The demographic was key to the President winning the White House in 2008, but African Americans have traditionally been less reluctant to support gay marriage.

Lehigh University African Studies Professor James Peterson says there are several reasons for that.

“Some of the mesogyny and much of the homophobia that is generated or becomes more pervasive within the African American community is tied to this really, really complex history that has to do with the emasculation of black males during slavery and the systematic oppression of black folks over time,” Peterson says.

The issue of gay marriage was the talk of many African American churches this past Sunday, says Sam Gresham, a political consultant and former director of Common Cause Ohio and the Columbus Urban League.

Gresham says the topic of same-sex marital vows has never been louder within black churches than it is now.

“It’s an interesting discussion when you get eight to 10 African Americans in a room. And that’s happening all over America this week, particularly on Mother’s Day. It happened in the pulpit I was in – the pastor spoke about it,” Gresham says.

One pastor who did not speak about it: Elder Michael Reeves, pastor at Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus.

While Reeves says he preached about other topics on Sunday, he says gay marriage is among the issues African American churches need to address in a more-intelligent way.

“It’s like church has been a spiritual drug that when you’re stressed out you, you go to church, get a little drug, feel good, go home and live happily ever after.

“That is not real life. That is not what God intended the church to be.”

Reeves is staunchly opposed to gay marriage. He says same-sex marriage compounds parental questions and concern faced by many African Americans.

The latest poll from the Pew Research Center says African American support for gay marriage has increased by 20 percent since 2008.

The Senate’s agriculture panel agreed to revisions Tuesday that include easing rules for snake ownership and exempting certain service monkeys who helped the disabled. The changes would exempt animals from a required microchip implantation if it would endanger their health.

The panel has scheduled a possible vote on the measure Tuesday, though it could come Wednesday. It would ban new ownership of exotic animals while allowing current owners to keep their pets by obtaining a new state-issued permit by 2014 and meeting other strict conditions.

The measure follows the October release of dozens of exotic animals by their suicidal owner from Zanesville, forcing authorities to kill 48 animals.

Columbus City Councilman Zach Klein says Columbus and Franklin County have for some time included gay and transgender residents in their anti-discrimination laws on housing, but the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development only included those communities two months ago.

“These rules are from the federal level, and say that if you’re receiving HUD funding or you’re receiving HUD assistance for your housing project and you’re the landlord, you can no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Columbus is known as a gay-friendly city, but Klein says he heard from several people this morning who say they were denied housing because of their sexual preference or identity.

In 2009, Bishop Richard Lennon stunned much of the region’s Catholic community when he announced a parish reconfiguration plan that would close 50 churches. He argued that population shifts, a dwindling pool of priests, and various economic concerns had forced his hand.

The Bishop’s spokesperson says 14 of those shuttered churches appealed his decision to the Vatican, and last month 12 of them won their appeals and church decrees from Rome ordered that they be reopened.

Tuesday, flanked by his advisors at Cleveland’s downtown Cathedral, Bishop Lennon announced his decision not to appeal the Vatican decrees.

“Doing so would prolong the process for a number of years, and would create more uncertainty and continue to divide our Catholic community,” Lennon said. “Therefore, I will move forward and carry out the Congregation for the Clergy’s directives regarding the parishes in an orderly manner.”

Bringing the closed buildings back to life will involve clean-up, minor maintenance and the return of sacred objects that had been removed. The Bishop said the Diocese will work with the priests and parishioners as they re-establish their parishes in the coming weeks, though he offered a few words of caution.

“The parishes that are reopening will face many of the challenges that led to their being closed. As is true for all parishes, it will be essential for each of these parishes to demonstrate, on an ongoing basis, that they have the active membership and the financial wherewithal to sustain themselves.”

Christine LaSalvia of Lakewood’s St. James church says her parish plans to do just that.

“About two years back we had put together a financial plan and assembled a group that wanted to be involved in fundraising and other efforts to get restarted, if the decision went our way,” LaSalvia said.

In addition to St James, seven churches in Cleveland, two in Akron, and one each in Bedford and Lorain will reopen their doors. Bishop Lennonsays earlier news reports that a thirteenth church had also won it’s appeal were false.

For Christine LaSalvia of St. James, it’s been a long three years, and she’s glad the ordeal is over.

“We didn’t get open for Easter, but we’re just grateful to be reopened and we look forward to the future.”

Now, statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports there’s some fall-out from that development — a leading face of the ballot drive is quitting until he sees more unity in the movement.

To listen to the story, click the play button above.

The Ohio Association of Animal Owners had been working with officials to help write a framework for legislation months before authorities were forced to kill dozens of the dangerous creatures let loose last fall from their cages by their suicidal owner.

Now that legislation is before state lawmakers, the group’s members are gunning for the bill’s demise because they say it’s unfair to private owners.

Polly Britton, the group’s lobbyist, says the bill would need an overhaul to win its support.

The measure would ban new ownership of exotic animals, allowing current owners to keep their pets by obtaining a new state-issued permit by 2014 and meeting other conditions.

Ohioans to Stop Executions and People of Faith Against the Death Penalty say they submitted a Monday letter to Kasich on behalf of about 230 faith leaders. They ask that the sentence of 49-year-old Mark Wiles be commuted to life in prison without parole.

The Ohio parole board has recommended against clemency.

Wiles’ attorney says he’s remorseful and has accepted responsibility for his actions in the 1985 slaying in Portage County.

The April 18 execution would be Ohio’s first in six months after a federal judge ruled the state narrowly demonstrated it’s serious about following its lethal injection procedures.

.

The Freedom to Marry coalition wants to repeal and replace a 2004 state constitutional amendment that says Ohio only recognizes a marriage between a man and a woman. The group’s proposal would allow two consenting adults to enter into marriage regardless of gender. Religious institutions could decide who to marry.

Attorney General Mike DeWine on Tuesday certified the coalition’s amendment summary as “fair and truthful.”

The state Ballot Board now must review the proposal before the group can begin gathering the roughly 385,000 signatures needed to put the measure before Ohio voters in November 2013.

The president of the Cleveland chapter of the NAACP has said he supports the campaign.

“The mandate requires almost every single private insurance company – and by doing that also requires every religious organization – to provide or to pay for their employees’ contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacient drugs; drugs that actually cause the death of a living child,” said Yorston.

But Cathy Levine, executive director of UHCAN – the Universal Health Care Action Network says there are a number of religious groups that refuse to compromise.

“Reasonable compromises have been suggested that protect the religious beliefs and make sure that women have access to affordable health care,” Levine says. “And these groups are being unreasonable in refusing those compromises.”

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments about the health care overhaul beginning Monday.

The board said Friday that Mark Wiles’ execution should proceed because he exploited the family’s kindness and his remorse doesn’t outweigh the crime. He’s scheduled to die April 18.

However, the 49-year-old Wiles is part of a lawsuit in which federal courts delayed February and March executions over concerns that the state continues to deviate from its written lethal-injection rules.

He’s asked a judge to halt his execution while procedures are reviewed.

Wiles was convicted of killing 15-year-old Mark Klima in Portage County in 1985. His lawyers argued he should be spared because he takes responsibility and is remorseful.