Okay, this whole Prop 8 thing is becoming stupid.

When a slim majority voted in Proposition 8, which strikes down an earlier ruling that made legal marriage between same-sex couples (and I support same-sex marriage), the inevitable protests began. Had it gone the other way, it would have been the same. Now, however, the supporters of legalized gay marriage are going completely the wrong way...again.

Last time, they failed to reach out to the African-American community, and over 70 percent of black voters supported Proposition 8, a law which Barack Obama vehemently opposed, even though he is not a supporter of gay marriage. This was primarily due to a carefully planned campaign for the measure by its supporters, many of whom are religious groups. In the same way Barack Obama lit up the internet to bring support to his cause, the Gay Haters have done the same. It was a brilliant move, one which the anti-Proposition 8 crowd did not mirror, to their detriment.

So, the pro-gay marriage/anti-Prop 8 crowd is rising up in protest. A very well-organized, intelligent, well-planned protest. The Mormon Church, which donated 20 million dollars to the cause of Prop 8, is now a target of the protests, and thousands have gathered outside Mormon temples to speak out against the Latter Day Saints' support of the anti-gay-marriage initiative. It's been a good move to bring attention to their cause.

The trouble is, they're attacking the black community as well, which is equally as bad for their cause.

Read the story below for more:


http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1859323,00.html?cnn=yes

Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California, opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum. (Proposition 8 overturned an earlier decision by the Supreme Court of California legalizing same-sex marriages.) While the court weighs whether or not to get back into the fray, the civil unrest ignited by the ban shows no sign of abating. A National Protest Against Prop 8 organized by JoinTheImpact.com is scheduled for this Saturday. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opponents say donated more than $20 million to the Yes on 8 campaign, has already become a focus of protests, with demonstrators gathered around Mormon temples not only in California but across the country.

The Mormon Church is not the only group being singled out for criticism. African-Americans, 70% of whom voted yes on Proposition 8, according to a CNN exit poll, have become a target. According to eyewitness reports published on the Internet, racial epithets have been used against African-Americans at protests in California, directed even at blacks who are fighting to repeal Proposition 8. Said Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, "In any fight, there will be people who say things they shouldn't say, but that shouldn't divert attention from what the vast majority are saying against this, that it's a terrible injustice." (See the Top 10 ballot measures.)

In addition to protests, gay activists have begun publishing lists online exposing individuals and organizations who have donated money in support of Proposition 8. On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Proposition 8 are publicized, with readers urged not to patronize their businesses or services. The list of donors was culled from data on ElectionTrack.com, which follows all contributions of over $1,000 and all contributions of over $100 given before October 17. Dentists, accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Co., Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., which gave $250,000. "Anyone who steps into a political fight aimed at taking away fundamental rights from fellow citizens opens themselves up to criticism," said Wolfson. "The First Amendment gives them the right of freedom of speech and to support political views, but people also have the right to criticize them."

Even before the passage of Proposition 8, Californians Against Hate compiled and published a "dishonor roll" of those individuals, along with their company affiliations, who gave $5,000 or more towards supporting the measure. Telephone numbers and Web sites were added along with commentary about some of the larger donors to public information obtained through the California Secretary of State's Office. "My goal was to make it socially unacceptable to give huge amounts of money to take away the rights of one particular group, a minority group," says Fred Karger, a retired political consultant and founder of Californians Against Hate. "I wanted to make the public aware of who these people are and how much they're giving and then they could make a decision as to whether or not they want to patronize their businesses."

The negative publicity is having effects on both companies and individuals. Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, whose $1,000 donation was listed on ElectionTrack, chose to resign from his post this week to protect the theater from public criticism. Karger says a "soft boycott" they started against Bolthouse Farms, which gave $100,000 to Proposition 8, was dropped after he reached a settlement with the company. Bolthouse Farms was to give an equal amount of money to gay political causes. The amount ultimately equaled $110,000.

Meanwhile, lists of donors to Proposition 8, once trumpeted on the Yes on 8 Web site, have been taken down to protect individuals from harassment. "It's really awful," says Frank Schubert, campaign manager for Yes on Proposition 8. "No matter what you think of Proposition 8, we ought to respect people's right to participate in the political process. It strikes me as quite ironic that a group of people who demand tolerance and who claim to be for civil rights are so willing to be intolerant and trample on other people's civil rights."


Attacking a powerful voting bloc in order to protest their vote against your cause? Good move, if you want to lose AGAIN. The African-American community knows prejudice, yet rather than reach out to them and show how wrong the campaign for Proposition 8 was on the matter, the anti-Prop 8 crowd are attacking African-American voters with racial epithets and hate.

Smooth.

This campaign needs to be about coming together against religiously-fueled intolerance for a group of people, not a hate campaign against those who oppose you. Whoever is planning these things needs to reach out to the groups that voted for Proposition 8, not attack them. Have they learned nothing from the McCain/Palin campaign?

Anyhoo, while I support the rights of gays and lesbians to marry (it's in the Constitution for fuck's sake: All men are created equal. That means rights for all, not just for some, dammit), I do not support this turn of events. It smacks of the same kind of hate attacks the Republicans used to their ill against the Obama presidency, and we all know how that turned out.

There's nothing in the Bible against gay marriage. Point THAT out. There's nothing in Christianity that says gays do not share the same rights as straights. Point THAT out. It's PEOPLE that make this cause what it is. Alienating a group of people because they have opposed you, that's a bad tactic.

An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. Make people see, that's the ticket.

I'm done now.


- T

:P