There may be hope!
Protests againts prop 8 are being held across the state by supporters of same-sex marriages, and frankly they're making a splash. Currently, the California Supreme Court is reviewing the propostion to decide if the passage of eight is constitutional or if it should be overturned. In 2000, proposition 22 was passed with 61% of the votes in order to prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages. Although voters did pass the propostion, in May 2008 the California Supreme Court struck down the initiative, thus giving same-sex couples the right to marry. So, although proposition eight has been passed by 52% of voters, it is a possibility that the court will overturn the decision and give the same rights to gay couple as straight couples. The only issue is....how long could that take?
If you would like to read an article covering the specifics or the protests..here it is! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/16protest.html?pagewanted=1&ref=politics
I found this article extremely interesting and I take pride in the fact that American's have taken it upon themselves to create change and bring light to an important issue.
4 comments:
I always thought that the fate of prop 8 would turn out to be the same as prop 22 in 2008. By the looks of it, the only reason they keep trying to pass these propositions is to show their support for the traditional definition of marriage. Unfortunately for them, it also seems like the number of votes that things like prop 8 get are decreasing (61% in 2000 vs. 52% in 2008).
While I'm apprehensive about the courts overturning prop 8, I think its important for people to rally in support of gay marriage and express their opposition to the ban. I feel that the more people make a big deal out of the ban, the more it will remain in the minds of voters. By keeping this issue in the light, people will become more informed about the issue and what gay marriage entails. This might sway those members of the electorate who voted in favor of prop 8 for non fundamental reasons (as opposed to those who voted for it based on religious values, etc.). The more this issue remains in the media, the more people will be prepared for it—thus hopefully the next time such a proposition arises, the people will be more willing to accept recognition of gay marriage. I also think we have evidence of this—with all the media coverage San Francisco's marriages received, its possible the coverage may have swayed voters to oppose prop 8, bringing down the numbers of those in favor of a ban, like Clayton pointed out. I likewise feel there's hope and I'm proud of these people who have taken it upon themselves to voice their opinion and try to overturn the verdict, despite how difficult passing such legislation can be.
A lot of people have spoke their opinions on the outcome of prop 8, and people continue to rally against it, which is definately a good thing, everyone is intitled to their opinions.
In time, I really think that prop 8 will be destroyed as younger teens reach voting age. What I want to know is the question people are asking everywhere in calfiornia: are the marriages that happened before the passing, valid or not? Until the Supreme Court acts, the future of those marriages are still uncertain.
I searched for an answer and I found this article about UC Berkley students protesting prop 8, and it gave a me a little hope. Hopefully the air is cleared soon, and we can move on from there. Here's the article: http://www.dailycal.org/article/103438/after_prop_8_future_of_gay_marriages_unclear
I'm feeling ambivalent about the outcome of Prop 8. Seeing the backlash from the gay community was not unexpected, but I thought it would have been better that this uproar happened before election day.
Recently, I've been hearing a lot about boycotting the Mormons because they gave a HUGE sum of money to the Yes on Prop 8 movement. Do anyone think this is right? I do realize that LDS is a tax-exempt organization, but should we boycott them? Also, the black community is also blamed for the passage of Prop 8. Do we boycott African-Americans also?
I know the gay community is very angry over this issue, but was it a surprise that Prop 8 passed? Or did they expect Prop 8 to fail? I personally didn't vote in the election, but the people of California did and the popular vote shows that more people support Prop 8 than against it. Does the opinion of the majority matter, if the minority thinks otherwise? Lots of questions, but little answers.
Post a Comment