NY State Senator Reuben Diaz is one of the strongest opponents of marriage equality – his granddaughter is gay, and strongly in favour. In a report on the how the Latino gay marriage divide in NY is reflected in the Diaz family, Fox News Latino observes that this is a reflection of divergence in religious approach – previous research has shown that Latino Catholics are supportive of gay marriage, Evangelicals are opposed.
The Gay Marriage Latino Divide; Told Through the Family of a NY Politician
To understand the fluid Latino family sentiments on same-sex marriage is to understand how Latinos pray.
About two-thirds of Latinos in the United States identify themselves as Roman Catholic, according to the Pew Hispanic Research Center. The U.S. Census says more than 50 percent of all Catholics in the United States who are 25 years old or younger are Latino.
The Catholic Church has spoken clearly and consistently against Gay marriage. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, writes in his blog: “We are not anti anybody; we are pro-marriage.”
“The definition of marriage is a given,” Archbishop Dolan writes. “It is a lifelong union of love and fidelity leading, please God, to children, between one man and one woman.”
The position of the Catholic laity is less clear-cut.
Dr. Joseph Palacios, a Professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, who is also an openly gay Catholic priest, believes Latino Catholics should be referred to as the “movable middle.”
That is, a large group of the Latino population that can swing to either side of the issue of same-sex marriage.
“There is a mythology that Latino families are traditional,” Palacios said. “We have more single family households than blacks do. The kinds of families we have are not one-man and one-woman traditional anymore.
“Latino Catholics look at moral and ethical issues through the eyes of their own experiences,” he added. “They don’t hear as much about political issues from the pulpit as Evangelicals do.”
In 2010, the Public Religion Research Institute released a study regarding California’s Same-Sex Marriage debate that underscored the impact of religious beliefs on Latino views on the issue. That study showed that 57 percent of Latino Catholics in California would vote for same-sex marriage, compared to 22 percent of Latino Protestants.
Religion matters, but Palacios cautions that opinion on the matter is in flux. “It’s a matter of framing,” he said. “Catholics social doctrine is a developmental theology that is constantly looking at the sign of the times.”
Evangelical Pastor Miguel Rivera, president and founder of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC), which represents 20,000 churches in 34 states, considers the outspoken Díaz a friend. Still, he believes the Evangelical church needs to do its part in toning down their political discourse at the pulpit.
“The truth is, the Evangelical church in the last 30 years has been very effective in bringing back the need of debating issues that pertain to equality of life and conservative cultural values,” said Rivera, who believes same sex marriage in New York will eventually pass. ” But the Evangelical church has gone too far when moral issues are being debated.”
via – Fox News Latino.
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