How can it be? How can we elect a black man President and we can’t condone gay marriage (read: equal rights for all) in California, what should be the most progressive state in the nation? The state that should represent the vision for what this country should stand for. Why isn’t anyone drawing the comparison that a mere 20 plus years ago, inter-racial marriage was illegal in many states, a marriage that has produced our recently elected President?
Isn’t gay marriage the civil rights issue (analogous to racial equality) of our day? The slippery slope of “if gays can marry, then teachers will teach our kids to be gay” is outdated, outmoded, ridiculous, unenlightened, backwards and downright silly. People are with the people they choose because they CAN’T HELP IT.
My husband is black. I am white. Our kids are mixed race. Should this be banned by law? NO! But a couple of decades ago, many states would have said, “Yes, it should be illegal.” It’s immoral. It’s wrong! Are we not better than this? In California?!!!! As proud as I am that this country elected Barack Obama, I am that saddened by the Prop 8 ruling today.
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im the same way, u make excellent points, im deeply sadden by prop 8 ruling out, its nearly 2009 the LAST thing people need to be worried about is who is dating who,and who is liking who,
My guess is that new voters felt they only had to vote for President and nothing else mattered. Many people probably skipped that question. I've always gotten a little annoyed at the "Get Out The Vote" campaigns because they don't go far enough. People need to know that voting isn't a once every four years thing. Between local elections and referendums, we vote four to five times a year here.
If it's any consolation, here in CT, we shot down a constitutional convention which was being driven by the anti-gay marriage, anti-choice crowd.
I think also, California has a lot of rural, less progressive areas which is where a lot of that vote comes from. I'm sure if you look at it by precinct, places like San Francisco and LA will be overwhelmingly against prop 8, whereas eastern CA and the super Republican Orange County kind of decided the vote. I'm in NYC with a lot of friends in LA so I've been following it closely...but even here, I don't think it would've passed. NYC is super liberal, and over 80% voted Obama in Manhattan...but then there are these rural areas and Republican suburbs that have the potential to turn a liberal vote into something else. Even in Staten Island, a short ferry ride away from Manhattan, voted for McCain in the majority. But for gay marriage, and prop 8, it's especially disheartening because you have 51% of the population making a decision for the other 49%; a decision that should be left to the individuals and not the rest of society.
Why isn’t anyone drawing the comparison that a mere 20 plus years ago, inter-racial marriage was illegal in many states, a marriage that has produced our recently elected President?
Isn’t gay marriage the civil rights issue (analogous to racial equality) of our day?
Some blacks (I'm sure not your husband, but perhaps the 70% blacks who voted "yes") might take offense to the comparison. At the genetic level, there's a big, big difference between women and men than there are between the different races.
Personally, I'm rather agnostic on the issue. I think Elton John has a healthy, conciliatory perspective:
In December 2005, John and Furnish tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony in Windsor, England. But, clarified the singer, “We’re not married. Let’s get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage.”
John and Furnish, and their two cocker spaniels, Marilyn and Arthur, were in town for Tuesday’s annual benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
“I don’t want to be married. I’m very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership,” John says. “The word ‘marriage,’ I think, puts a lot of people off.
“You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships.“
My blog-sheriff, Curt, has this up.
And for more of a center-right conservative's perspective:
First, Proposition 8 “outlawed” nothing — it “banned” nothing. The Proposition, echoing a prior decision of the voters of the state in Proposition 22 eight years ago, added 14 simple, unequivocal words to the state Constitution: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
The “previously legal same sex ceremonies” (authorized by four justices of the state supreme court in a divided decision a mere five months ago) have not been “outlawed.” Contrary to the tenor of the report, no jack-booted state troopers will come crashing down doors to bust-up the tender and loving commitment ceremonies of same sex couples. Even before the court decision, civil unions were available with identical rights to marriage, and those civil unions are still available after Proposition 8. The voters cast their ballots to eliminate confusion in the Constitution (confusion introduced by meddling jurists), not to interfere with private behavior of any kind. It’s absurd and dishonest to suggest that the proposition “outlawed” anyone’s relationship or expressions of love.
Moreover, the Times report that California voters “narrowly passed” the ballot measure also happens to be false. The margin of victory for Proposition 8 amounted to 511,000 votes – hardly a squeaker. In fact, the proposition got 52.2% of the statewide vote — very similar Barack Obama’s 52.7% of the national vote.
Would anyone claim that Obama “narrowly defeated” McCain? The New York Times never used such language – despite the striking resemblance between Obama’s winning coalition and the nature of the vote that passed Proposition 8.
Obama lost white voters decisively (by more than 12% to John McCain) but made up for that loss with a strong showing in the Hispanic community and overwhelming support (94%) from his fellow African-Americans.
Similarly, Prop 8 lost (by a small margin) among white voters, while earning a majority of Hispanic support and drawing overwhelming backing (70%) from African-Americans.
The frequently repeated charge that the vote represents a triumph of bigotry amounts to one of the most insipid distortions in recent press history, fomenting rage in the gay community that will only serve to alienate activists even further from the voters in the American mainstream.
Do remember that you are in San Francisco, which is in no way representative of California. Chances are that Prop 8 is going to stay, at least for a while. The voter turnout was over 70%. If an amendment to repeal Prop 8 if put on the ballot, unless there is a massive drop in turnout in counties not bordering the Occidental coast, it will probably get shot down.
I'm a libertarian, so I avoid the equal rights and the morality hoopla that gets tossed around during these times. I think government should get out of marriage. Yes, that also includes polygamy.
I live in CT and our state supreme court upturned the ban on gay marriage (we previously had civil unions, and the bill allowing them defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman). People aren't caring that much right now.
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