Christie said, “I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South.”

The Huffington Post reports:

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D), who supports gay marriage, criticized the comment. “I shudder to think what would have happened if the civil rights gains, heroically established by courageous lawmakers in the 1960s, were instead conveniently left up to popular votes in our 50 states,” he said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) said the governor needed a “history lesson.”

Read More At The Huffington Post

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Obama is arguably the most gay friendly president in U.S. history.

His repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and passage of a federal law that further extends protections of LGBT people firmly solidifies his support from gay community.

However, one issue he has been slow to support-at least officially-is that of gay marriage. TheRoot says there would be benefits and risks behind such an endorsement:

If President Obama expressed support for marriage equality before the 2012 elections, there would be both benefits and risks. He would surely excite some of his supporters, especially those who feel that he too often shies away from bold stances in favor of measured pragmatism and common ground. On the other hand, some voters who support Obama but still oppose marriage equality may abandon the president over this issue. That leaves the president with two choices: Endorse marriage equality now or wait and play it safe until he is re-elected.

What do you think? Would supporting marriage rights invigorate Obama campaign? Or would such an endorsement derail his reelection hopes? Check out the rest of the article here.

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NAACP head Julian Bond, comedian Mo’Nique, and Newark Mayor Corey Booker have all made video testimonials supporting gay marriage.

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The New York Times reports:

This isn’t a topic that advocates for gay rights or their many black supporters relish discussing, because it focuses on a wedge where they wish there was a tighter bond. But polls indicate that support for same-sex marriage lags among black Americans.

In 2008 Californians passed Proposition 8, which prohibited state recognition of same-sex marriage, with a 52 percent majority. Voting analyses suggest that between 58 and 70 percent of black voters backed the prohibition.

Read More At The New York Times

Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said that the gay lifestyle is “personal bondage and enslavement,” strongly expressing her opposition to the idea of “redefining marriage.”

Former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who also opposes same-sex marriage, said that “family” is based on the “traditional” definition of marriage between a man and woman.

Most Republican, conservative Americans demonstrably reject the idea of legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian citizens.

Until now.

Jeff Angelo, former Iowa state senator is one of the few Republicans a part of a burgeoning movement for marriage equality. Angelo, who served as a senator for 12 years, is the founder of Republicans For Freedom, an organization that stands on a divergent stance among the Republican party in support of gay marriage.

Angelo recently said that his organization is defending the status quo for same-sex marriage in Iowa, which is one of only six states in the country to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian Americans.

Like his GOP cohorts, he once opposed same-sex marriage, but today has a change of heart, and is hoping that his grassroots movement in Iowa will someday be a model for the rest of the country.

But Angelo recognizes the collective attitude mainstream Republicans have towards gay marriage. A 2011 Gallup poll showed that only 28 percent of Republicans supported the idea of same-sex marriage, compared to 69 percent of Democrats.

“The opposition [to same-sex marriage] is well organized and gets a lot of media attention, but [I felt] there had to be an alternate group for Republicans that want to say ‘marriage is a great thing to promote, we’re glad that the gay community wants to be married, and we want to be supportive of that in our own political party,’” Angelo told NewsOne.

The GOP’s monolithic stance on gay marriage is very harmful to the party, according to Angelo. While Republicans stand on a platform of constitutional conservatism, Angelo said the opposition to gay marriage goes against the grain of what Republicans claim to uphold.

“We (Republicans) are pro-stable family, which marriage provides, and so when a gay man or a lesbian says ‘I want to be married’ we should encourage that,” he said. “It’s good for society and it is consistent with what the Republicans say they believe.”

“There are those that believe the Republican Party should be of one mind on this issue and they don’t believe that there should be room in the party for those that disagree.” Angelo said such a mindset is “never” healthy for any political party.

In addition to party fragmentation, Angelo says Republicans push away gay voters who may align politically with the party, but do not vote Republican because of this one issue. He feels there are probably many gay and lesbian citizens who like the GOP’s stance on foreign policy, low taxes, and pro-business, but do not support the party because they don’t feel welcomed.

“A gay person may be with the Republican party 95 percent of the time on their issues, but say ‘I’m not a Republican because you don’t make me feel welcomed’ and I think that’s a shame,” he lamented.

Not every organization in Iowa, however, shares such accepting views. The Family Leader, an organization founded by Bob Vander Plaats, a very well-respected GOP stalwart, dispersed a controversial “Marriage Vow” that most characterized as anti-gay. Plaats said that he would not support any presidential candidate who does not sign the pledge. So far, candidates Bachmann and Rick Santorum are the only two to either sign or commit to signing the pledge.

Angelo said the pledge was “tremendously insensitive.”

“So many people convince themselves that they can treat gay neighbors as second-class citizens,” he said.

Most Republicans reference religion as their basis for opposing same-sex marriage. But Angelo disputes that conservative penchant.

“Nobody’s freedom of religion is being threatened. Churches are allowed to disagree on this issue but the government can’t side with one church over the other,” he cautioned.

Although the Republicans For Freedom remain relatively modest in size, there is evidence to suggest that a cluster of gay-marriage-friendly Republicans is on the horizon. Though his political identification is now Republican turned Independent, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg publicly supported same-sex marriage and was a key player in legalizing it in the state.

Interestingly enough, Bloomberg’s predecessor Rudolph Giuliani also spoke on the Republican party’s opposition to gay marriage. Giuliani who said he personally believes marriage should be between a man and woman, told CNN’s Candy Crowley that Republicans need to “get the heck out of people’s bedrooms” and keep the discussion out of politics.

It seems Angelo isn’t alone.

Angelo maintains that the Republicans For Freedom are committed to setting political precedence for other states.

“Hopefully this is a model that other states can follow in regard to most Republicans and Democrats coming together for protecting the right to get marry,” he said.

With the debate on same-sex marriage, and the Gay Civil Rights movement still brewing on a state and federal level, it will be interesting to see what directives political movements like Angelo’s will take and the political impact they could make in government.

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Drones of gay and lesbian citizens and their allies celebrated on the streets during the 2011 NYC Pride March on Sunday, waving the pride flag and signs reading, “Thank you, Governor Cuomo.” Cuomo played an integral part in passing the historic legislation, passionately advocating to lawmakers on behalf of same-sex supporters. The throng of celebrators fervently marched unlike they’ve ever done before.

Over forty years ago, however, such a blissful scenario was vacant. In its place was a city that championed laws that discriminated against gays and lesbians. In the 1960s, it was illegal for bars to sell alcohol to homosexuals, obliging them to socialize in illegal, mafia-owned establishments with unsanitary conditions. Openly gay men weren’t even allowed to become firefighters, let only be open at all. This was at a time when vigilantes innocuously attacked homosexuals walking the streets, deeming them weak and deserving of onslaught. Gays sought a place of refuge; somewhere they were safe, and unscathed from judgment or ridicule. Plain-clothed cops deceitfully posed as male decoys to tempt gay men in making sexual advancements, and arrested them for “soliciting” sex, otherwise known as entrapment.

Gay bars were regularly targeted and raided for no other reason than for being a “gay” bar. Life for gays and lesbians was far from blissful; they were harassed and lawfully unprotected. And unlike today, where Cuomo and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg used their political influence to fortify the livelihood of gays and lesbians, then-mayor Robert Wagner caused more aid than cease to the discrimination of homophiles.

It was not until the Stonewall Riots of 1969 that New York saw visible changes on the gay political front.

On June 28, 1969, a group of gay, lesbian and transgender citizens rioted outside the Stonewall Inn bar in Greenwich Village after it was raided by NYPD cops. They had grown agitated by the unrelenting harassment from city cops and chauvinists. That riot sparked proponents to vigorously advocate equality for a minority inhumanely tormented. Over the next decade, the gay community won many political battles including Frank Kameny and the Mattachine Society’s victory in convincing the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its list of disorders in 1973, solidifying its place as a uniformed lifestyle, just as any other.

However, with the progression of this modern day civil rights movement, there will be obvious opponents: homophobes and religious proponents. However, New York’s legal triumph on same-sex marriage will undoubtedly set precedence for future legislation.

Polls conducted by Quinnipiac University and Gallup showed that 56 percent of New Yorkers and 53 percent of Americans favored same-sex marriage—the highest approval in history. These numbers, and the political advancement of the gay civil rights movement suggests that most Americans no longer fall victim to the bigotry that historically plagued the homophile populace.  The LGBT community is no threat to religious systems, or to the American household.

What one does in the comfort of his or her home should have no affect on one’s religious or personal convictions. These changing times will, hopefully, lead to a place of absolute humanity, where all are allowed to love whomever they please — and the legal rights that come with it — exempt from violence, hate and all ridicule.

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During his “Keeping Them Honest” segment, Cooper said “New questions are being raised about what the president actually believes about gay marriage and whether his public opposition to it is real or just political posturing.”

He then narrated Obama’s position on gay marriage; initially supporting it in a written statement back in 1996, to opposing it when he began running for national office.

Cooper said, “Hard to see how the president’s position has changed so much. The only thing that has changed is his need for a wider audience to vote for him.”

The Huffington Post Reports:

Cooper then brought on gay rights activist Cleve Jones and Democratic strategist Paul Begala to discuss Obama’s flip-flopping. Jones called the president’s moves a “political calculation, and sadly, I think it’s the wrong one.”

“You know, Paul, Democrats attack conservatives for being hypocritical on issues that they’re hypocritical about,” Cooper said to Begala. “But I don’t hear a lot of Democrats attacking their own president for hypocrisy.”

The White House recently released a statement that Obama feels the issue of same-sex marriage should be left up to the States.

Read More At HuffingtonPost.com

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The retired athlete took it even further this week when he said he would trade his iconic catch and victory over the Patriots if it means gay marriage being banned.

In a video for the National Organization For Marriage, Tyree said that passing a gay marriage bill would lead to “anarchy.” His former teammate Michael Strahan and New York Rangers star Sean Avery have made videos for the legalization of it.

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“Although the President believes that this is an issue best addressed by the states, he also firmly believes that committed gay and lesbian couples should receive equal protection under the law,” the emailed statement said.

The Huffington Post Reports:

Respect for states’ rights with regards to marriage is a position shared by many prominent officials and politicians, including Republicans like Dick Cheney. While it falls far short of a full-throated endorsement of same-sex marriage — a gap that will keep LGBT activists rankled — as it comes just days before Thursday gala, the White House official’s statement offers both an indication of where Obama’s evolution currently stands and a hint as to how the president will handle the inquiries that will be coming his way.

Obama is reportedly looking for politically comfortable ways to take a more open stance on same-sex marriage. Stressing states’ rights, with a basic federal guarantee of benefits for same-sex couples, could be the path he’s looking for.

This comes at a time when the political discourse on same-sex marriage has reached an all-time high, as the state of New York is close to passing a bill that would legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

Many considered Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage vague as Press Secretary Jay Carney has repeatedly said that the president’s position on the issue is “evolving.”

Nevertheless, Obama is expected to host a high-profile fundraiser at an LGBT gala in New York City on Thursday.

Read More At HuffingtonPost.com

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There is no just comparison between America’s struggle to overcome the evils of slavery and the promotion of the lifestyle of homosexuality. It is preposterous for Mayor Bloomberg to degrade and minimize the plight of African-Americans in this civil rights struggle by equating it with the effort to push to legalize homosexual marriage.

Black Americans should not sit back and let Mayor Bloomberg compare the long struggle of their ancestors against American slavery to the current fight for a lifestyle choice. The effort to redefine marriage to include a man and a man or a woman and a woman can never be compared to the struggle against slavery.

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