20 Comments

• 

  MsSapphire9800

  November 12, 2008 at 6:03 pm

  I must admit I was shock when they broke down how each ethic group voted.
  I personally do not care who a person marry, it is their choice, but we as African Americans needs to remember where we came from. Many of us sit in church and let the Pastor dictate to us how to vote politically.

• 

  Nikki

  November 12, 2008 at 8:11 pm

  PREACHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Exactly what I’m talking about. If Blacks were once called inhuman I know marriage can happen between gays. THEY redefined what a black person is they can redefine what marriage is. The same people who fighting for civil rights didn’t give another oppressed group their civil right. Sad. But this guy is so right!

• 

  ag

  November 12, 2008 at 8:47 pm

  This is bull stop equating homosexual rights to slavery it isnt the same thing. In order to be oppress you have to be not givin the same oportunity as the majority to be in leadership positions. This only applies to women and black people. That doesnt mean gay people dont deserve the right to get married but using the struggle of Black ppl as a statue of limitations is a joke. That offends me. Gay people were not broght here as slaves so u can miss me with that shit!

• 

  ag

  November 12, 2008 at 8:53 pm

  and then he quotes a murderer?! this is heathen bs! im sorry but is that is the most disgusing quote ive ever heard! yall have got to be f’n kiddng me!

• 

  lando68

  November 12, 2008 at 8:58 pm

  Unless I misheard him, he quoted a lawyer – not a murderer.

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  Curvaceous

  November 12, 2008 at 9:37 pm

  I think he was a little emotional and he and gays should not try to make it a blacks against gays issue. That is a separate and important issue to discuss. But most important is it is about the right to love. Marriage really is not about religion because plenty of straight heathens are allowed to marry. I mean atheists, communists, whatever. Brittney Spears had a drunken weekend wedding. Too bad the prop got on the ballot and was not explained to folks carefully and compassionately enough. Perhaps it will change but folks should not try to argue against blacks who make up a minute part of the california electorate.

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  Curvaceous

  November 12, 2008 at 9:43 pm

  Blacks make up a Minute part, meaning at around 6% of the population with even less eligible or registered to vote, eligible blacks could have voted 100% against the prop and it still could have passed. I voted against it, but effort could have been made to clarify the issues. Latinos and whites who make up a larger % of voters in the state also voted overwhelming for prop 8.

• 

  jscorpths

  November 12, 2008 at 9:57 pm

  He’s not saying that gay ppl are slaves. He’s comparing how african-americans and women had to fight for their rights because they were thought to be inferior to how gay ppl are fighting for our rights now. And Ag, how does being oppressed only apply to african-americans and women? You said yourself that, “In order to be oppress you have to be not givin the same oportunity as the majority to be in leadership positions”. Isn’t that the position gay ppl are going through? Not being given the same opportunities.
  He used the quote because of it’s appropriate meaning, it shouldn’t matter where it was said.
  This man did a just thing by supporting gay marriage, and if you ppl miss the overall meaning of this video because he used examples from african-american history or where he found the closing quote then you need to open your eyes and appreciate it when someone puts in a good word for you.

• 

  BELOVED

  November 12, 2008 at 10:09 pm

  @ AG I GOTTA QUESTION WERE YOU BROUGHT HERE ON A BOAT???? WHY DO US BLACK PEOPLE (2DAY)FEEL LIKE WE CAN RELATE TO SLAVES..DONT GET ME WRONG WAT HAPPEND BACK THEN WAS HORRIBLE BUT I CANT EVEN IMAGINE HOW IT FEELS TO BE WHIPPED…I CANT BELIEVE BLACKS WHEN IT COMES TO SAMESEX MARRIAGE…IT NOT THAT DEEP LOVE ONE ANOTHER…

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  Twanathen

  November 13, 2008 at 12:06 am

  Thank You someone finally gets it. It’s got nothing to do with you aslong as you believe your doing right by God why do you care what someone else does with their body? Come On Now!

• 

  Her`Fetish

  November 13, 2008 at 5:28 am

  Thank you so much for posting this. Aug 1 2008 i married my wife in Cali. We are a lesbain couple and to think that some with hate in there heart want to take this away from us, is crazy. Im Multi racial and there was a time when my white grandmother couldnt marry my black grandfather. How i live my life has nothing to do with anyone but us. So we plan to make our mark on history and keep fighting…….. If you are a child of God there should be no room in your heart for hate, just love……..

• 

  Tricy

  November 13, 2008 at 7:42 am

  I truly can feel his passion for the strength of love in his comment. It is not about black, white, gay, straight, etc etc It is all about two adults expressing their love for one another and who are we to tell them no?

  One thing is that he is not equating slavery and homosexuality. But what he is doing is showing some parallels between the laws that governed these two groups, i.e. in terms of marriage. And he is right about the 1967 laws, blacks and whites could not marry at that time in quite a few states. I know that now we are accustomed to certain freedoms and expect equal civil rights in all that we do but it has not always been that way. So, I agree with Mr. Olbermann who am I to tell another person that they can not be married for any reason?

  Equal rights covers all people….not just the people that you want it to cover.

• 

  EclecticChic718

  November 13, 2008 at 8:56 am

  If 2 consenting adults of the same sex love each other and want to get married I say let them. As far as the religious aspect of it, let’s take a quote Judge lest ye be judged. God is going to judge us all sooner or later so I shall leave it to him. Besides it’s like Curvaceous said Cali is primarily inhabited by whites and latinos, so if they want to be pissed about it being passed they gotta spread that around and not just blame the black people but the misinformed and just plain ignorant and bullheaded who voted nay.

• 

  Curvaceous

  November 13, 2008 at 1:23 pm

  Gay rights activists, or opponents of prop 8 should not mix the black issues with gay issues, just speak to the human rights aspect. The RNC came out cleverly trying to attach the passing of prop 8 with Obama and his voters. Obama opposed prop 8 and this is just a ploy to disrupt the good feelings after the general election and to exploit the divisions between groups. Everybody needs to be fair to each other. Opponents of prop 8 just have more explaining to do, or take it back up to courts, but stone throwing, not good. Olberman’s impassioned plea was nice, but the focus on race will likely go unheard by the non blacks who voted overwhelmingly to pass this proposition. It comes accross as a dig at blacks (even if subconcious) IMO. A black lesbian wrote an op ed piece in LA times saying some black gays don’t even care, cause they are so focused on the other day to day aspects of their lives. Race just muddies things up in America, we saw that from Obama’s speech on race. They ought to make divorce illegal and people would be less inclined to rush into marriage on all sides.

• 

  what.she.said

  November 13, 2008 at 1:27 pm

  1) While Keith Olbermann makes valid points, he lost my respect when he recently admitted on The View that he does not vote.
  2) The argument for “marriage” needs to be reframed. Gays in CA have the right to marry, just not the same sex.
  3) The language of Prop 8 confused many CA voters. Some people voted “yes” thinking it would give gays the right to marry.

  Hearts need to be changed. As Maya Angelou says, ‘when people show you who they are, believe them the first time.’

• 

  Jonathon

  November 13, 2008 at 1:41 pm

  Mr. Olbermann was in no way implying the similiarity between the STRUGGLE of African-Americans and the STRUGGLE of persons identifying as gay and lesbian.

  Are you less human in this country if you identify with a sexual orientation that is opposite of the norm? Better yet, are you less human in this country if you identify with
  something other than the generally accepted norms?

  In America (even globally), there seems to be an on-going violation of basic human rights between two opposing forces (blacks vs. whites, blacks vs. blacks, blacks vs. gays, white vs. gays, etc.). In other words, it is dehumanization. Gays, like Blacks, in this country are perceived as LESS THAN HUMAN and LESS WORTHY of moral consideration.

  So, people, this is not about making comparisons between the two oppressed populations. This is about DEHUMANIZATION, that paves the way for HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, WAR/HATE CRIMES, and even GENOCIDE.

• 

  ayolaw

  November 13, 2008 at 2:27 pm

  This is the way i feel about it, i am a black gay male not fem but masculine i love my partner to death and if somewhere down the line i feel i would like to marry him then why cant i…. what kills me is the fact ppl quote the bible when it is convient for them, if you look at the terms of marriage in the bible, your suppose to marry before sex how many ppl follow that, bad ppl marry over and over again divorce after divorce not all Christians are saints i was raised in the church i know. Im faced as a black man with alot of adversities i do not believe i can be open with who i am and be comfortable with society knowing about me but you could never tell by looking i was gay. I believe that there are alot of leadership position i may not be able to hold if ppl knew about me first thing females tend to see is a brutha on the DL because im masculine yes i am but not DL. DL = brutha’s who mess with males and females on the side. don’t let a female be in a high position and they know deep down inside the notion of me being gay and masculine kills them i know it happen to me at my previous job. my point is gay ppl do not have the same rights at heterosexuals we are oppressed and frown upon and we cant do things like have a marriage we may want at some point in time. were not bothering you so let us have us

• 

  love is love gay or straight

  November 13, 2008 at 4:47 pm

  Wow I’m so in shock at some of the comments on here…I have to say I was very touched at Olbermann’s plea for american’s to look at it’s bigotry and turning of their head when it comes to the civil rights of the gay community. and thats what this is, a question of civil rights. gay folks are not asking to be accpeted by your houses of worship or religions. they are asking that the GOVERNMENT recognize their unions as equal to straights and that can only be done through the right to marry. as for the comparisons to the african american experience in this country..he was not saying one was worst or the same…what he was saying is that gays lack the basic american rights.. of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness..and when our governments began to make laws and rules for one group and deprive other individuals of the same rights..that is so unamerican..it’s like put discrimination right into our constitutions. the thing about it is..once an idea has come to fruition there is nothing that will stop it… marriage for all will be a realty in this country.

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  Meehsue

  November 13, 2008 at 8:20 pm

  People are People…..

  They’re two states they can go to at the moment for there Union. I mean all things takes time. And some people see it as the world coming to an End (Ignorance).

• 

  Gie

  November 15, 2008 at 9:55 am

  Wow, those were some deep thoughts. Thank you Keith, and thank YOU B. Scott.