I’m really worried that California Prop 8 will pass on November 4, writing marriage discrimination into the California constitution. Election Night could be bittersweet in California, as Obama wins but marriage equality loses. The polls right now don’t look good.
If Prop 8 passes, then same-sex marriage rights in California are gone for good — unless the U.S. Supreme Court someday rules on the issue, or future California voters someday amend the state constitution in the other direction.
I don’t live in California, of course, but I know at least one couple who does, and there are more than 100,000 others.
I don’t know what to do, other than donate money. I was reluctant to donate, because I thought, what can my own little contribution do?
But I’ve decided I have to donate to this. I’ve never donated to a political cause before. I didn’t even donate to Obama, although I thought about it last spring.
But this cannot pass.
My contribution alone won’t affect things, but combined with the contributions of others, it might.
Please donate to help defeat Prop 8. I just did.
I’ve donated too. But frankly, I’ve also already written it off to protect my own sanity.
Very bad timing. Terrible optics from Newsom’s otherwise gallant move.
The fallout? A great loss, but far less than that of McCain getting to replace Stevens and Ginsburg. Ultimately, ground that can and will be recovered.
We got another state this month. Try not to mind too much.
Jeff, thank you. Your contribution does help.
And it means a lot to me personally. I’m trying as much as possible to protect myself emotionally from the likely passage of the proposition, but it’s tough. Jeff and I both already find ourselves spending way too much time obsessing over every news story, every poll, and reading and hurting over far too many hateful and venomous statements about gays and lesbians that accompany any editorial or article about the issue.
On the other hand, one bright lining to the unfreakingbelievable ease with which California’s constitution can be amended* is that if Prop. 8 does pass next month, a reversal in only a few years isn’t that unimaginable, especially if it passes by the slim margin that appears likely.
(* And when you’re hired as a state employee, as I was when I first moved out here, you’re required to swear to “uphold and defend” the California constitution, something that made me very nervous given that the constitution can change so easily from year to year just by majority vote.)
I just donated. I’m hardly rolling in cash, I don’t support marriage for anyone gay or straight, and I don’t really believe my meager contribution can make a difference — BUT if everyone thought that way nothing would ever be achieved. Every drop raises the sea, as they say.
Even if it does pass, at least I will be able to say I did something, even something as little as giving a few bucks, to fight it which will be a lot more satisfying than if I had done nothing.
I visited Hawaii ten years ago, when a similar proposition was on the ballot. Millions of Jeezobucks from Evangelicals and Mormons around the country bought a successful campaign that appealed to visceral fear. The airwaves were saturated with television commercials showing a bride and groom running toward each other on a beach, then passing each other to end up in the arms same-sex partners. The implication was that same-sex marriage would turn normal people homosexual, in addition to somehow destroying the institution of marriage.
Here in California, the Jeezobucks are buying commercials making the entirely bogus claim that if Prop. 8 fails, schools will be forced to teach children about homosexuality in a positive light. Same-sex marriage not only destroys the sacred institution of “traditional marriage,” but it will force the state to corrupt our precious children and recruit them into the homosexual lifestyle!
The much smaller opposition campaign makes a reasoned appeal to fairness and equality. That’s unfortunately doomed to fail, since reasoned appeals can never compete with saturation-level visceral appeals to fear (even when the fear is completely unfounded). It’s sad that the campaign will surely succeed in amending the constitution to take away rights from a specific group of people. But it’s much sadder that our political system is so amenable to this type of manipulation.
By the way, I was in San Francisco last week. I visited the ornate City Hall, where I saw a lengthy queue of same-sex couples waiting for marriage licenses and watched a lesbian wedding taking place under the rotunda. Presumably an appropriate quantity of Jeezobucks has already been allocated for lawyers to press the appropriate court to annul all those marriages. God bless America, indeed.
A big thank you to all out-of-state people that have helped on the “No On Prop 8” campaign. Your support and generosity is greatly appreciated. You are truly making this a better world for all people.
We gave a 5 figure donation to the cause. We also help raise an additional $20K at our wedding.