Politics of Division: Iowa NAACP President Endorses Anti-Gay Vander Plaats for Governor
One IowaRev. Keith Ratliff Sr., registered Democrat and president of the Iowa-Nebraska chapter of the NAACP announced his support for anti-gay Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats on Monday. If elected, Vander Plaats has pledged to pass an executive order to halt the freedom to marry in Iowa, thereby disobeying Iowa law and operating beyond the powers of the Governor.
Ratliff's ties to Chuck Hurley and the extremist Iowa Family Policy Center are well documented, including their efforts to fund the Joshua Christian Academy, a private Christian school in Des Moines.
Just three months ago, President Obama addressed the NAACP calling for an end to discrimination, specifically mentioning his support for LGBT equality:
“On the 45th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, discrimination cannot stand. Not on account of color or gender, how you worship or who you love. Prejudice has no place in the United States of America. That's what the NAACP stands for. That's what the NAACP will continue to fight for as long as it takes.”
Just last weekend, NAACP board chair Julian Bond spoke at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. saying he was proud to stand with gay and lesbian citizens in their quest for equal rights:
“Rights for gays and lesbians aren't special rights in any way. It isn't special to be free from discrimination, that is a universal entitlement of citizenship,” Bond said. “That many had to struggle to gain these rights makes them precious. It does not make them special. … When others gain their rights, my rights are not diminished in any way. My rights are not diluted when my neighbor enjoys protection from discrimination. He or she becomes my ally in defending the rights we all share.”
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