The president of the Iowa/Nebraska State NAACP Conference is reportedly resigning because the organization decided to endorse same-sex marriage.
KCCI-TV reported Reverend Keith Ratliff Sr. said in May that he was “uncertain about his future with the group.”
Ratliff was also on the NAACP’s national board. He is pastor of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines.
The Quad City Times reported Reverend Ratliff cited “the NAACP’s position and support of same-sex marriage” as his reason for resigning. The NAACP board of directors voted to support marriage equality earlier this year.
Ratliff has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and has criticized the Iowa Supreme Court ruling which legalized gay marriage. Voters ousted three justices the year after that ruling happened. Those three justices received Profiles in Courage awards from the John F. Kennedy Foundation in 2012.
Change.org accused Ratliff of using his position with the NAACP as “a platform to spread hate and ignorance.”
Ratliff has stated his support for traditional marriage is biblically-based and not optional for him.
The Iowa/Nebraska NAACP Conference Ratliff represented includes Ames, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines and Sioux City in Iowa and Nebraska branches in Lincoln and Omaha.
