The Delaware chapter of the NAACP has
endorsed the effort to legalize gay marriage in the state.
In a video released Friday, Delaware
NAACP President Richard Smith said, “Our gay brothers and sisters
should have the freedom to marry the person they love, just like the
rest of us.”
“Stand with us on the right side of
history,” he added. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
The move is in line with the NAACP's
official position released last year.
“Civil marriage equality is a clear
cut issue for the NAACP – it's simply about equal protection under
the law,” Smith said in an email to The
News Journal. “People may have their own personal or
religious views on this issue, but that's not what is at issue here.
This is a matter of civil marriage not religious marriage.”
Delaware state Rep. Melanie George
Smith is expected to introduce a marriage equality bill later this
spring. While the measure's prospects in the General Assembly remain
uncertain, lawmakers approved a civil unions bill two years ago.