And now for the serious side of Election Day...

[owlmoose]

Barring some miracle in the absentee ballot count, Proposition 8 is going to pass with 52% of the vote. This percentage has held pretty steady since midnight, within a few tenths of a point (why yes, I did keep waking up in the middle of the night to check), so I think any extreme movement in that number is unlikely. In all likelihood, it's over.

This is a setback. It is, in fact, crushingly disappointing (but not as crushing as I was afraid it might be -- I think unconsciously I've been bracing myself for this for awhile, and of course Obama's win helps to cushion the blow). But it's not really a surprise, given the sheer amounts of poison poured into the ears of California voters by the Yes on 8 forces over the last month. Sure, they may have triumphed today, but look what it took for them to do it. Millions and millions of dollars of out of state money. Lies and exploitation of children in their campaign ads. Outright tricking people into voting for their hateful amendment.

Okay, I'm in tears now, so maybe I'm not as resigned as I thought I was.

So the forces of hate and fear won the day. There's no getting around that. But they've only won the battle. They haven't won the war. And this war, they will lose. I still have no doubt of that. In 2000, California passed the first law banning same-sex marriage by a vote of 61%. That's a 10% change in less than 10 years, which is huge progress. If we'd had a little more time between the Supreme Court decision and the vote for people to get used to the idea, I'm sure we would have defeated this. We will see marriage equality California again, and we will see it across the United States. It's coming, and nothing can stop it.

So today I take a few minutes to mourn. And then I'll pick myself up and start fighting again. Because I thought I was determined before, but now I know what true determination is.

Comments

[furitaurus.livejournal.com]

Ah shit. That's bollocks is that, what were californians thinking? I thought you guys would have had the No result in the bag after the state went blue.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately there are many people who identify as Democrats but tend to be pretty conservative on social issues: the working poor, blacks and Hispanics, and Catholics, among others. I haven't seen detailed exit polls yet, but I would bet that, on average, all of these groups supported Proposition 8. Especially since the Yes on 8 campaign sent out misleading fliers suggesting that Obama supported the proposition.

[lucil-luzzu.livejournal.com]

Damn :( Just goes to show that there's even some Democrats that are still narrow-minded enough to vote for a black man but not gay marriage... I'm really disappointed too, especially thinking about my aunts that just got married last month :( But you're right, the fact that Gay marriage was even legalized in the first place points to change coming... hopefully sooner than later.

I

[kunstarniki.livejournal.com]

I grieve with you, both for the Proposition and for my entire stupid state. We are better people than those who surround us and I have no doubt that equality will come for those who love differently. It will be the next civil rights war and we won the last one with a resounding trumpet blare. It is coming and nothing can stop it. The old bigots will die, choked on their own bile, and there will be a sweet victory for those of us who believe in the equality of all humans in all ways.

Re: I

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Your progressive oasis is even smaller than mine (Prop 8 lost 3 to 1 in San Francisco), so I surely understand your frustration. (Although it looks like your Senate race is headed for a run-off, and the forces of the Democratic party will gather for it. Max Clelland will not be forgotten!)

History is on the side of this civil rights movement, just as it was on all the others. I do wish history would move a little faster, though.

I

[kunstarniki.livejournal.com]

You have probably already seen this. But I thought of you when I read it. (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3585152&mesg_id=3585152)

[letters-to-ed.livejournal.com]

So disappointing! I kept refreshing the page hoping to see a change. :(

I agree with your post - this should not be the end of this issue. I wish this did not have to be an issue anywhere. It makes no more sense than to say, people with blue eyes should not marry. But, I think this result will inspire people to work harder to overturn this.

[i-iambe.livejournal.com]

I believe that they won this through confusion, misdirection and occasionally, outright fraud. And still only by the barest of margins.

I agree with you that they've only managed to slow the process down temporarily, but they haven't stopped it. No one's going back in the closet. Gays and Lesbians aren't going to go away no matter how hard the Religious Wrong fights so they'd just better get used to the idea that the children are going to learn about them, just like they learn about people of different colors and races. That excuse won't fly.