At an event hosted by UCLA’s Williams Institute, nationally recognized experts on gay rights issues met to discuss the future of such rights in the wake of a new presidential administration and the passage of Proposition 8.
Panelists reflected on the failed effort to stop Proposition 8 from passing.
Some of the panelists pointed to the majority of blacks who voted “yes” on Proposition 8 and who came out in greater numbers in this election than in past elections.
But Ron Buckmire, board president of the Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition, which organizes blacks for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender equality in Southern California, said it was wrong to blame the black communities for the proposition’s passage because they were heavily targeted by the “Yes on 8″ campaign.
“”˜Yes on 8′ targeted African American neighborhoods with direct mail and robocalls that used clips of Obama’s voice and encouraged them to vote “˜yes’ on 8,” Buckmire said.
Others pointed to a falsely perceived notion that Proposition 8 was going to be defeated.
“People weren’t showing up. People didn’t think the struggle was real,” Buckmire said.
Though fingers could be pointed in many directions, Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, an organization working to achieve rights for the LGBT community, emphasized that because Proposition 8 passed, people are now engaged like never before.
“The road to equality is going to be an obstacle course,” said Patrick Guerriero, panel moderator and executive director of the Gill Action Fund. “But we are likely to be the first generation to see it.”
The passage of Proposition 8 is the second time Californians have voted in favor of defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The first time was in 2000 when 61 percent of voters voted in favor of Proposition 22.
Still, Jill E. Darling, associate director of polling for the Los Angeles Times, pointed to a change in voter attitude since 2000.
She noted that Proposition 22 passed by a large margin of 22 percent, while Proposition 8 passed by only 4 percent.
The loss came down to a margin of 250,000 voters, the 2 percent needed to deny the other side the majority.
“Coming that close is heartbreaking. It’s great to hear how far we’ve come in 8 years, but it’s not enough,” Kors said.
The morning after the election, the American Civil Liberties Union had already filed a lawsuit against Proposition 8, declaring it unconstitutional as an amendment.
The lawsuit claims that Proposition 8 fundamentally alters the constitution and therefore constitutes a revision to the constitution, which requires approval by the Legislature before entering the ballot.
Casey Pick, a third-year law student and previous grassroots director of Republicans Against 8, said she wanted to remain optimistic but expressed some doubt about the success of the lawsuit.
“In this conservative court, it would be like asking lightning to strike twice,” Pick said.
Pick referred to the California Supreme Court’s May 15 decision that struck down Proposition 22 and ruled in favor of gay marriage under the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Still, panelists spoke of a promising future with the new administration, though President-elect Barack Obama has stated that in his personal view, marriage is between a man and a woman.
Though he disagrees with Obama, Tobias Barrington Wolff, an adviser to Obama during the campaign, maintains that “Obama is good for the LGBT community. He is hands-down the most pro-equality presidential candidate we have had.”
Furthermore, with the prospect of at least two seats becoming vacant on the Supreme Court, Tobias referred to the election as a pivotal success, arguing that Obama will appoint justices who will uphold equality.
Danny Torres, director of the Queer Alliance at UCLA, agrees that the biggest push forward will come with the nomination of two Supreme Court justices during Obama’s presidency.
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