Thoughts on Prop 8

The one cloud in the very large silver lining of Obama's election last week was the inexplicable passage of gay marriage ban Proposition 8 in California. Coming months after the California State Supreme Court had ruled that gay marriage was legal, the passage of the ban has erupted into vicious online debate, protest and general confusion: how, people are wondering, could this have possibly happened?

From what I've seen on the 'net, there are a number of possible reasons. The first is style points: by all accounts, the YES people ran a better campaign. They put 'traditional' marriage front and center and pulled out all the stops and it paid off. Especially since this is an issue that gets those kind of voters out to the polls in droves. The NO campaign on the other hand, ran with a lot of celebrities out front and failed to put a human face on the issue! That's one criticism I've seen.

Dan Savage, awesome sex columnist that he is weighed in with this:

I do know this, though: I’m done pretending that the handful of racist gay white men out there—and they’re out there, and I think they’re scum—are a bigger problem for African Americans, gay and straight, than the huge numbers of homophobic African Americans are for gay Americans, whatever their color.

This too, is apparently true. Obama pushed up African-American turnout around the country and African-American voters who are generally assumed to be more religious voted heavily in favor of Prop 8. (To be totally fair, I don't have exit poll numbers right in front of me, but early trends seem to indicate that this is so.)

And now, we have protests against the Mormon Church, who heavily funded the YES campaign-- with quotes like this:

"The main focus is going to be going after the Utah brand," John Aravosis, an influential Washington, D.C.-based blogger, told the Associated Press. "We're going to destroy the Utah brand. It is a hate state."

Oh, that's going to win the argument. Virulent rhetoric.

Wherever the truth lies, this is what I think:

1. I would have voted NO. I believe in marriage equality.

2. I'm tired of marriage equality proponents being so flippin' short-sighted about this. Generally speaking, people my age don't care about this issue. They're broadly in favor of it. In other words, you're going to win the argument anyway, so play a better game! You have to put a human face on this issue- and you should be asking for Civil Unions whereever you can get 'em. No, civil unions aren't marriage and we shouldn't pretend that they are, but they can be a stepping stone towards that ultimate goal. Civil Rights didn't happen overnight. So fight for marriage equality everywhere as hard as you can, but take some baby steps towards that ultimate goal as well. Do everything.

3. Answering hate with hate doesn't help. I get that people are pissed- I have no clear understanding of just how deep the hurt and the rage go, but pick yourselves up off the mat and draw up that Proposition to repeal Prop 8. And start campaigning for it right now, as hard as you can and don't let up until Prop 8 is gone.