MD. AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERS LAUNCH
"MARYLAND BLACK FAMILY ALLIANCE"

Group Calls Civil Marriage a Civil Right

MEDIA RELEASE
October 25, 2007

CONTACT:
Elbridge James, MBFA, 301-213-9657, elbridge@marylandbfa.org
Meredith Curtis, ACLU-MD, 410-889-8555, curtis@aclu-md.org

In a landmark effort to foster dialogue within black communities across Maryland on the principles of fairness, justice and equality for all families, a group of prominent Maryland African American allies of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities gathered today at Morgan State University to announce the formation of the Maryland Black Family Alliance (MBFA). The founding members of the MBFA come from all walks of life -- elected officials, ministers, professors, medical doctors and community activists. The group is a growing coalition of Black families and leaders, of many faiths, who know that discrimination is wrong and that it damages everyone when any group of Americans are excluded from the legal protections that other Americans enjoy.

"After decades of fighting for civil rights, there still remains many challenges for African Americans in Maryland," said Elbridge James, Director of the MBFA. "Through my work I have come to understand that for thousands of black same-sex couples these challenges are compounded because the state's marriage law discriminates against them and denies them basic legal protections. That is why the Maryland Black Family Alliance's mission is to build bridges, build understanding, and just talk about why it is wrong for committed same-sex couples to be denied access to medical insurance, to visit each other in the hospital, and to make medical decisions for each other."

Speakers at the press conference included State Senator Gwendolyn Britt, State Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, State Delegate Craig Rice, Rev. Larry Brumfield (Westminster Church of the Brethren), Bonnita Spikes (Anti-death penalty advocate and mother of a transgender son), Alexander Robinson (Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition), Vanessa Bowling (Co-President, Morgan State's Rainbow Soul), and Elbridge James (Director, MBFA).

Calling civil marriage a civil right, MBFA members highlighted the clear distinction between what civil marriage means legally and what spiritual marriage means from a religious perspective. Sen. Britt underscored this distinction by noting that the name of her sponsored bill to extend the freedom to marry to same-sex couples is the "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act." She will introduce this measure in the General Assembly in 2008.

Said Sen. Britt: "African Americans have a long and painful history with discrimination in all of its forms. Just as I stood up to the racial discrimination at Glen Echo Amusement Park in Montgomery County and sat in a Mississippi jail for 40 days because I would not leave a lunch counter, I continue to stand up and speak out against all forms of discrimination. When I returned to Glen Echo Amusement Park a few years ago, an old man came up to me to shake my hand. He told me he had been a security guard at the park in 1960. He told me that he had arrested people like me. 'I'm just glad,' I remember him saying, 'that things are so different now.' And this is why I am proud to be a founding member of the Maryland Black Family Alliance. Hopefully I can say, in the near future, that I am glad things are so different now and that committed same-sex couples can have access to marriage and all of its protections."

At the press conference, MBFA members also discussed how the current exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage denies significant legal protections to LGBT people of color. Without legal recognition, African American same-sex couples are denied many basic rights and protections under the law, including:

• The right to visit each other if one is hospitalized
• The right to make medical decisions for a loved one
• The right to automatically inherit property shared and paid for together with a spouse
• The right to cover loved ones employee family insurance plans, especially when working for the state government
• The right not to be hit with a tax penalty when employer domestic partners benefits are treated as taxable income

Most importantly, MBFA members discussed their intention to promote the general welfare of all black families by encouraging the principles of legal fairness by educating and empowering straight allies to support their LGBT family members and neighbors.

Said Rev. Larry Brumfield, Associate Pastor, Westminster Church of the Brethren: "As a spiritual leader and a person of faith, my support of gay and lesbian rights are modeled and mandated by my Christian sense of tolerance and acceptance. I applaud the work of the Maryland Black Family Alliance, and am honored to be a member."

Added Vanessa Bowling, Co-President of Morgan State's Rainbow Soul: "It is so exciting to have so many prominent leaders here to support an issue so dear to the LGBT community, especially here at Morgan State University. Rainbow Soul believes the future can be brighter for all people and discrimination can be overcome here in Maryland. We are grateful to those who have joined with the Maryland Black Family Alliance for their support in our ongoing fight for equality."

At the press conference, there was also an announcement of MBFA-sponsored forums in Prince George's County in late 2007 and in Baltimore City in early 2008.

Maryland Black Family Alliance:
http://www.marylandbfa.org/

National Black Justice Coalition:
http://nbjcoalition.org/