The Definition of Prescience

Peter Schiff in various interviews, in which he is frequently ridiculed by other commentators for his clearly prescient views of the our current economic crisis.  Unfortunately, his thoughts and insights were seriously dead-on.

A Disturbing Irony in the Presidential Race from a Different Demographic

Though one could suggest many reasons, many of which have to do with Hillary Clinton, it appears that there may be some subtle racism in the "white" gay community when you look at who voted for President-Elect Obama in 2008.  In 2004, Bush got 23% among gay voters, while Kerry received 77%.  Similarly, but notably differently, in this past election, gay individuals voted 70% for Obama and 27% for McCain.  When you consider that Obama made increases across the board among every demographic including white voters, one has to wonder what accounts for this difference.  Perhaps there is more conservatism among gay men and women than one would expect, or perhaps there is some racism among that demographic toward African-Americans.  It is particularly disturbing that gays, while not having been persecuted in anything similar to the injustice of slavery or segregation, would have racist tendencies.  Unfortunately, since the numbers of voters are small and exit polling is notoriously inaccruate, there is not really enough evidence to make any kind of definitely comment, but the numbers are disturbing.

In the city of Los Angeles, where I reside, there is definitely segregation among various minorities in bars and clubs, particularly African-Americans, Latinos and whites.  I've seen the same thing when I have visited New York City or Washington DC.  I never thought of it as racism anecdotally, but maybe there is something there.  Regardless of its existence or not, it is clear that gay America and black America need to attempt more outreach and education with each other, whether it be regarding HIV, marriage or racism among a minority within the gay community as a whole.

Insightful and Painful

(Tom Toles, The Washington Post)

Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns

Coming soon to a comic store near you (DC Comics)

A Silver Lining

According to the California Attorney General, all of the same-sex marriages that currently exist in the state will remain valid and in force.  No retroactivity, regardless of the final outcome of Proposition 8.  This will almost certainly be the catalyst for future repeal of the amendment whose outcome is still somewhat uncertain (both at the ballot box and in the courts).  Just as in Massachusetts, Canada and soon-to-be Connecticut, once the surrounding communities and peoples see that marriage equality will not mean the destruction of the "traditional family", their attitudes are certain to change.  This, in connection, with outreach and education will help win this civil rights issue.  In fact, many of those opposed may even see that it strengthens the institution of marriage, as well.  I know it's becoming trite to say this, but KNOW HOPE ...

Prop 8: The Danger of the Ballot Box and the Role of the Courts

"... Far from showing that California’s Supreme Court was wrong to extend the right of marriage to gay people, the passage of Proposition 8 is a reminder of the crucial role that the courts play in protecting vulnerable groups from unfair treatment.

Apart from creating legal uncertainty about the thousands of same-sex marriages that have been performed in California and giving rise to lawsuits challenging whether the rules governing ballot measures were properly followed, the immediate impact of Tuesday’s rights-shredding exercise is to underscore the danger of allowing the ballot box to be used to take away people’s fundamental rights." (New York Times Editorial)

To this day, I do not understand how an amendment to a state's constitution, especially one with civil rights implications can be made with a simple majority (50% + 1) vote.  To amend the United States Constitution, it takes three-quarters of legislatures in three-quarters of the States.  Even in Florida, where a similar amendment was on the ballot, it took 60% of the vote for it to pass.

By a Vote of 52-48, California Approves Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

I went to sleep last night with hope in my heart that Proposition 8 would be narrowly defeated.  I awoke to find my worst fear.  Proposition 8 appears to have passed by a narrow margin of 52% to 48%.  Exit polls suggested that it would fail by a similar margin, but exit polls have been shown to be extremely flawed in recent years.  Besides feeling like a body blow personally, the voting demographics show an unbelievable, thought not at the same time unexpected, irony.  And I do not use that word casually.  One phrase that comes to mind is "separate but equal".  Another thought is that the state of California, through its courts, was the first state in the Union to allow interracial marriage in 1948 in a decision known as Perez v. Sharp.

According to polling, white voters voted decisively against Prop 8 and Latino voters voted slightly for it.  But African-American voters, the one minority who achieved the greatest personal success in this Presidential year, the one minority who had been more suppressed by and discriminated against in so many ways by the American majority in past years, the one minority who is experiencing the greatest increase in HIV positive Americans (both gay and straight) nationwide, the one minority who themselves had been so oppressed in marriage over the years by anti-miscegenation laws until the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that injustice in Loving v. Virginia in 1967 -- these same African-American voters went overwhelmingly for social inequality by about a 2-1 margin.  Perhaps now that the issue of same-sex marriage has been dealt with by legislatures, courts,  and citizens in most every state, where it has most often been used as a wedge to divide Americans, education and observation that same-sex unions are not a threat to "traditional" marriage or the children in those families, can continue.  On this particular issue, a concerted effort was made by "Yes on 8" groups to influence black and other minority churches, making one lesson obvious -- the "No on 8" side needed far more aggressive outreach and education to the African-American community on the issue of marriage equality.

There are three stories that do give me hope for the relatively near future.  Young Americans (including minorities), the next generation of voters, went hugely against Prop 8.  For the most part, just as these younger voters see race and gender differently from their parents and grandparents, they also see the fight for equality of gay Americans in a different light, whether it be in the military, same-sex marriage, or discrimination generally.  Secondly, the ruling by the California Court that overturned the previous ban against same-sex marriage only took away the word "marriage", not the rights and responsibilities.  Those are still legal and in force by legislation ("civil unions", if you will) passed by the California state government if you are registered with the state.  In addition, there are well over 10,000 same-sex marriages that are still currently legal in the state and at least by my understanding, this amendment cannot be applied retroactively.  As it has already done with same-sex marriage twice (though vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger -- another irony, as he wanted the state courts to decide the issue), my hope here is that the California Senate and Assembly will pass a true "civil unions bill" that at least provides some further state recognition of the validity and societal value of same-sex couples and their children.  The final story that gives me hope is that on the day just prior to the election, the Connecticut Supreme Court said that marriage equality would officially begin on November 12, 2008.

Nonetheless, after voting for a couple of decades for Presidents and Senators and Representatives in whom I was only provisionally supportive, I am exceedingly happy that I was finally able to cast a vote for a candidate that I actually believed in and was completely enthusiastic about -- President-elect Barack Obama.  At least for the next four years and hopefully eight, there will be someone that is in the White House who is not afraid to be supportive of issues that have been sidelined for years, including ending the ban on serving openly in the military, enforcing anti-discrimination laws at the federal level, passing hate crimes legislation, civil unions for same-sex couples and so forth.  And while I will be a bit subdued in the days and weeks to come in the midst of my great joy, if there is anything that this election has taught me in the middle years of my life, it is that one day I will be able to legally marry the one I love in the state of California, and also to KNOW HOPE.