Post | 11/04/2008 9:15 am

California Votes on Controversial Gay Marriage Ban, Proposition 8

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

California voters are racing to the polls today to decide the fate of a controversial ballot measure that would ban gay marriage.

Proposition 8, which would amend the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, has been extremely close in recent polling, with the Field Poll last week showing 49% against and 44% in favor of the measure, with 7% undecided, reports the LA Times.

Besides the presidential race between John McCain and Barack Obama, California’s fight over gay marriage is among nation’s most closely watched contests. Volunteers from around the country have staffed phone banks, and campaign contributions have come from every state in the nation to the "no" campaign, and every state but Vermont to the "yes" side.

Even former President Clinton weighed in.

"If I know one thing about California, I know that is not what you’re about. That is not what America is about. Please vote ‘no’ on 8. It’s unfair and it’s wrong," Clinton said in a taped call to millions of voters a few days ago.

But the fight has, in some cases, gotten downright nasty.

One elderly California couple was punched by a neighbor during an angry confrontation over Proposition 8 yard signs. Investigators say the couple — a 76-year-old man and his 77-year-old wife — had placed a "Yes on Prop. 8" sign in their yard, which caused their 53-year-old neighbor to allegedly place a "No on Prop. 8" sign on the couple’s property. A fight then broke out. 

Afraid the ban just might pass, The New York Times reports that some gay couples are rushing to get married now.

San Francisco couple Sharna Fey and Kim Broadbeck have married three times — in 2004, on an island in 2005 — neither ceremony was legal. They also married on Monday, when it really counted under the law. They did that last ceremony in a hurry.

“We’re doing this while we still can,” said Fey, 44, a life coach who has been with Broadbeck for 11 years. “I mean, trust me, we feel married. But this is a legal response.”

In San Francisco, voters will also cast their ballots for or against city Proposition K — which forbids local authorities from investigating, arresting or prosecuting anyone for selling sex, prostitution wouldn’t exactly be legalized, but ladies of the night couldn’t be chased down. The San Francisco Chronicle is in opposition to the measure.
Read more about: California, Election 2008, Gay Marriage, News, Proposition 8, Proposition K, Prostitution, San Francisco, U.S.

16 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

John G
WHO CARES WHETHER OR NOT SOMEBODY ELSE GETS MARRIED???? THEY’RE NOT MAKING YOU MARRY A PERSON OF YOUR SEX. GET OVER IT! ALL CALIFORNIANS!!! GET OUT AND VOTE!!! ☑ YES on Prop 2 ☒ NO on Prop 4 ☒ NO on Prop 8
By John G on 11/04/2008 9:49 am
DeBúrca obj
“Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land And don’t criticize What you can’t understand Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command Your old road is Rapidly aging Please get out of the new one If you can’t lend your hand For the times they are a-changin’.” - Bob Dylan
By DeBúrca obj on 11/04/2008 10:02 am
Zera Lee
Bob Dylan is playing at Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis tonight. Sold out. The times are indeed a-changin’. Tonight we decide, as a country, if it will be for better or for worse.
By Zera Lee on 11/04/2008 8:30 pm
DeBúrca obj
Better!!
By DeBúrca obj on 11/05/2008 1:53 am
Chrome Toe
I will be so dissapointed in humanity if once again it chooses bigotry…
By Chrome Toe on 11/04/2008 11:08 am
HA BIBI
One elderly California couple was punched by a neighbor during an angry confrontation over Proposition 8 yard signs. Investigators say the couple — a 76-year-old man and his 77-year-old wife — had placed a “Yes on Prop. 8” sign in their yard, which caused their 53-year-old neighbor to allegedly place a “No on Prop. 8” sign on the couple’s property. A fight then broke out. If I had a sign in “MY” yard and some punk ass bastard pulled it up and put their sign in. I can gaurantee you the punk ass bastard would be laying in the morgue!
By HA BIBI on 11/04/2008 12:08 pm
Catherine Kaiman
Oh my! How “Christian” of you.
By Catherine Kaiman on 11/05/2008 5:07 pm
Brooklyn Gal
I hope the people of California finally put an end to the bigotry.
By Brooklyn Gal on 11/04/2008 2:37 pm
xakep dypak
I also hope the people of California finally put an end to bigotry. It’s against the founding principles of this great nation to persecute and ridicule someone for voicing their opinion and participating in the political process. Shame on those No on 8-ers who have resorted to such measures.
By xakep dypak on 11/04/2008 4:42 pm
Zera Lee
The Holy War between the Bible and the Constitution will continue to escalate as long as Separation of Church and State is not properly respected. This is heading for a Constitutional crisis. I believe in freedom of religion, and I see Proposition 8 as a governmental restriction of religious rights. I have not seen much from either side on Prop 8, but I have seen some of the ads from it’s supporters. The lies they are telling are incredible. The kind of lies that rational people would laugh off, but nobody is accusing the far right of being rational. These religious zelots have apparently edited the Ten Commandments to their liking.
By Zera Lee on 11/04/2008 8:11 pm
Lorraine Bates
Shame on California if the early numbers hold - this is legalized discrimination, no different from the Jim Crow laws.
By Lorraine Bates on 11/05/2008 12:30 am
Joan Brown
I hope that it passes. I may not understand a gay relationships but if two people love each other and want to make a commitment to one another, let them.
By Joan Brown on 11/05/2008 1:47 am
Jennifer Stavros
This is particularly frustrating if the current numbers are correct.. I thought we were finally done with this sexual intolerance. Horray for steps backward! /sarcasm
By Jennifer Stavros on 11/05/2008 11:01 am
cynthia taylor
This is more of a comment. When discussing the whole Proposition 8 issue people like to bring up that this is a civil rights issue. They often compare this to interracial marriage. Nobody seems to mention that interracial marriage was basically something they didn’t need a law for being that it was between a MAN and a WOMAN. Black people are people … men and women. Being gay is not anything like being black. If one says that being black is like being gay … that is to insinuate that being black is a problem. In the bible it says that ‘if a man sleeps with a man as he does a woman’ they are to both be killed. (This may not be a direct quote - but it’s pretty much what it says). Never does the bible mention RACE. Being gay is a preference. Now, how somebody got to that preference, I can’t be sure. Maybe they saw an image or someone did something to them which made them think this was the way things should be … or maybe they just felt this way from the beginning. That does not mean that the world should change the way that marriage is viewed … yes, laws in the united states were adjusted in the 60’s because we finally got rid of the racial divide (or started to)… now, if I prefer to sleep with my dog or I just ‘love’ my dog and want to be married because that is my preference … shouldn’t that be ok? No, because it also says that’s not okay in the bible as well. Are we gonna change those laws too? Come on!
By cynthia taylor on 11/10/2008 7:50 pm
cynthia taylor
In addition, since being gay is not ‘normal’ … and not the way it was meant to be from the beginning of time … then adoption and corruption of the youth should not be an option as well. Yes, there are children who need to be adopted, but they don’t need more problems than they already may have. I am not against being gay ( I must say ) … I don’t think it’s right, but it’s not for me to judge. I do however think that children cannot make informed decisions on issues such as this and should not be subject to them until of age.
By cynthia taylor on 11/10/2008 7:54 pm
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