Stripes with Plaid

I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn’t inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.
…
Why? Because I don’t see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please. At a time when blacks are still more likely than whites to be pulled over for no reason, more likely to be unemployed than whites, more likely to live at or below the poverty line, I was too busy trying to get black people registered to vote, period; I wasn’t about to focus my attention on what couldn’t help but feel like a secondary issue.

No-on-8’s white bias

Banning gay marriage is obviously unfair, but why does it seem like white people are so eager to respond to this insult while ignoring much more serious injustices due to racism. What’s the equivalent of Tulia, Texas for gay marriage? Or flying while brown? Homelessness and hunger in post-Katrina New Orleans?  

Could it be because fighting the insult of a gay marriage ban in no way threatens white privilege while still earning points for being tolerant?