TV Ad for Anti-Gay Marriage Initiative Targets Latino Voters

Backers of a March ballot initiative to bar recognition of gay marriage took their campaign onto television Thursday, reaching out to Latinos with an unorthodox advertising debut on Spanish-language stations.

The strategy reflects the growing importance of Latino voters in California, proponents of Proposition 22 said, as well as the support that polls show the measure enjoying among those of Latino origin.

“It’s a strategic decision and a recognition that the Latino voting bloc is more important than ever before,” said Chuck Cavalier, a campaign consultant who produced the ad. The 30-second spot depicts members of a large Latino family celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of their matriarch and patriarch. Fast-paced and accented with festive music, it features happy scenes of smiling children and dancing adults amid flowers and champagne toasts.

There is no mention of gays or lesbians and no hint of the emotion spawned by the ballot initiative--the most controversial of the campaign season. The closing line merely states: “Marriage and family. That’s what Proposition 22 is all about.”

Cavalier said the ad’s message is “consistent with our entire campaign: very upbeat, very positive, very family-oriented.” The spot will run for three weeks, primarily in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Future ads will be in English and have a similar theme.

Sponsored by state Sen. William “Pete” Knight (R-Palmdale), Proposition 22 would prohibit California from recognizing marriages between people of the same sex. Supporters say it’s needed to prevent gay and lesbian couples from marrying in another state, relocating to California and asking that their unions be ruled valid here.

Foes call it unnecessary--no state currently recognizes gay marriages--as well as polarizing and discriminatory.

A poll earlier this month by the nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California found that 67% of likely Latino voters favor Proposition 22. That contrasts with the 57% support the poll found among all likely voters.

Julio Calderon, past president of the Mexican American Political Assn., said Latinos disproportionately favor the initiative because “family is the cornerstone of the Latino community.”

Asked why Latinos might perceive gay marriage as a threat to families, Calderon--co-chairman of the Yes on Proposition 22 campaign--said: “You have to look at the right and wrong of things. . . . Without our traditions, what are we? Marriage is for a man and a woman.”

Mark Baldassare, who conducted the poll for the institute, said Latino support for a ban on gay marriage is not surprising.

“Latinos describe themselves as conservatives on social issues, and there is strong support among conservatives for Proposition 22,” he said.

Despite the poll numbers, many Latino elected officials oppose the measure, among them Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles) and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante.

Mike Marshall, manager of the campaign against Proposition 22, predicted that after more Latinos hear his message--”that the initiative is about discrimination and divisiveness”--their support for the measure will fade.

“As a minority group, Latinos face discrimination on a regular basis,” Marshall said. “When they learn that Proposition 22 is discriminatory, they turn against it.”

Calderon, however, disagreed. “Having spent three decades fighting discrimination, I know bigotry when I see it,” he said. Proposition 22 is merely about defending an institution “that has been part of . . . humanity for eons.”

The ad unveiled Thursday is the first of the Proposition 22 campaign. In December, opponents taped a spot featuring the cast of the television sitcom “Will & Grace,” but they do not plan to begin airing it until mid-February.

Strategists say that to sway public sentiment against Proposition 22, foes need to mount a highly visible television campaign. But money is a problem. It takes millions to buy significant amounts of air time in California’s major cities, and opponents of the measure lag in fund-raising.

The most recent contribution reports show that the Yes on 22 side raised close to $4.9 million in 1999, compared to about $2.1 million for the opposition.

Toward the end of the year, opponents were aided by large contributions from Ralphs supermarket chain owner Ron Burkle ($250,000) and David Bohnett, founder of Internet service provider Geocities ($250,000).

Supporters of the measure have 15,000 individual donors and have received considerable support from most of the California dioceses of the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.