Spring Break
11/17 Column: Prop 8 Protests Spread Around the U.S.
Aaron Abelson '11
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Opinion
Beginning soon after the announcement of the passage of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, proponents of gay rights staged protests and demonstrations denouncing the passage of the measure. On election night, thousands of people demonstrated in San Francisco against the passage of Proposition 8. Protesters across the state of California spoke out against the ban and, this past weekend, demonstrations took place all over the country in support of same-sex marriage. Almost a million people
spread across 300 cities joined together to peacefully protest the injustice carried out in the passage of Proposition 8 and to encourage continued commitment to the cause. The largest rally was held in San Francisco with other large gatherings happening in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, and many other cities. Activists across the country vowed to continue fighting for equal rights for gay men and women despite the momentum-killing Proposition 8.
For many progressives, the elation that accompanied the election of Barack Obama on November 8th was dampened by the passage of constitutional bans on gay marriage in California, Arizona, and Florida and the passage of a law in Arkansas prohibiting gay individuals or couples from adopting children. In California, a state that voted 61 percent for Obama, Proposition 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote. The apparent disconnect between the election of the first African American to the presidency and the continued national consensus against gay marriage has confused many people and angered even more. The disconnect is most strikingly exemplified
by the fact that Obama won 95 percent of the African American vote, but African Americans voted 2 to 1 in favor the same-sex ban in California.
The passage of Proposition 8 in California and other bans on same-sex marriage across the country brought the issue of gay marriage
back into the political discourse after it was largely ignored during the seemingly endless presidential campaigns. It will take
continued effort of grassroots organizations and political activists and maybe even some action by the courts to succeed in changing
the national conversation more in favor of same-sex marriage rights. While we should continue to celebrate President-elect Obama's upcoming ascendancy to the highest office in the country, we must also realize that it will take a concerted effort to shift momentum back in the direction of freedom and equal rights for all. The demonstrations last weekend are an encouraging sign that the passage of Proposition 8 will be seen as a setback for those who support same-sex marriage, not a derailment of the cause.
spread across 300 cities joined together to peacefully protest the injustice carried out in the passage of Proposition 8 and to encourage continued commitment to the cause. The largest rally was held in San Francisco with other large gatherings happening in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, and many other cities. Activists across the country vowed to continue fighting for equal rights for gay men and women despite the momentum-killing Proposition 8.
For many progressives, the elation that accompanied the election of Barack Obama on November 8th was dampened by the passage of constitutional bans on gay marriage in California, Arizona, and Florida and the passage of a law in Arkansas prohibiting gay individuals or couples from adopting children. In California, a state that voted 61 percent for Obama, Proposition 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote. The apparent disconnect between the election of the first African American to the presidency and the continued national consensus against gay marriage has confused many people and angered even more. The disconnect is most strikingly exemplified
by the fact that Obama won 95 percent of the African American vote, but African Americans voted 2 to 1 in favor the same-sex ban in California.
The passage of Proposition 8 in California and other bans on same-sex marriage across the country brought the issue of gay marriage
back into the political discourse after it was largely ignored during the seemingly endless presidential campaigns. It will take
continued effort of grassroots organizations and political activists and maybe even some action by the courts to succeed in changing
the national conversation more in favor of same-sex marriage rights. While we should continue to celebrate President-elect Obama's upcoming ascendancy to the highest office in the country, we must also realize that it will take a concerted effort to shift momentum back in the direction of freedom and equal rights for all. The demonstrations last weekend are an encouraging sign that the passage of Proposition 8 will be seen as a setback for those who support same-sex marriage, not a derailment of the cause.
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