Interesting voting stats

Some interesting voting statistics from the Proposition 8 battleground in California, courtesy of the Equality California Institute (via email):

I am very excited to share with you a major study of voting patterns related to Proposition 8.

The study, authored by Professor Kenneth Sherrill of Hunter College-CUNY and Professor Patrick J. Egan of New York University, was funded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and released in collaboration with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Freedom to Marry and Equality California Institute’s Let California Ring campaign.

Based on polling data funded by Equality California Institute and conducted by David Binder Research, the study found that voters who supported Prop 8 were primarily influenced by:

• Ideology – 82% of voters who identify as conservatives voted “Yes”
• Party – Republicans voted more than 80% in favor of Prop 8
• Religiosity – 70% of weekly church goers voted “Yes”
• Age – 67% of voters born before World War II voted “Yes”

The study also showed that race was not a driving factor in the election, as was purported by the National Election Pool (NEP) poll which said 70% of African-Americans voted for Prop 8. Our study found the number closer to 57% to 59%.

One of the most important–and rewarding–findings was the movement in all groups, except Republicans, toward support for full marriage equality. From 2000 to 2008 we moved Californians 9% in support of same-sex marriage – an amazing change in such a short time!

Find out more about voters and Proposition 8 and download the study at the Let California Ring website.

We will continue our outreach in all California communities and we encourage you to continue sharing your stories with the people in your life as a powerful tool to create change.

Warmly,

Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California Institute

Update on Prop 8

The ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights have filed a suit to block implementation of Prop 8 in California. Basis: that the “initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians. Proposition 8 also improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities.”

Jenny Pizer, staff attorney with Lambda Legal, explains “If the voters approved an initiative that took the right to free speech away from women, but not from men, everyone would agree that such a measure conflicts with the basic ideals of equality enshrined in our constitution. Proposition 8 suffers from the same flaw – it removes a protected constitutional right – here, the right to marry – not from all Californians, but just from one group of us.”  

The State Attorney General has also stated that California must continue to honor the marriages of the 18,000 couples who have already married.

We ain’t goin’ away, folks. And you can take that straight back to the Salt Lake Temple.

Pharaoh, Chickens, and Proposition 8

I wish with all of my heart I could feel unhesitating joy today. But my heart is heavy and once more I want to ask, Pharaoh, when are you going to let my people go? 

Eighteen-thousand legally married gay and lesbian couples woke up this morning in California with their marriage status in limbo. Think about that: think about waking up today to find that your fellow citizens had taken away your legal marriage. What would happen to your insurance? Inheritance? Social security death benefits? And over 100 other legal rights that are conferred by marriage? Easy come, easy go? How would you feel about this? This is the outcome of the vote on Proposition 8, which bans marriage equality. Think about this. These are people’s lives that are being played with here.

Proposition 8 was bankrolled entirely by extremist religious organizations (particularly the Mormon Church). You know — the folks who not only have all the right answers, but the mandate to force them on the rest of us. But there’s an itty-bitty little problem with mixing marriage and religion: marriage is a civil institution.

To deny gays and lesbians access to a civil — I emphasize, civil — institution on religious grounds is a gross and grotesque violation of the Establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. It is grotesque for many reasons, not the least of which is that it uses the same reasoning to deny same-sex marriage as was used as recently as my lifetime to deny interracial marriage. You know — how allowing people of different races to marry is against the Bible and will destroy the traditional family. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

How ironic that our President-elect is the child of an interracial marriage.

Let me put it this way: your church has no @#$-&@%#!$ right dictating how a civil institution works. You don’t want gays getting married in your church? Hey — I’ll personally do you a big damn favor and not get married in your church, how about that? And you stay the hell out of my City Hall.

And imagine this, too: the Civil Rights Act put up to a popular vote (“because the people have the right to decide”). Women’s suffrage put up to the popular vote. Yeah, I thought so too. Great idea. Democracy in action.

And hallelujah, brethren, last night Arizona and Florida successfully protected themselves from the looming ravages of marriage equality by banning same-sex marriage. Arkansas takes the cake, though — in a particularly devious and mean-spirited slap at gays and lesbians, the good citizens of the state voted overwhelmingly to ban adoption by single parents. Nice deal. Nothing more pressing to worry about down there, in one of the poorest and least-educated states in the Union. But praise the lord, those godless homosexuals won’t be adoptin’ any more of our chilluns! We’re saved!

There is a small silver lining to the situation in California, however: Proposition 2, which provided for more cage space for farm animals, passed. It’s a good day to be a chicken in The Golden State.

You can also bet that same farm that Proposition 8 is going straight to the courts. It is every bit as unconstitutional as Colorado’s infamous and unlamented Amendment 2 of sixteen years ago.

This country took a step of unimaginable dimensions yesterday by electing an African-American president and in doing so came that much closer to making real our creed that “all men are created equal.” But as long as gays and lesbians can be singled out for discrimination, used as scapegoats and whipping boys, we still ain’t there. We’re just the last ones at the back of the bus.