is happening because of
people like Edie Windsor, who refuse to
be strangers to others, are willing to live
their lives with integrity, share their sto­
ries, and stand against injustice.
Michael Schuenemeyer is execu­
tive fo r health and wholeness advo­
cacy for the United Church o f Christ.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I
MNNKMMMMMI
Vote Tipped the Scales in 2012 Election
Black turnout
proved decisive
by
M arc M orial
It's official: African
A m ericans are the
nation's most important
swing state.
Last summer, I pre­
dicted that the African
American vote would
tip the scales in the 2012 election of
President Barack Obama. My organiza­
tion, the National Urban League, fore­
saw a continuation of a trend that proved
to be a decisive factor in Obama's 2008
campaign.
The Census Bureau has now con­
firmed our analysis. Not only did the
2012 black vote make the difference in
several key swing states, including
Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the
biggest prize of all, Ohio, but black voters
turned out a higher rate than white vot­
ers.
The Census Bureau found that about
two in three eligible blacks, about 66
percent, voted in the 2012 presidential
election, higher than the 64 percent of
non-Hispanic whites who voted. This
marks the first time that blacks have
voted at a higher rate than whites since
the Census Bureau started publishing
statistics on voting by the eligible citizen
population in 1996.
Black voter turnout rates have risen
13 percentage points over the past 16
years, and the number of blacks who
voted in 2012 rose by about 1.7 million
over 2008. This is even more remarkable
given that overall voting among eligible
citizens declined last year.
This boost in turnout also demonstrates
that, in the face of a widespread voter
suppression campaign, a record number
of blacks heeded the National Urban
League's call to "Occupy the Vote" — a
campaign that reached 10 million people
through traditional and social media,
phone banking, and grassroots and com­
munity outreach.
In fact, all Census divisions where
voting rates of blacks exceeded those of
whites included states that introduced
major voter suppression tactics in the
year leading up to the election.
While the National Urban League
doesn't endorse individual candidates, minority voting, people of color will be
we do encourage civic engagement, and wielding even more electoral clout in the
our affiliates have always played leading coming years. According to the demog­
roles in voter registration drives. That's rapher William Frey, "by 2024, their vote
why we are also pleased that African will be essential to victory."
Americans registered in record numbers
Third, this demographic shift is prod­
last year. The registration rate for blacks ding both major political parties to in­
rose from 69.7 percent in 2008 to 73.1 crease their outreach and appeal to mi­
percent in 2012 — the highest registra­ nority voters and to reassess the impact
tion rate ever recorded.
their policies are having on those com­
In Ohio, where Obama won 96 per­ munities.
cent of the African-American vote,
As the Associated Press put it, "The
the black registration rate was 74.4 findings represent a tipping point for
percent. In North Carolina, a state he blacks, who for much of American his­
lost this time around, African-Ameri­ tory were disenfranchised and then ef­
can registration increased from 71 per­ fectively barred from voting until the
cent in 2008 to 85 percent in 2012 with passage of the Voting Rights Act in
80.2 percent of eligible black voters 1965."
going to the polls, up from 68.1 percent
There's no doubt that the opportunity
four years ago.
to re-elect America's first black presi­
The increase in black voter participa­ dent contributed to record black turnout
tion is a turning point for several reasons. last year. But, no matter who is on the
First, it's clear that Mitt Romney ballot in 2014 and 2016, we must con­
would have eked out a victory in 2012 tinue to exercise our voice and Occupy
if voters had turned out at 2004 levels. the Vote.
White turnout was higher and black
Marc Morial is the president and
turnout was lower in that presidential chief executive officer o f the National
election.
Urban League and the former mayor
Second, due to an increase in overall o f New Orleans.
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