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Loading ...Protests mark gay marriage rollback
11.06.2008 9:27am EST
(Los Angeles, California) Actor George Takei and longtime partner Brad Altman were the first to receive a marriage license in West Hollywood when a court cleared the way for gay marriage earlier this year.
Best known for his role as Mr. Sulu on “Star Trek,” Takei on Wednesday was disappointed but philosophical about California voters’ decision to yank that right by passing a constitutional amendment restricting marriage to heterosexual couples.“There are going to be heartbreaks, setbacks and sacrifices to be made,” he said, “but we will soldier on.”
The passage of Proposition 8 stirred anger, protests, lawsuits and a deep sense of loss among gays in California. At least three legal challenges were filed by Wednesday night and others were being prepared, ban opponents said.
More than 1,000 people took to the streets against the ban in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, blocking traffic. Police said at least four people were detained.
Hundreds also gathered on the steps of San Francisco’s City Hall. Some held candles and carried signs that read, “We all deserve the freedom to marry.”
It was unclear what would happen to the estimated 18,000 gay and lesbian couples, many from other states, who married after same-sex marriage was legalized in California in June.
On the other side of the issue, supporters of the ban hailed the outcome of the vote.
“Government did not create marriage, and neither politicians nor legislators have the right to redefine its basic meaning,” said Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage California.
“Common sense, and concern for the common good, trumped ideology, bigotry and power politics here in California,” he said in a statement.
Andrew Pugno, attorney for the coalition of religious and social conservative groups that sponsored the proposition, said they planned to defend the measure, saying the legal action is “an insult to California voters and an attack on the initiative process itself.”
Among those voting for the ban was Denise Fernandez, 57, of Sacramento. “I believe a Christian is held accountable, and we have to make a difference.”
Many gay marriage supporters had hoped that a strong Democratic turnout for presidential winner Barack Obama would cement the right to marry extended by the state Supreme Court in May.
But the success of Obama, who does not support same-sex marriage but had opposed the gay marriage ban, did not translate into a win for gay marriage. Amendments to ban gay marriage also were approved in Arizona and Florida.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday night, 52 percent of those voting in California favored the ban versus 48 percent against.
In the Castro, San Francisco’s gay neighborhood, the marriage ban’s success squelched what had been a boisterous celebration Tuesday night.
A crowd swarmed from the neighborhood’s many bars into the streets immediately after Obama was declared the presidential winner. Police cordoned off a block in the heart of the district as disco music coursed through giant speakers.
But the party was over a few hours later.
“It’s very disappointing,” Michael Walker said outside the Moby Dick bar, resigned that the measure was going to win. “It’s discrimination.”
In downtown San Francisco, a city where a majority of residents voted against the ban, residents were disappointed by its success.
“I feel sad,” said Venkaf Mannava, 30, a computer programmer who is married with three children. “It’s a personal decision and we should not say how other people should live their lives. They should be free to love and marry who they want.”
Despite intense disappointment, some newlyweds took comfort in the fact that millions of Californians had voted to validate their relationships.
“I’m really OK,” said Diana Correia, of Berkeley, who married her partner of 18 years, Cynthia Correia, on Sunday in front of the couple’s two children and 80 relatives and friends. “I hope the marriage holds, but we are already married in our hearts, so nobody can take that away.”
In Los Angeles, Altman said having the state recognize his marriage to Takei was “extremely meaningful to me, but our relationship will continue and we will live long and prosper no matter what happens on the legal front.”
We lost California because of two massive groups, Blacks and Mormons. I would have thought that Latinos, especially coming from societies with machismo and Catholicism built into them, would have voted been worse. However it was n*ggers, yes that’s right I said it, n*ggers who voted for Obama on one hand and then on the same godd*mned ballot voted to erase a fundamental human right for an entire class of citizens. The day every black person in America is singing “free at last”, is the very same day that millions of ignorant homophobic Obama voting n*ggers vote to keep gays as third class citizens. Martin Luther King and Baynard Rustin would be so proud. I remember watching the Boondocks and seeing the episode when MLK comes back to life after a coma, and he calls black Americans out for being the no good, trifling, shiftless n*ggers that they are. And even though every fiber of my existence tries to tell me not to feel this way, I have to say, without any hesitation, that all I see is a bunch of ignorant homophobic d*mned Neanderthal like n*ggers dancing in the streets while at the same time they commit the same acts committed against them, not so many years ago.
I am happy I didn’t vote for Obama, I knew more people voting FOR Obama because he was black, then voting against him for that reason. Yet Obama’s black voters are no less bigoted, no less backward, no less pieces of human fecal matter than any right-wing homophobic Republican.
I am still very angry for this Prop passing. Since Californian’s have decided to make my community second-class citizens by not letting us marry. I will never support any civil right issues for any group whatsoever. No voting against a Proposition, no money or time, ever. If any Proposition is placed on the ballot to change the rights of others, I will gladly help pass it.
I will only be contributing time, effort and money to the Gay/Lesbian and Transgendered Community.
Typing too fast. Did not mean to imply anything concerning special treatment. meant to say equal treatment.
I understand what you are saying Tanisha. But as a minority, we have to see who is with us and who is against us.
I have read that many leaders in the African American Community get upset when a comparison is made about gay civil rights and Black Civil rights. And I agree, that there is no comparison. But there is no comparison for Asian civil rights, or women’s civil rights, or Latino civil right. There is no comparison between any minority because their experiences are always different.
But in the end, this is my fault. And all the gay community’s fault. We let this happen. We are not organized enough. We don’t march enough. We can’t sit here waiting for the majority to “grant” us our rights. It is time for us to realize that we have to take them. We have to be reasonably aggressive.
Pride parades shouldn’t be down town, but where people really gather. We have to challenge our local governments. We have establish LGBT centers in every major city across the country. We have to create LBGT Chambers of Commerce in EVERY County. We have to do boycotts and girlcotts.
We have to be political And that also means, we have to make alliances. And if groups or people aren’t with us, we have to say they are against us.
Nothing else but full fledged revolution will be good enough.
And I am afraid that as a people, we are not there.
Why not start to dismantle straight marriage? 1.Three divorces, your out! You can’t get married again-any where. 2.Institue a 90 waiting period- if you’re really in love you can wait. 3. No tax or medical benefits for 1 year- if this is a lifetime commitment you can wait. 4. All weddings must be held in a courthouse- this is a legal matter after all. I could go on, but you get the gist.
We need to stop banging on the door and start chipping away at the foundation.
I have vowed not to visit any state or country that goes out of its way to ban same-sex marriage. I will not support its economy while my marriage–conducted in Vancouver, BC–is not recognized as legitimate. Sadly, California has joined the ranks of my ban on hetero-only marriage.
Obama’s victory inspires me a black lesbian that no matter how hard it is or how bad it looks, change will eventually come. You just have to stay dedicated and determined and most importantly hopeful. The first thing the LGBTQ community must do is stop trying to prove homosexuality is okay. Whether someone feels it is a sin or not is not the issue. The point is it doesn’t matter whether you consider it a sin, I am a free citizen and I can make my own decisions concerning my personal life. As long as we try to push GAY IS OK, we will encourage the crazy christians and minority communities to respond back with strong opposition, but if we instead focus on the fact that if the government is able to legislate morality then they can also decide what you can preach in your churches. We need to keep this a human rights issue in order to be victorious. Using Loving v. Virginia as I was able to reach several black christians in seeing why they should not be against Gay Marriage. I first told them, the issue is not whether it is a sin. I stated just like in Loving v. Virginia whites felt it was against God’s law for black and whites to marry. They felt the bible backed them up, but the supreme court said basically that is fine, this is a free country and you are free to believe blacks and whites can’t marry, that just means you won’t marry someone outside your race, but you have no right to tell someone that doesn’t feel it is wrong they can marry a black person. IT is the same thing. Stand in your churchs and on the corners and preach your message all you want. The beauty of this country is you have that right, but you can’t tell me I have to believe what you say is right! Once you give the government that power you take us back to the days or the current countries where there are approved state religions and if you don’t agree w/ the religion aprroved by the government you can be killed! When you talk about it like that and completely avoid the whole is it right/wrong sin/notasin you are able to gain more ground….just my opinion…
Like many, I was heartbroken at the results. However, I am also very angry at the fingerpointing. Some are blaming minorities for the passage these ballot measures. Instead of fingerpointing, maybe white gay America should ask itself, Did we do enough to engage minority gays in this process?
More than likely, the answer will be no. Speaking as a minority gay, I and many of my friends do not feel as though we are part of the gay community. Often times minortiy gays are viewed simply as some sexual conquest and not as equals. Why should we assist in any gay social issues when we can’t receive special treatment from the community? Many have to carry the stigma of being shunned by our families and being shunned by the gay community as a whole.
I have experienced both first hand. Instead of trying to tie gay marriage to the civil rights struggle, how about focusing some energy on proving to minority gays that we are a part of this struggle. It seems hypocritical to yell for equality and acceptance from the heterosexuals and look down on our own. Some may be in denial, but it happens way too often.
That’s all I’m saying.
If it was left up to local governments to ensure black rights it never would of made it. What we need is for the federal supreme court to say it is not legal to discriminate against same sex then states would fall in line.
The sentiment “Government did not create marriage, and neither politicians nor legislators have the right to define its basic meaning” shows how ignorant equal marriage opponents really are. All of the benefits of marriage and the decision to even call it civil ‘marriage’ instead of civil ‘union’ are all decisions made by the government. Religion and tradition have nothing to do with it.
What is not being realized in this whole Prop 8, is that is a contract between the State of California and two consenting adults. It has nothing to do with your religion, beliefs and faith. If the church has so many supporters, why are people getting married in City Clerk’s offices, and at the County Registrar-Recorder’s offices? These people are not ordained Ministers or members of any clergy. They are empowered by our great State.
Clearly the religious right thinks that ALL marriages that have happened occurred inside a CHURCH…
And their SICK PLOY that Gay Marriage will be taught in school. Well sadly enough, with their ploy, it WILL be taught in history classes, and I suspect that MANY of their children saw their DECEPTIVE ADS that gay marriage will be taught in schools… Well THEY NOW KNOW what gay marriage is!!!
I don’t remember anything being mentioned in my school years of any teacher mentioning marriage.
REMEMBER SEX ED?!? They didn’t mention marriage, they discussed sex. Maybe they should teach what what male-on-male sex and female-on-female sex is in schools, and how THAT works.
Here is MY ANSWER… REMEMBER THERE IS A SEPARATION OF YOUR CHURCH AND MY STATE!!!
AND THE IGNORANCE IS GROWING!!!!
I know God doesn’t make mistakes and if I’m gay, it’s because that’s what he wanted.
What you wanted.
And I think the challenge is to get everyone else to see that. This is their test, not mine.
Prop 8 is unconstitutional, period, and it will be overturned on that basis. The unavoidable legal truth of Prop 8, or any others simular to it, is that religious/biblical doctrine is the entire legal foundation and basis for this type of law/constitutional ammendment, and that legal fact makes it unarguably unconstitutional.
The question is, will the state supreme court hear the case ? If and/or when they do, the supreme court justices are sworn to uphold the Constitution, not the Bible, and Prop 8 will be overturned just like the recent California ruling did, just like the sodomy ruling before that, etc, etc, etc.
WE THE PEOPLE are the government, and it is our voice that needs to demand equality for ALL, no exceptions… and to the ‘Christians’ that voted to pass this ammendment, I remind you of the words of Jesus to those that crucified him… Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)… you just passed a law that removed legal/constitutional rights of all of the Matthew Sheppard’s of the world, you tied him up to that fence, then stood careful watch over his frozen body until he gasped his last breath. Somehow, I don’t understand how you could ever look your GOD in the eyes, no matter who you see that entity as being, and try to explain or justify your actions or lack of them by your ignorant failure to do the one thing God demands of all of us… protecting and loving every single one of God’s children… THAT is your DUTY, no excuses, no exceptions !
Yes, as a gay man I am angry over this injustice that was perpetrated by the church, and yes, every single church that participated and used their tax exempt status/money for the passage of this ammendment, should lose that status forever, starting right NOW. But most of all, I am sickened to find myself surrounded by people that just used ‘their’ constitutionally protected rights to remove mine, and in doing so, ignored the thousands of biblical references to taking care of the least amongst us, judge not, those without sin cast the first stone, and on and on and on, yet removed mine over a few biblical ‘manipulated’ interpretations that in the ‘current’ version’s speak against the ’sin’ of gay people. I hope you are proud of yourselves !
This is a link to an article I wrote/posted about last night’s Prop 8 protests in LA:
http://worldofwonder.net/archives/2008/Nov/06/separate_not_equal.wow
Carl RavensWolf Said: “Drop the WORD MARRIAGE and use Civil Unions but Include ” shall endure all THE rights and PRIVELAGES of a married Couple””
This has already been tried in New Jersey and failed, because some didn’t understand civil unions and others refused to recognize civil unions as equal to marriage. Time and time again this country has proven that “separate but equal” does not work.
If marriage is truly the “sticking” point, then the civil aspect of marriage for everyone should be defined as civil unions and marriage for the religious rites.