Black gay, lesbian couples marry in California

The state of California became the second state in the nation to allow same-sex marriage on Monday. The action came after the state's Supreme Court last month held that a ban on same-sex marriage violated the California constitution and ordered the state to recognize lawfully performed marriages between two men or two women.

At 5:01 p.m. on Monday, gay and lesbian couples began getting married in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities. There were some African American couples among them, especially in Oakland, a city with a large black population and an African American mayor.

The Daily Voice spent several days trying to track down stories of black gay or lesbian couples planning to marry in California and found only two so far that have been widely reported in the media.

Shidiva Black-White, 44, filled out paper work with her fiancé Sherri Black-White, 53, on a computer at the Alameda County Clerk's Office in Oakland, California so the couple could get married there. A photo of the two black women was taken by Oakland Tribune photographer Alison D. Yin for the Associated Press.

Oakland Mayor Ronald Dellums officiated at a California marriage ceremony that appeared to include at least one black couple as well. A video, from the Bay Area's NBC affiliate news channel, shows Dellums speaking to a crowd that seemed to include a black lesbian couple in the front row. He was assisted by U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who represents the Oakland area.

At a press conference on the City Hall steps, Dellums also offered congratulations to gay and lesbian couples planning to get married. "Marriage is a confirmation of the importance of love and commitment in a healthy society," said Dellums. "It is a fundamental right to which all people are entitled and I am proud that I can officiate the eternal unions of these Oakland couples."

Dellums said Oakland is "one of the most diverse cities in the country and we join in the celebration of this historic day of human rights for all people." The mayor said, "This is not about protest, this is about celebration."

Dellums and Lee join with other prominent African American elected officials who have come out in favor of marriage equality. In the past two weeks, the nation's only two black governors have both affirmed their support for the gay community.

Governor David Paterson of New York issued a ruling authorizing his state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, and Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts stood by his daughter as she came out as a lesbian and marched with her in Boston's annual gay pride parade last week.

Patrick previously led his state's effort to save same-sex marriage protections from a legal challenge that would have discontinued the practice in the state. Massachusetts is the only other state in the nation that allows same-sex marriage.

Alice Huffman, president of the California State Conference of the NAACP, has been described as a "forceful advocate of marriage equality" and the state NAACP filed an amicus brief with the California Supreme Court along with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. NAACP chairman Julian Bond has also been a longtime supporter of marriage equality for gays and lesbians. 

Much of the media coverage about black reaction to the court decision has focused on black opposition to gay marriage, and a recent report by the National Black Justice Coalition, an organization that supports marriage equality for gays and lesbians, found that blacks were more likely than whites (65 percent versus 53 percent) to oppose same-sex marriage.

But Jasmyne Cannick, a contributor to the Daily Voice, has complained that the opposition only tells part of the story. In a published commentary in the Los Angeles Times, Cannick criticized the paper's coverage of the issue. "[E]ven though Los Angeles is home to a plethora of respected black clergy that is affirming of lesbians and gays -- including Agape International Spiritual Center's Rev. Michael Beckwith, Rev. Eric Lee of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Los Angeles and civil rights icon Rev. James Lawson -- those voices are almost never chosen to represent the voice of reason and African Americans on gay issues," Cannick wrote. "No, we've got to be portrayed as being negative, helping to fuel the notion that blacks are homophobic."

But others like Dellums were focused on the positive side of California's decision. "Today marks a great victory for the rights of people," Dellums said.