Like millions of other Americans, I was very happy Tuesday night when Senator Barack Hussein Obama became President-elect Obama. He's a fiercely intelligent, deeply thoughtful family man who will be a superb President. I just wish January 20th, 2009 was today.
Here in California, after progressives cheered for Obama we soon had to contend with the more sobering news that Proposition 8 had passed. Prop. 8 modifies the California constitution to allow discrimination against gay men and women who want to be married. Constitutional amendments often expand rights, but in this case a hard-earned right--just granted in June 2008--has been taken away.
On a disappointing night for conservatives this was a rare high note. Religious groups poured millions of dollars into California in support of Prop. 8. So the Mormon church is now an easy scapegoat for this turn of events. But the truth, as exit polls clearly showed, is that African-American voters in particular were strong supporters of Prop. 8. Latinos and Asians split, and white voters mostly opposed Prop. 8.
There you have it: many of the same people excited by Barack Obama's historic candidacy also supported Prop. 8. There is no getting around this fact, even though it's a difficult truth.
So where do we go from here? I support the lawsuits already filed to overturn Prop. 8, because civil rights should not be subject to majority rule. I am saddened that the constitution of the most populous state in America now endorses discrimination, and I hope the stain goes away soon.
But we must acknowledge that today there remain very real barriers in many communities, among decent and good-hearted people, to full acceptance of homosexuality. Sure, it's easy for me to say that; I'm straight and had no problem whatsover getting married. My point, though, is that passionate support for gay rights can't negate the need for cultural alertness. In time this too shall pass, and I think full gay rights will come along sooner if we treat our opponents as people and not as pariahs.
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