National Black Justice Coalition
Equality Maryland-Marylanders of Color
Release Groundbreaking Report
Jumping The Broom: A Black Perspective on Same Sex Marriag
e
WASHINGTON, November 7 — The National Black Justice Coalition, the nation’s only civil rights organization for Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people recently partnered with Marylanders of Color, an initiative of Equality Maryland, to produce Jumping The Broom: A Black Perspective on Same Sex Marriage. The booklet directly addresses the issue of whether or not marriage for same gender loving couples is a civil rights issue. It was produced to initiate dialogue in Black churches, fraternal organizations, media outlets, and among Black political, civic and community leaders.
Jumping the Broom highlights some noteworthy statistics, refutes some commonly held misconceptions, and dispels the misinformation about the implications of ending discrimination in marriage.
* Forty-five percent of Black same-sex couples reported stable relationships of five years or longer on the U.S. Census.
* Even if marriage becomes a legal option for couples in Maryland, clergy will always decide for themselves, with no repercussions, who they wish to marry.
* Twenty percent of Black men and twenty-four percent of Black women in same-sex households in the Maryland area work in the public sector but are denied healthcare benefits for their partners by the government.
* Same-sex couples do not receive the protections of joint rental leases with automatic renewal rights. Only approximately 55-57% of Black same sex couples own their own home.
“Jumping the Broom gives voice to the thousands of Black same sex couples who are in love and have committed to spending their lives together, sharing life’s blessings and burdens,” said H. Alexander Robinson, NBJC’s Executive Director and CEO. “Their message: this is America, the land of freedom, and denying gay and lesbian couples the right to go to city hall and get a marriage license is discrimination and it’s wrong.”
“Jumping the Broom” can be downloaded in PDF form at http://www.nbjcoalition.org/jump_broom1.pdf. To order copies of the publication for your church or community group, email info@EqualityMaryland.org.
# # #
About the National Black Justice Coalition
The National Black Justice Coalition is a civil rights organization of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and our allies dedicated to fostering equality by fighting racism and homophobia. The Coalition advocates for social justice by educating and mobilizing opinion leaders, including elected officials, clergy, and media, with a focus on Black communities.
Equality Maryland is Maryland’s largest civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland. Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community.
