Gay Marriage Is Banned In California...WTF?

The Telepgraph wrote:Barack Obama may have helped California Proposition 8 gay marriage ban pass

Gay marriage will be banned in California after voters turning out to back Barack Obama gave their assent to a motion known as Proposition 8.

By Matthew Moore | Last Updated: 6:47AM GMT 06 Nov 2008

Around 70 per cent of the African-American voters who overwhelmingly backed Mr Obama also approved Proposition 8, helping pass the controversial ballot measure despite a small majority of whites voting against the ban on same-sex unions. Hispanic and Asian voters were split on the issue.

The state's black turnout jumped to 10 per cent of the electorate, up from 6 per cent in 2004, as voters inspired by Mr Obama flocked to the polls for the first time. The Democratic candidate took the state with 61 per cent of the popular vote.

Although the president-elect opposed the gay marriage ban, it appears his supporters may have helped pass the measure that was vociferously opposed by many white Democrats.

The news is a blow to gay rights campaigners, who had hoped California would be the vanguard for the legalisation of same-sex marriage across the US. More than 18,000 homosexual couples have wed in the state since its supreme court allowed gay marriages earlier this year. The status of those unions is now in doubt.

On the day that Mr Obama swept to power, voters handed a number of defeats to gay campaigners.

Amendments to ban gay marriage were also approved in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents

But gay rights campaigners, who spend tens of millions of dollars fighting to oppose Proposition 8, have vowed not to admit to defeat. A petition to dismiss the measure on the grounds that decision of such importance should be taken by state legislatures rather than voters has already been filed to the Supreme Court.

"We pick ourselves up and trudge on," said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "There has been enormous movement in favour of full equality in eight short years. That is the direction this is heading, and if it's not today or it's not tomorrow, it will be soon."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

See? Nothing is ever simple. Nothing...

What's the big deal about getting "married" anyway. Load of pointless shite and a waste of time.

Agreed, but there's no reason why same sex couples shouldn't be able to. Unless you buy into the nonsensical religious argument.

Steve wrote:What's the big deal about getting "married" anyway. Load of pointless shite and a waste of time.

I allways thought this, but it would make living together and how everything looks on the books easier right?

Steve wrote:What's the big deal about getting "married" anyway. Load of pointless shite and a waste of time.

It's more a symbol of equality.

This will likely be reinstated and banned over and over again with every Californian election.

Those wacky gays, they think they're people.

Fatal Exception wrote:Those wacky gays, they think they're people.

They are people, but they're just wacky.

Steve wrote:What's the big deal about getting "married" anyway. Load of pointless shite and a waste of time.

Well, if you discount the legally-enshrined right for one gay partner to leave the other his or her (shared or individual) property, finances and things like pension-rights and other bequeathments, which is what a 'marriage' affords, instead of seeing next-of-kin (who might have all but disowned them during their lifetime) or the state automatically inherit, then I guess it is all shite to most uninterested observers. A gay 'marriage' or civil partnership makes it legally binding that a 'life-partner' will have a spouses' right to inheritance of estate, such as property and money. Despite what the media would have you believe, some gay couples do actually stay together, do actually take mortgages together and do save for the future together.

I'd say it's pretty important their rights are guaranteed in law. But what do I know?

Bit harsh to attach any blame to Obama for this. It's not his fault that blacks as a whole have been slower to embrace gay rights and are generally more prejudiced than whites on this issue - rather ironically, considering their own struggles for recognition.

Eighthours wrote:Bit harsh to attach any blame to Obama for this. It's not his fault that blacks as a whole have been slower to embrace gay rights and are generally more prejudiced than whites on this issue - rather ironically, considering their own struggles for recognition.

I have no argument there. As someone who lives with a young black guy with strong family ties to the Caribbean, I know just how nasty these things can get. In most of those West Indian territories homosexuality is still totally illegal, but - of course - it goes on regardless, often quite blatantly. When will f*ckwit governments and religious leaders ever learn? You cannot - you simply cannot and will NEVER - defeat human sexuality? :lol:

In a time when a Japanese man can marry a comic book character, the intricacies of a black man's election making an anti-gay law pass seem somewhat insignificant.

Married couples enjoy tax benefits, too.

At least, they do in Norway.

Bigerich wrote:Married couples enjoy tax benefits, too.

At least, they do in Norway.

Germany too.

The biggest benefit is in Islamic countries though- in many cases being married can prevent you from being executed.

The reason why it's such a big thing in the gay community, for the reasons Cal's already outlined, is to do with inheritance and other legal rights logically given to any married heterosexual couple.

I don't think it's fair to lay this at Obama's feet either. The article may be a little more illuminating, but I don't think headlines like 'Barack Obama may have helped California Proposition 8 gay marriage ban pass' are particularly responsible ways of introducing it.

I know a number of gay/lesbian couples who have lived together for a decade or two with joint morgages and the like. I sort of view them as good as married since they probably would be if they were hetrosexual couples. Meanwhile I know hetrosexual couples who quite clearly should have never married in the first place and will probably get a devorce soon; so I'm sort of confused over how gays marrying would ruin the institution.

Gay Marriage Is Banned In California...WTF?

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