Erection '08: YES ON HATE!? There's Still Hope...
Bob Knoke, of Mission Viejo, Amanda Stanfield, of Monrovia, Jim Domen, of Yorba Linda, and J.D. Gaddis, of Yorba Linda, celebrate returns for Proposition 8 at an Irvine hotel. Yay, theocratic bigotry! But their celebration party may be too early...
So my brothers and sisters, despite the epic victory of Democratic President Elect, Barack Obama yesterday, anti-gay amendments in four states all passed, but California's Proposition 8 may still be up in the air (read on). For now, here's the depressing stats for the four anti-gay amendments (via Box Turtle Bulletin):
Arizona: Proposition 102: (Marriage as Between a Man & Woman Only)
Yes: 1,039,792 (56%) - Projected winner
No: 801,315 (44%)
99% of precincts reporting.
Arkansas: Initiative 1 (Gay Adoption Ban)
Yes: 573,774 (57%) - Projected winner
No: 434,344 (43%)
95% of precincts reporting.
California: Proposition 8 (Anti-gay Marriage Amendment)
Yes: 5,220,694 (52%)
No: 4,792,873 (48%)
96% of precincts reporting.
Florida: Amendment 2: (Marriage Amendment)
Yes: 4,674,626 (62%) - Projected winner
No: 2,851,966 (38%)
99% of precincts reporting.
* The Florida constitution requires 60% for an amendment to pass.
Though they're all depressing, California was easily the most important of the four with over $76 million poured into it alone (with about 70% of that financial and organizational support coming from the Mormon church in Utah). We all have the Mormon church to thank in large part. However, No on 8 still has yet to concede saying that the vote only won by 400,000 votes while 3 million to 4 million ballots remain uncounted statewide. Furthermore, California legal experts say that the state constitution makes it impossible to take away fundamental human rights without an internal government vote... so maybe there's still hope.
While Dan Savage bemoans "black homophobia" as the cause, Pam Spaulding from Pam's House Blend explains that while 70% of blacks voted Yes on 8, they only represent 6.2% of California's electorate, it was white voters 65 and over living in inland areas that sent Prop 8 over the top. Meanwhile, Good As You has some thoughts on why we lost in California. Considering all their arguments, what're your thoughts?
So there's still hope and we'll keep you updated.But before you go getting too down about the other anti-gay amendments, hey at least there's some progress in other American social spheres! Marijuana's decriminialized in Massachusetts and Michigan has medicinal reefer. Now you spark up a doobie and watch some coverage of the Yes on 8 bigots from John Stewart and Sacha Baron Cohen after the jump.
In a Daily Show segment entitled, "I Now Denounce You Chuck & Larry," Jon Stewart hates on anti-gay Prop 8 supporters.
From Firedoglake: Disguised in a blond wig and in character as Bruno, a gay Austrian fashion reporter who's the star of another mockumentary, The Bruno Movie, Sasha Baron Cohen marched with haters demonstrators who support Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage at a rally across from Los Angeles' City Hall. Here's a video of him mocking a Yes on 8 supporter.
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QC Asians
Reader Comments
Your 2¢, in chronological order — add your comment below.
I doubt Q-Click will let me post home numbers and addresses, but if you plug the names and cities of these hateful bigots into findlinks.addresses.com guess what you will get. I am sure if they feel this strongly about taking away your rights then they will be happy to discuss it with you.
I love living in Canada. We may not be the land of the free and the home of the brave, but our rights are much more respected here.
One huge step forward, four steps back.
Maybe one day we will all get the change we need.
lets simmer down now.
the best way to address this is not through aggressive confrontation via address searching.
it is by persisting through the channels of justice.
i am not worried;
my future grandchildren will laugh at the absurdity of our present times.
Bad side: I was very sad to find out about this. I was keeping track on this flash based website that had the votes in. And I got to say, as a Californian, I'm amazed at how many cities had more people saying yes to 8. Ah, it's horrible. It's only around here in the bay area (north california) where there were any cities that had more people saying no. Bleh. I guess having a black president is too overwhelming? Baby steps I guess?
Bright side: On CNN, when talking about discussing the propositions, Anderson Cooper kept specifically mentioning prop 8. Makes me wonder.
Another bad side: I'll never get to hook up with Anderson Cooper even if he is gay.
Let's REALLY protect marriage and make it sacred. Why is it so much easier to enter into a lifetime commitment than to enter a university?
1. No divorce: If you leave a spouse, you cannot remarry and you leave EVERYTHING behind.
2. No deadbeats: Full credit and criminal checks. If you have a bad rating or past legal transgressions, no marriage for you.
3. No abuse or abandonment: If you are found guilty, it's a felony.
4. No morons: Marital mental exams -- we don't want idiots marrying.
5. No birth control or strip clubs: You're married, procreate! And don't be looking at other women, either.
I think this would make a fagulous constitutional amendment for California and other states codifying 1-Man/1-Woman constitutional amendments. Why should heteros get all the benefits without any requirements?
Referendum's like this are exactly what you would see if Roe v. Wade were overturned. The issue would go back to the states. The legislatures of the states would enact bans. The courrts will toss them and then the public will be called to vote.
In the 2008 general election, the new york times reported that 44% of all voters nationwide go to church at least once. These people are the largest bloc of voters.
Unfortunately we cannot expect to do better. Our only hope is in the Supreme Court, and only if Obama puts a few more liberals in there.