Los Angeles Times
 
 
 
 
 
Editorial

Prop. 8's battle lessons

In hindsight, it is easy to spot the weaknesses in the campaign by opponents of the same-sex marriage ban.
November 11, 2008

» Discuss Article    (248 Comments)

Ever since Proposition 8 passed Nov. 4, enshrining heterosexual-only marriage in the California Constitution, demonstrators from Sacramento to San Diego have staged daily marches and protests to express their anger and disappointment that homosexuals will continue to be treated as second-class citizens. It's a stirring movement, reminiscent of past civil rights struggles, but it raises a troubling question: Where were these marchers beforebefore the election?

Like nearly every aspect of the fight against Proposition 8, the recent protests come too late to make a difference. Opponents of the measure ran a disorganized campaign that consistently underestimated the strength of the other side. Apparently lulled by poll numbers that showed the initiative was likely to fail, the campaign's fundraising efforts were lackluster -- until it discovered that the Yes on 8 side was raking in millions from Mormons and members of other churches. By the time fundraising began in earnest, there wasn't time to mount a strong opposition.

Same-sex marriage advocates produced only one hard-hitting commercial, depicting a pair of Mormon missionaries ripping up the wedding license of a married gay couple, but didn't air it until election day. The campaign made little effort to reach out to the African American community, whose large turnout and overwhelming support of Proposition 8 were enough to put it over the top. And while it's nice that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now says he hopes that the courts will overturn the initiative, he was all but invisible before Nov. 4.

The failure of leadership extends beyond the governor. If there was a public face to the No on 8 campaign, it was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is (notoriously) heterosexual. Where were the gay leaders? It's hard to imagine the civil rights movement of the 1960s succeeding without Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X, or to imagine the women's suffrage movement without the likes of Susan B. Anthony.

Wresting equal rights from a society reluctant to grant them isn't easy. It can take years of nonviolent resistance, passionate speeches and even in-your-face radicalism. If people who voted yes on Proposition 8 say they didn't see it as a civil rights matter, that's because until now there has been nothing resembling a civil rights crusade by the gay community. Courts can assist downtrodden groups, but they never have and never will be enough to guarantee equality on their own.

The fight for gay equality won't end with Proposition 8; it will continue until the battle is won, in California and across the nation. Supporters should take some lessons from the many mistakes made in this round.





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1. Black voters put it over the top? What, 6-8% of the population? How about white, non-Mormon Christians put it over the top. Aren't they the majority? White people put it on the ballot and too many white people supported it. That's another way to look at it. Or maybe old people did it! I mean, they did vote overwhelmingly in support.
Submitted by: Kay
7:34 AM PST, Nov 13, 2008
 
2. I can't understand why some gay people want to give up their privileged status. They can't be ensnared in marriage and don't have to be cannon fodder in imperialist wars. They are thought to be above average in intelligence and looks. Why do they want to become 'common'. Reading th comments about why Prop. 8 failed misses that fact that most 'straight' people consider gays their betters and subconsciously want to protest them from harm.
Submitted by: David
6:26 AM PST, Nov 13, 2008
 
3. Justin asked: Right before the elections I noticed that there were always a lot of Yes on Prop 8 foks in my neighborhood rallying for Prop 8, and they were always either tongans or samoans. Those were Mormon missionaries sent in to "rally the troops". The Momons have a heavy recruitment operation going on in the Pacific Islander communities which are more receptive to the message coming from a less traditional Christian background than West Europeans.
Submitted by: Cal
12:41 AM PST, Nov 13, 2008
 
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