The racial and religious politics of same-sex marriage in Maryland

A small church in Pike County, Kentucky, bans interracial couples from membership and participating in select worship activities. Ancient history from the pre-Civil Rights era, right?

No, it happened about four months ago. “I do not believe in interracial marriages,” said Melvin Thompson, the retired pastor who argued the ban would make his church community more cohesive and later said he was dismayed to be portrayed as racist and bigoted.

The story made me think about how religion, more than race, is the best way to understand opposition to marriage equality. The distinction is important because of the recent passage of legislation making Maryland the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage – a decision that will almost certainly be challenged in a divisive referendum battle this year.

The opposition has been framed as African-American resistance to same-sex marriage, a perception furthered by public opinion surveys. A recent Washington Post poll found that among Maryland Democrats, 71% of white respondents support same-sex marriage compared to only 41% of African-Americans. Overall, 50% of Marylanders support same-sex marriage, while 44% oppose it.

When You Mix Religion With Race

So are Marylanders racially divided on the issue? Yes, but it could also be a question of religiosity.Religion plays a significant role in the lives of African-Americans; I should know, I’m one of the less than one-half percent of African-Americans who self-identify as atheist, compared with 1.6% of the general population, according to the Pew Forum 2008 United States Religious Landscape Survey.

It’s complete with data that confirms what an outlier I am. Pew found that 88% of African-Americans believe in God with absolute certainty, compared with 71% of the general population.

Asked if religion is a very important part of their lives, nearly 80% of African-Americans said yes, while only 56% of the general American population said so. And while approximately 40% of Americans told Pew they attend weekly religious services, more than 50% of African-Americans said they do so.

I haven’t seen similar polls on religion for Maryland, I suspect they’d reflect national trends. As for me, though, I can’t recall the last time I stepped inside of a church aside from marriage ceremonies.
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