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Prop 8 wins – We all lose.

By Carmen D. on Friday, November 7th, 2008, 9:30 am Comments
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REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

There is a whisper of melancholy weighing on my sky high happiness about Obama’s victory. California’s Proposition 8 passed and it will amend our state constitution to designate that only marriages between a man and women can be legally recognized. As of now it looks like Prop 8 passed by a few percentage points of only 5 million votes. I am disappointed in my neighbors who would choose to pour discrimination into such a foundational document.

The proposition had wide opposition from Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to President-Elect Barack Obama. But the support for Prop 8 was well funded by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints and proponents aired commercials targeting religious voters and general fear that young children would be forced to embrace gay marriage as part of standard elementary school instruction.

Protests in Los Angeles began on Wednesday and are ongoing:

More than a thousand gay-rights activists gathered Thursday afternoon outside the Mormon temple in Westwood to protest the role Mormons played in passing Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

It was the latest in an escalating campaign directed against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its role in marshaling millions of dollars in contributions from its members for the successful campaign to take away same-sex marriage rights.

+ More Coverage – Prop 8 Protest Over Gay Marriage Ban

There is a note of frustration being expressed in many blogs that black voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 8. As I expressed in an earlier post, I had hoped that would not be the case. Still, significant percentages across all groups (when categorized by race) supported Prop 8 so it is unreasonable to lay the blame for its passage at the feet of black people.

In addition to protests, advocates are already in court seeking to overturn Prop 8. According to the Wall Street Journal:

Advocates for gay marriage said they had filed a petition with the California Supreme Court today, urging the judges to overturn Proposition 8, the ballot measure that seeks to ban same-sex marriage. The petition, to the same court that legalized same-sex marriage in May, was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

If you disagree with Prop 8 please join me and others committed to full equality for all people by signing a petition asking Governor Schwarzenegger to re-open Prop 8.

What do you think of Prop 8?

  • Hello Sterling, welcome to the conversation. I leave your comment here even though it saddens and offends me. As a Muslim, you have watched "your" people be vilified by self described Christians since 9/11 and particularly in the last throes of this campaign. Many of those critics would say YOU and those who believe like YOU DO are "against God." Further, Muslim women are often taunted when they walk around covered. Some of those same people say about your sisters and daughters, "Why don't they just try to fit in??"

    But beyond all that Sterling, we are a country whose founding fathers decided that separation of church and state was the foundation for this country.

    Keep YOUR religion OUT of MY bedroom and MY life.

    I happen to have been born straight and have been married to my husband for more than 8 years. I want everyone who wants to be married to be married. Not in a 'civil union' if that's not how they want to be joined.

    How can you stand with so many who believe that your faith is something abhorrent?
  • STERLING
    IT WAS PASSED DONT EQUATE GAYS WITH THE BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. AS A BLACKMAN I DONT HATE GAYS OR WHATEVER ,YOU ARE CALLING YOUR SELF. THAT LIFE STYLE IS AGAINST ALL OF THE GOOD BOOKS,BEING A MUSLIM IT IS A EVIL LIFE STYLE,BUT ITS BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR GOD. JUST STAY AWAY FROM KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS AND KEEP TOO YOUR SELF...........
  • fcg#p, sigh. The Mormons are the primary funders of Prop 8, $77million+ dollars is the number reported. That's why they are being singled out. Of course there was broad support, that's the point of my post about not singling out black folks. Further, note only 5 million people voted on the measure period. That is telling in and of itself...more to come in post tomorrow or Monday.

    And the get over it? I am not sure what you mean. I work for the betterment of my country no matter who is in the White House and will continue to do so. At least Palin today said, "God Bless Barack Obama."
  • Karen
    Like you Carmen, Tuesday's election was bittersweet for me as well. As our country took one giant step forward, our state took several giant steps back. How could we care more about the rights of chickens (with the passing of Prop 2) than we do about people??!! As a biracial child growing up in the 60's and 70's in a very racially divided New Jersey (with family in the south to boot), churches used the bible to say that the mixing of races was against God's will. This is simply more of the same. When I had nothing to hold on to I held on to my faith...and this has kept me away from my church for over a month. That breaks my heart. How can anyone enforce their beliefs and their morality on others?? I pray - to a God who I know that is ALL loving - that this state is able to figure out how to overcome this great injustice that has been launched against the gay men and women who should have every right as others do.
  • fcg#p
    So, this is democracy, if a decision on the ballot goes down down in flames... to quote his eminence the Hon. Marion Barry, "Get over it!"
    This election was an ill conceived, media orchestrated, bash Bush festival, (moot display of defiance for he is retiring anyway). This was not a green light for every leftist issue. The Mormons were not the only ones opposed to this. From what I understand the Black church community was also vocal in opposition to this issue.
  • It's so surprising that this happened even in California. Wonder what will eventually come of this. There could be a pretty big backlash by conservatives if this is turned around.
  • n-2-me-i-c
    Thanks Carmen. It's good to know that I am not the only one with those feelings. I am looking forward to your post.
  • @ n-2-me-i-c, yes I feel the same way. I am getting angrier but I just want to move through that feeling and reconnect with my commitment to No on 8. The framers of the No on 8 campaign it seems were afraid to go into black neighborhoods and churches and talk about civil rights, and Loving and... I will post about it.
  • n-2-me-i-c
    There APPEARS to be a gay tsunami building in the press and on blogs that is blaming blacks for the passage of Prop 8. So, whether I voted NO or Yes or didn’t vote at all, I’m guilty because I am black? This feels awfully familiar.

    IMO, to claim that African-Americans are responsible and ungrateful because gays voted with Blacks to help elect Obama is quite outrageous. Obama’s election was not some quip pro quo. If that was their reason then it sounds to me like they held their noses and voted for Obama when they really wanted to vote for McCain and Palin. (I knew it wouldn’t take long for everyone to come back down to earth from that ‘Obama High’—didn’t take more than a day.)
  • I've been sort of obsessed with this since 2004. I've read all the Marriage cases briefs.

    I've been very sad about this, actually. But hopeful.

    The California Supreme Court was very forward thinking in 1948 with the Perez decision about interracial marriages (19+ years before the US Supreme Court with the Loving case!) and it upheld its leadership in this respect.

    Even if Proposition 8 ultimately succeeds, the California decision strongly influenced the Connecticut Supreme Court's recent decision.

    Marriages start in Connecticut on November 12th!

    Next week!
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