No on 8

The relationship between the individual states of the US and the Federal Union is a complex one. The courts are kept busy delineating a zigzagging line between the autonomy (and law making ability) of the states – and their subservience to Washington. The result is a patchwork of laws and regulations unique to each state, covering such weighty topics as the death penalty, the age of consent, gun ownership and of course abortion. Topical this week though, is again same-sex marriage currently only allowed in three US states (and 6 countries, none of which are Australia): Massachusetts, Connecticut – and up until today, California – but I’m getting to that.

Another peculiarity of the state law making process is the ballot initiative. Proposed amendments to the state constitution or laws are offered up for a referendum and decided by the people. I’m familiar with its work from Episode 23 of Simpsons Season 7 – Much Apu About Nothing. Aside from Homer’s hilarious “I would like to buy your rock” gear at the front end (introducing me to spurious reasoning), the episode parodies California Proposition 187 – which in a nutshell blames ‘immigants’ for rising costs, and voted to exclude them from social services. The episode showcases the ignorance and fear-mongering that often drives ballots of this sort.

Anyway, I could go on about the Simpsons all day, but the parallel is that today California votes on a range of initiatives, including the banning of gay marriage – by editing their constitution to read: "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Arizona, Arkansas and Florida have similar homophobic votes today – while other states are seeking to make abortion more difficult to access, voting on medical marijuana, assisted suicide and ending affirmative action. Emotions, clearly are running high. The partisans from both sides have spent big, especially on Prop 8, seeing it (as always) as a leverage point to widen the ‘fight against gays’ (much of the ‘Yes’ funding has come from the Mormons and a crackpot millionaire named Howard F. Ahmanson).

On such an historic day – Obama’s landslide win – I’m hoping that many of these conservative ballot proposals are defeated. I feel particularly strongly about Prop 8 in California. I see California as a liberal, cosmopolitan state, and it makes good sense that they have equality for same-sex couples. The ‘Yes’ campaign has peddled blatant lies about the erosion of the institution of marriage – and the fall of the US… spreading the kind of baseless fears that have perpetuated racism for so long. Let me say this once more for the dummies – your loving marriage cannot be attacked by anyone, let alone by the loving marriage of a same-sex couple. Chisel it into your forehead. I’d clearly be voting ‘No’– and I hope the majority of Californians do likewise.