Enjoy the victory tonight. Soon, the really tough work begins.
Addendum: For all the crowing that was done last night about how miraculous it was that an African American was elected president and how far we have come, in California, widely hailed as one of the greatest state of free-thinking liberals, Measure 8 looks like it passed, writing an explicit ban against same-sex marriage into our state’s Constitution. As a married person with a partner of the opposite sex, I can’t imagine how denying George Takei his right to spend the rest of his life with Brad Altman defends my marriage from anything.
We have met the challenge of the future, and the challenge is us.
I couldn’t agree more! Prop 8 passing feels like a huge step backwards.
The California Supreme Court overturned an earlier ban on the basis of the Equal Protection clause of the California Constitution. Although the California Constitution can’t be used to overturn the Prop 8 ban, perhaps it can be challenged on the basis of the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.
The California Constitution is too easily amended. It should take more than a simple majority of voters to amend it, as part of the purpose of having a Constitution is to avoid tyranny of the majority. We are supposed to have a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. A democracy is 49 hens and 51 wolves voting on what’s for dinner.
The passage of Prop 8 makes me ashamed to be a Californian.