Why Prop 8 Passed in California: The Myth of the Black/Gay Divide

[Better Believe It]

Weekend Edition
November 14 / 16, 2008

Why Prop 8 Passed in California
The Myth of the Black/Gay Divide
By SHERRY WOLF

In the wake of Barack Obama's historic victory, a false and reactionary narrative has emerged that blames Black voters for the gay marriage ban that passed by a 52 to 48 percent margin in California. It also ignores recent history. To judge from social research, had there been an unapologetically pro-civil rights campaign, there was the prospect of a different outcome.

The statewide No on 8 Coalition didn't use the money <43.6 million> for a grassroots organizing campaign. It didn't put out a call for activists to hit the phones, knock on doors and hold rallies and actions to publicly denounce the bigotry of the measure--though in a few cases, activists took the initiative to do so on their own.

Adhering to the false notion that the Democrats lost the 2004 presidential election due to the assertiveness of gay marriage activists, the heads of the No on 8 campaign avoided even using words like "gay" or "bigoted." Instead, one TV ad opposing the measure featured a straight white couple, and only obliquely referenced gays at all when the camera panned over a bookshelf with a photo of two women and their children.

The massive outpouring of protesters on the streets of California's cities since the ban shows the potential to organize a repeal of Prop 8 in coming months. But they will need to devise a strategy independent of the Democrats' equivocation and corporate-funded organizations wary of rocking the boat. LGBT activists in this budding movement should go directly to Black and Latino allies and develop a multiracial and collaborative challenge to the bigotry of anti-gay marriage forces of every race.

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.counterpunch.org/wolf11142008.html

[mitchtv]

1. I saw a lot more than one commercial, some efffective

some not

[AntiFascist]

2. Excellent suggestion...

If we were more aware of the arguments opposing Prop 8 in the lawsuit that was filed in July, we could have directly addressed minority groups on the issue of judicial protections of minority rights, irrespective of how they feel about gay rights.