Popular Culture Review Vol. 16, No. 2, Summer 2005 | Page 116

112 Popular Culture Review Similar observations were made by Donna Payne of the Human Rights Campaign in her OpEd “Leading Us in the Direction of Equality” celebrating Black History month (www.hrc.org, February 24, 2005): Thankfully, even today black religious leaders have given the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community hope as we work toward equal protections___ This is especially true at a time \viien groups like the Traditional Values Coalition are attempting to infiltrate black churches. Early this month, the Traditional Values Coalition’s Rev. Louis Sheldon and 70 black pastors who backed President Bush’s re-election bid held a summit in Los Angeles. There, they laid out a plan for African-Americans to follow, called “Black Contract with America on Moral Values.” . . . First on the list of priorities is a focus on prohibiting marriage for same-sex couples.. . . In pushing these goals. . . the pastors will receive money fimneled through faith-based initiative programs funded by the federal government. Talk about justice. Banning marriage equality has nothing to do with ensuring that your family has health [