Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License in Louisiana By Racist Justice of the Peace

I hit up The Grio this morning, only to find an article that boggled my MIND!

Some back asswards justice of the peace in Louisiana refused to marry an interracial couple (white female, black male) because in his opinions those pairings (I want to think interracial ones in general, but wonder if he would deny a white male in an IR) don't work. Where they do that at, though? I guess they do it in this parish:

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."
Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Well shit! You damned sure ain't racist Boss Bardwell! No you isn't! You's good to us niggras...

WHAT THE FUCK??? It doesn't matter if you let your "piles" of black friends (PROVE it by the way!) use your bathroom.

What that simply means is you have learned basic people skills and decorum. Your refusal to marry these people indicates that you have not moved passed that into truly understanding and appreciating those "piles" of black friends you have, or black people in general, sir.

This is what I get tired of as a woman of color. Don't throw out the "I have friends of color. I let them (insert menial action here)" argument because you will show yourself to be disingenuous every time. If your friends of color are so common for you, then why is letting them use the bathroom even a caveat in the conversation.

"I'm not racist! I've let white people touch my skin!"

Do you see how RANDOM that is? It's random because letting another human being, particularly a friend, use your restroom or eat at your house, or attend parties, and the like is par for the course in a FRIENDSHIP. It is EXPECTED. Touting and bragging about the "expected" behavioral standards required of being a friend (not necessarily even a good one) means that it was hard for you do the basics in the first place. You finally got to them, and you expect a reward. So what if you've got colored friends? Damn it you're supposed to. We live on Earth. Running around in packs of the same race is old and myopic at best.

It's like a kid who HATES eating veggies bragging about eating ONE pea on the damned plate. WHAT ABOUT THE REST? Why stop there?

Even if this guy's experience dictates these things fail, it's not his responsibility to tell people, against the law, that they cannot get married.

Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey, an account manager for a marketing firm, said she and McKay, a welder, just returned to Louisiana. She is white and he is black. She plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a masters degree in minority politics.

"That was one thing that made this so unbelievable," she said. "It's not something you expect in this day and age."

Then, honey, I suggest you and Terrence move. Maybe to like New Orleans or a larger city, but I don't think that area is for you. I also believe that having children in the area may not be the best idea.

In any case, I wish them the best of luck. And I wish Mr. Bardwell's sentence be to live with a happy IR family, and black family, for 30 days. That oughtta teach his ass about friendship.

I bet you his "piles of black friends" is actually one black friend that he barely talks to.

This also brings home the case for equality in marriage, altogether. Shit does get real, just like it did for this slightly naive couple. In the past, I've not been for gay marriage, but for civil unions and the like. I respect that position, but I can't seem to hold on to it anymore. We've been fucking up marriage for awhile now. Gays won't come along and suddenly "ruin" shit.

I watched a commercial here in Seattle about a lesbian couple, where after a tragic drowning accident in some floods we had here several years back, one partner was not able to even see her deceased partner, and the hospital gave her shit.

That made me cry. I could not imagine that happening to me and Mr. Slim, and it would right now as we are not married. However, that can be remedied. There is nothing stopping us.

Now reading this, I realize just how important gay marriage is for gay couples. I will fundamentally disagree with homosexuality, and that's my right. But these are human beings, and God loves them, just like He loves my straight ass, and they should be allowed to live happily ever after just like me. I guess we'll find out if we were wrong or right when we cross to the other side. Regardless, I believe that they should be able to, whether they call it marriage or civil unions, have the same rights as Mr. Slim and I will when we get married.

Mr. Bardwell opened my eyes, even if his were closed.

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