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Schwarzenegger Reiterates Oppositon to Prop 8by Kilian MelloyMonday Nov 17, 2008 When the state legislature twice handed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill to legalize marriage equality in California, Schwarzenegger vetoed it both times, saying that it was an issue for the courts to sort out.
Now, following voter approval of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that revokes the right for gay and lesbian families to marry, Schwarzenegger is repeating that sentiment.
The governor went on the news program This Week With George Stephanopoulos to say that he opposes the new amendment, but he believes that the state’s Supreme Court--which found state laws barring same-sex families from marriage to be unconstitutional last May--will eventually rule in favor of marriage parity for all families, reported a Nov. 17 article in the Sacramento Bee.
Even so, Schwarzenegger said that he would not be throwing his muscle into an effort, along with Democratic state lawmakers, to see the new amendment repealed.
The article quoted Schwarzenegger as saying that, "for me, marriage is between a man and a woman.
"But I don’t want to ever force my will on anyone."
Added the governor, "I think that the Supreme Court was right by saying [the denial of marriage rights to gay and lesbian families] was unconstitutional and that everyone should have the right.
"So the Supreme Court, you know, I think ought to go and look at that again."
Continued Schwarzenegger, "And we’ll go back to the same decision [allowing marriage parity for gay and lesbian families].
"I think that they will. And I think that the important thing now is to resolve this issue in that way."
The article said that Schwarzenegger cited a precedent for initiatives a passed by popular vote being reversed by the court: 14 years ago, the Sacramento Bee story said, Californians’ approved a measure to block undocumented residents from receiving health care and education, as well as other state-furnished programs. The court, however, threw that voter-approved initiative out.
The article reported that Schwarzenegger also said he and California’s attorney general, Jerry Brown, would meet to discuss how the passage of the amendment would affect the 18,000 same-sex couples who married during the period when family equality was a matter of law in California.
The challenge now before that court, which has garnered support from state Democrats, posits that Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that rescinds family rights, goes beyond merely amending the state constitution and revises the constitution--which would require legislative input and a two-thirds approval, rather than a simple majority approval, at the ballot box.
The measure squeaked by with 52 percent.
Anti-gay supporters of the marriage ban claim that the will of the people is being shunted aside.
Columnist Marylee Shrider, who writes for the Bakersfield Californian, wrote in a Nov. 14 column, "...did you really believe proponents of gay marriage were going to let anything as piddling as the voice of the people derail their cause?"
Referring to one of Schwarzenegger’s television appearances on the subject of the anti-gay-family amendment, Shrider wrote, "It was downright surreal watching Schwarzenegger in a Sunday CNN interview matter-of-factly shrugging off Californians’ right to determine public policy in their state."
Schwarzenegger has encouraged GLBT equality advocates not to give up their fight. Shrider decried this, and wrote, "Schwarzenegger has never made a secret of his liberal social leanings, but at least pretended, for a time, that Californians have some say in whether or not the government may redefine marriage in their state.
"Now, he and at least 44 state lawmakers are clamoring for the courts to overturn the people’s vote once more," the columnist continued.
Shrider took the media to task for not reporting heavily on isolated incidents in which the mostly-peaceful demonstrations against Proposition 8 that have taken place across the country have lapsed into roughness, citing a Palm Springs incident in which a 69-year-old Proposition 8 proponent carrying a cross was beset by people angered at the revocation of family rights at the ballot box.
The cross was taken away and broken up; as for the woman who had been carrying the cross, she "remained calm throughout the ordeal," reported Shrider.
The columnist also focused on incidents in which churches that supported the anti-gay initiative have been targeted by vandals, writing, "In the days since Proposition 8 was approved by the voters, churches have reportedly been spray painted and vandalized; their parishioners bullied by protesters intent on forcing the acceptance of gay marriage."
Shrider also referenced the delivery of letters containing a white powder, initially feared to be anthrax, to Mormon temples in Salt Lake City and in Los Angeles. To date, no suspects have been identified in those incidents. It is not known whether the letters had any connection to the outcome of Proposition 8, but speculation to that effect has arisen given the heavy financial support--reportedly, $22 million--that Mormons from across the nation poured into California to saturate the airwaves with anti-marriage equality ads.
Shrider’s column did not mention incidents of equal or greater concern that have occurred since Election Day, such as the burning of an African American congregation’s church that took place in Springfield, MA, mere hours after Barack Obama’s election as the country’s first African American president, or acts of vandalism that targeted the homes and property of Obama supporters, but it did mention that "Yes on 8" lawn signs had been placed in a swastika configuration outside a Riverside Catholic church.
"These are criminal acts that, if perpetuated against gay rights activists, would surely be condemned as hate crimes by the media, who have been uncharacteristically quiet on such matters of late," the columnist fumed.
Kilian Melloy reviews media, conducts interviews, and writes commentary for EDGEBoston, where he also serves as Assistant Arts Editor.
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