Rev. William Owens, Romney endorsing anti-gay group trying to manipulate blacks against gays

Rev. Owens is working hard to divide blacks and gays

I predicted it earlier today, and it is happening.

From CNN:

A group of conservative black pastors are responding to President Barack Obama’s support of same-sex marriage with what they say will be a national campaign aimed at rallying black Americans to rethink their overwhelming support of the President, though the group’s leader is offering few specifics about the effort.

The Rev. Williams Owens, who is president and founder of the Coalition of African-Americans Pastors and the leader of the campaign, has highlighted opposition to same-sex marriage among African-Americans. He calls this campaign “an effort to save the family.”

“The time has come for a broad-based assault against the powers that be that want to change our culture to one of men marrying men and women marrying women,” said Owens, in an interview Tuesday after the launch event at the National Press Club. “I am ashamed that the first black president chose this road, a disgraceful road.”

CNN deserves kudos for telling the entire story about Owens and his fake group, including talking about comments which Owens made linking gays to pedophilia:

Owens has long been an opponent of gay marriage and consults with the National Organization for Marriage as a liaison to the black churches.

At the press conference, Owens said that Obama’s support of same-sex marriage tantamount to supporting child molestation.

“If you watch the men who have been caught having sex with little boys, you will note that all of them will say that they were molested as a child…” Owens said. “For the president to condone this type of thing is irresponsible.”

Owens later walked about those comments back, saying he didn’t think the president was condoning molestation.

CNN also did make mention of NOM's wedge strategy, i.e. the group's plan to play gay and black America against each other on the subject of marriage equality.

Between you and me, though, I wish that CNN had mentioned the fact that NOM has already endorsed Romney. But it's just as well. I'm glad that the network did a thorough job in getting the story right.

A lot of eyebrows in the African-American community will be raised. Not because of President Obama's support of marriage equality, but because of Owens' group.

You see that is the important facet of the entire situation.  I feel safe in saying the vast, vast majority of African-Americans do not appreciate being manipulated like pawns, whether or not we support marriage equality. Black people are not monolithic and we certainly aren't stupid.

But here is what the gay community needs to do. Every time Owens and his group shows up in the media, the lgbtq community should remind folks of how they fit into NOM's strategy of divide and conquer.

It is especially crucial that folks like myself - folks who are members of both communities - to take the lead in getting African-Americans and gays to recognize just who our true enemies are.

It's not Obama. It is William Owens.

UPDATE - From my blogging pal Jeremy Hooper (the Arn Anderson to my Tully Blanchard) comes a delicious tidbit from today's press conference. Listen to what happens when Owens is asked a reasonable question about polygamy and the Biblical definition of marriage:



Related post - Group endorsing Romney behind black pastor protest of Obama