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usc

politics

4 Reasons Why California Banned Gay Marriage, Again

Joshua Sharp

Posted: Nov 6th 2008 2:08PM

Filed under: US Elections, Politics, Small Campus, Big Story, USC

California voters on Tuesday passed a controversial constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, reversing a state Supreme Court decision made in May of this year. The success of Proposition 8 has sparked tears and protests from opponents of the measure. Here are a few theories how it happened:

1. It was all about the children.

The majority of Californians personally don't care if Joe and Steve want to get married. But parents do want control over how, and when, their children learn about homosexuality. The "Yes on 8" campaign was remarkably successful in shifting the focus from marriage rights to future implications. When a first-grade class made national headlines for a field trip to their teacher's lesbian wedding, the fear appeals employed by Prop 8 supporters became much more plausible in the minds of undecided voters.

2. No on 8 didn't respond in kind.

In response to these "what about the kids" ads, opponents of Prop 8 should have shown centrist voters an alternative hypothetical: what would happen if Prop 8 did pass. The pictures of same-sex couples devastated and crying, like we've seen in the last few days, is nothing to celebrate. I think if Californians had gone into the voting booth with that image in their mind, the proposition would have been defeated.

Imagine a TV ad with two older women, sitting on a living room couch, talking directly to the camera about what Prop 8 would mean for them. Talking about how the day they were allowed to legally marry was the happiest day in their 36-year relationship. Talking about how devastated and hurt they would be if Prop 8 passed. Then the tagline comes up, "No on Prop 8. Don't eliminate marriage rights for anyone."

This approach would have been risky but effective.

3. The method by which gay marriage became legal.

In 2000, sixty-one percent of California voters supported a proposition defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Repeatedly over the last few years, the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed legislation legalizing gay marriage, only to have Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger veto the measure every time, citing Californians' vote in 2000. San Francisco's I-don't-give-a-damn mayor Gavin Newsom began officiating same-sex weddings in 2004, and though the marriages were later annulled, the question of marriage rights eventually wound up in front of the state Supreme Court, where four justices made gay marriage legal.

Swing voters didn't like the way four judges overruled the statewide vote from just eight years earlier. Gay marriage is a touchy subject, and the perceived judicial activism caused a backlash especially among moderate Republicans who otherwise were indifferent on the subject.

4. Yes on Obama, Yes on 8.

According to exit polls, 70 percent of African-Americans in California supported Prop 8, even though they voted for Democratic nominee Barack Obama by a large margin. Fifty-nine percent of Catholics supported Obama, while 64% of the same group supported Prop 8.

The irony is that the overwhelming electoral landslide which propelled the first African-American into the presidency could also be responsible for reversing a court-ordered right to same-sex marriage. Democratic volunteers pushing for every Obama vote possible may have unwittingly helped the Yes on 8 campaign's Get Out The Vote efforts, and caused the high court's decision to be overturned.

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2:43AM 2:43AM Nov 12th 2008

I have read most of the post here and I am so saddened by the hatred I read. I am a straight married woman who happens to know many Gay Couples both Men and Women. These people have been in very long loving relationships, some as long as 38 years. How many married couples today can even say that? My husband and I live in an area of Florida where many Gays live. I would welcome every one of them as my neighbor instead of some of the trash we have living here. Whether you want to believe it or not, these people you are so against drink the same water as we do, breathe the same air as we do, shop in the same stores as we do, eat in the same restaurants as we do and are just as involved in our community and sometimes even more which benefits us ALL. I can speak from experience that when we had an illness in the family, they were the first ones to come knocking on our door offering to help in any which way they could. While my husband was recuperating from back surgery, they took care of our lawn and never even asked. They just did it!!! When my Mother was in the hospital dying, they picked my children up from school, fed them and cared for them until I got home so that I could spend time with my Mom. When she passed away, they were there to offer any help including use of their home and Guest House for my family to stay in rather than go to hotels. They even picked my family up from the airport etc. IN A HEARTBEAT if I had the power, I would make sure they had EVERY RIGHT that my husband and I have! I am a truly lucky woman to have the most wonderful, caring, sensitive, loving neighbors around. I would NOT change them for all the money in the world. You should all be so lucky as to have these people around you. You might learn something for a change like compassion, love, caring. There are several Gay Couples within a few blocks of our home and there is NOT a holiday or event that they are not welcomed to. They have become part of our extended family and will always be and I hope that when I am gone that my children and grandchildren will continue with the values we have taught them about others who might be a little different than us because of who they decide to love! In fact, if anything happened to both my husband and I together when the children were minors, we even made provisions for them to be raised by a particular couple we know. If I had to die, I would have died peacefully knowing my children would have been well cared for, educated and most of all loved and taught all the lessons of life any parent wants their children to learn. Get over your HOMOPHOBIA, you just might learn that you have been missing out on knowing such wonderful human beings!

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jack lang

10:04AM 10:04AM Nov 12th 2008

I don't want sh*tty dick! Go away, fa*gots!!!

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John Howell

9:46AM 9:46AM Nov 12th 2008

Overwhelming electoral landslide? No it wasn't. It was a 5 to 6 point win, and unless you are a LIAR there's no way to call that a landslide. If these people keep LYING, I'll keep calling them LIARS. I must say I'm pleased to see they had the guts to point out the effect of socially conservative black voters.

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Dove

4:07PM 4:07PM Nov 12th 2008

I do believe the right approach to this is issue is for all Gay Americans to say to say NO MORE.. I will not pay taxes ANYMORE !!!!!!!! Until I Have the same rights as all Americans.

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FireEagle

11:15PM 11:15PM Nov 12th 2008

This is not about having rights. Gay people have even more rights than heterosexuals. If anyone does anything against gays it is considered a hate crime and more punishment is dished out.

What this is really about is forcing the gay life style on heterosexuals. Teaching kids all about gay life, transsexual lifestyle, and any other lifestyle that someone chooses. Yes, I said choose. You can not choose your race, your face, your genes, your body, your sex. But you can choose to realign your face, change your sex organs, hair color, your body (to a point), but I digress. The point is they are trying to spread the concept not live and let live.

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Allen

5:30PM 5:30PM Nov 13th 2008

The diatribe by Kevin C and the other gay commenters portray just what Straights are afraid of when it comes to homosexuality --- a hateful, threatening demand that everyone consider homosexual behavior to be "normal". Well, it isn't normal. It never will be. The vast majority of Americans (and the small majority of Californians) believe that. Nevertheless, those who are gay are entitled to peaceful privacy, legal protection and the ability to have certain rights to health care, insurance, etc. They do NOT have the right to make everyohe agree with them that their lifestyle is acceptable.

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Shanine

12:54PM 12:54PM Nov 21st 2008

I wish no harm to anyone and people's choices are their own. But, I am tired of people comparing being gay to being African American and making the leap that African Americans should understand the plight of gay because of the trials and tribulations placed upon African Americans. I missed the history of gay persons being held as slaves and not being allowed to vote or have a voice or not being able to have the basic right to learn to read. Atrocities were done to a whole race because of the color of their skin. If you know anything about African Americans you would know that those who were light skinned enough at times went to great means to fit in and to blend just so that they would not be abused or to have the same rights as others. Skin color is not a choice nor is it a "natural variation in behavior". There is no choice, there is no deviation. There is no coming out of the closet. Sexual preference and practices are what you do in the privacy of your own home and the way you choose to live your life, which is your choice. African Americans have no choice, Black is not a lifestyle or something you can do in the privacy of your home. So Please stop comparing being GAY to being African American, it is an insult to the suffering and pain that so many had to go through to get this far. It is an insult to those who were lynched and those who fought for Civil Rights and gave their life. It is an insult to the slaves who endured so much and who help to build a country and received nothing in return but pain and loss. It is an insult to a race who had to fight for BASIC human rights. And Please stop expecting African Americans to understand the plight of being gay as 70% showed in California African Americans don't compare it to being African American and are fairly insulted when the comparison is made. African Americans get your point on another level, but when the comparison is made African Americans are insulted because it is not the same.

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Freddy Vicente

11:47AM 11:47AM Dec 4th 2008

LOL!!! POOR ANGRY LIBS ARE ANGRY THAT GAYS CANNOT MARRY IN CALIFORNIA. TOO BAD LIBS. THIS IS THE SAME STATE THAT ALLOWS THE GROUP NAMBLA TO OPERATE IN SAN FRANSISCO. THIS IS THE ORGANIZATION THAT SAYS IT IS OKAY FOR GROWN MEN TO RAPE BOYS AS YOUNG AS 5.
IF WE ALLOW YOU LIBERAL FREAKS TO WIN THIS WILL BE THE NEXT STEP. MARRIAGE WITH 5 YEAR OLD BOYS. AND MAYBE MARRIAGE WITH FARM ANIMALS?? SORRY LIBS. TIME TO FOAM AT THE MOUTH IN ANGER AGAIN! LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!

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