Dr. Joseph Lowery On Marriage Equality: VIDEO

The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery is everywhere, all of a sudden, and not for the first time. The estimable, 90-year-old Rev. Dr. is the founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Black Leadership Conference; he led the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks's protest and led the Selma To Montgomery march ten years later. Just last week he signed his name to a letter from black civil rights leaders endorsing Barack Obama's support of marriage equality, and now he's making his case on TV.

Note that the Rev. Dr. has undergone his own evolution on marriage equality. Just four years ago, he was adamant in his support of civil unions, but was uncertain about the "m"-word:

I've never said I support gay marriage. I support gay rights and I support civil unions. Like a whole lot of people, I have some difficulty with the term gay marriage. Because deep in my heart, deeply rooted in my heart and mind, marriage is associated with man and woman. So I have a little cultural shock with that. But I certainly support civil unions, and that gay partners ought to have all the rights that any other citizens have in this country.

Now he views the issue a little differently, as he explains to Rev. Al Sharpton AFTER THE JUMP ...

Black Civil Rights Leaders On Marriage Equality

Yesterday afternoon, a coalition of black civil rights leaders signed their names to a document affirming their solidarity with President Barack Obama on marriage equality. Signees include Dr. Joseph Lawry, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Melanie Campbell, of the National Coalition for Black Civic Engagement; Julian Bond, of the NAACP; and Rev. Al Sharpton.

You can read the full text of the letter here. A representative bit:

President Obama stated his view that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. This is a view that we concur with, because as civil rights leaders we cannot fight to gain rights for some and not for all. At the same time, we acknowledge that the President stated his personal opinion, which everyone is entitled to – both those who agree with him, like us, and those who disagree. The President made clear that his support is for civil marriage for same-sex couples, and he is fully committed to protecting the ability of religious institutions to make their own decisions about their own sacraments.

There will be those who seek to use this issue to divide our community. As a people, we cannot afford such division ...

The signees presumably refer to the National Organization for Marriage and their embattled fellow travelers. It's never too soon for another re-reading of the NOM memos released under duress in March, in which that organization's strategists plotted to sow conflict between the black and gay communities:

The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies. We aim to find, equip, energize and connect African-American spokespeople for marriage; to develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; and to provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.

 Rev. Sharpton et. al. plainly don't want things to get so heated. From their letter:

It is our hope that conversations on strengthening African American families continue in a civil and respectful way, on all sides, both with those who support the ability of same-sex couples to marry, and those who do not.

We are glad that President Obama has joined Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Julian Bond and so many others in full embrace of equality for gay and lesbian individuals in our country. We also welcome the civil debate
on this issue that will surely spring.

Al Sharpton Speaks with Captain Sarah Pezzat and Major Mike Almy on the End of 'DADT': VIDEO

Last night on MSNBC, Al Sharpton spoke with Major Mike Almy and Captain Sarah Pezzat about the end of the military's discriminatory gay ban and what it means for the future of the military.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(thanks to dave evans for his clips)

Al Sharpton and Dean Hara Discuss the Discrimination of DOMA: VIDEO

Dean Hara, husband of the late Congressman Gerry Studds, joins Al Sharpton to talk about yesterday's DOMA hearing and the lawsuit he's currently involved with challenging the discriminatory law. Sharpton and Hara are also joined by MSNBC analyst Richard Wolffe.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Rev. Al Sharpton and Thomas Roberts Wipe the NY Marriage Equality Table with NOM's Brian Brown: VIDEO

NOM's Brian Brown calls the NY marriage equality vote a "sham...done under the cover of darkness."

Thomas Roberts and Rev. Al Sharpton would beg to disagree.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Buffalo, Matt Bomer, China, Newt Gingrich, Coachella

Al Sharpton is Team Harold Ford Jr.

Transparent frog among 30 new species discovered in coastal rainforests of western Ecuador: "The team of scientists, who work for Reptile and Amphibian Ecology International, also identified four new species of stick insect, three species of lungless salamanders, a tiny, scaly-eyed gecko known as Lepidoblepharis buschwaldii and a bushmaster – the longest viper in the world."

Madonna wants to have Jesus' baby.

Coachella music fest announces 2010 line-up.

Budding "ex-gay" sounds off: "But for the first time in my life, I’ve been getting to know girls. It’s been a blast. As a teacher, I find them naturally adept at flying helicopters. They listen and they are good at multi-tasking. They are fun to be around and sometimes they’re pretty."

Gays in Buffalo, NY rally in response to recent gay bashings: "he evening was light by candlelight as the hundreds gathered moved through Buffalo's historically gay neighborhood. Allentown is the home to many glbt residents, businesses and most of the area's gay bars. Many observers were clearly moved as the participants began to move their candlelight procession down Allen Street towards Main Street. This marked the first time in recent memory that there has been any public demonstration of gay civil rights in Allentown."

Video: Katy Perry and Timbaland in "If We Ever Meet Again".

White Collar actor Matt Bomer, who recently said he's not bothered by gay rumors, once posed for the cover of a gay novel.

Scott Brown is White Obama.

Ugandans threaten U.S. product boycott over anti-gay bill: "Sempa said, 'Most Ugandans do not support homosexuality. We are to launch a campaign against consumption of US, UK, and Canada products in Uganda if those countries continue to threaten our country because of the anti gay bill. We will make people stop buying Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola and other products from USA.' Ugandan observers however claim that while the government might not tolerate Sempa’s declarations due to the high economic stakes, Sempa’s threats, if realised, could prove risky for Ugandans as it could put a high number of people out of work."

The state of gay media in Atlanta.

NJ gay groups target Senator Kean, who voted "no" on marriage equality bill: "Mannix said it wasn't simply Kean's 'no' vote on the measure that sparked the movement against him. It was mainly a speech Kean delivered on the floor of the Senate prior to the vote, he said."

Hugh Jackman must spend half his life shirtless in the water.

Johnny Depp does GQ.

Kelly Orr, lead singer of the band Teen Hearts, is a loser.

Newt's list: "Among the other Republican candidates Gingrich named as possible 2012 contenders included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Also included on Gingrich's list are Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Rick Perry of Texas and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. South Dakota Sen. John Thune may also be a potential candidate, Gingrich said."

Speculation surrounds Sydney Mardi Gras line-up.

Why the sudden shift by China on gay rights? "Chinese forums are awash with the debate, another sign that things may be changing. One poster even joked that tóng xìng (same-sex) relationships could be the answer to the country's lopsided boy-to-girl ratio. It is estimated that by 2020 around 24m Chinese men of marrying age will be without spouses."