The War Against Gay Marriage
At first blush, California's Proposition 22 appears simple:
"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," it reads.
Yet those 14 words disguise a complex issue, making Prop. 22, as it's known, a hot-button item on the Golden State's crowded March 7 ballot.
Also called the Limit on Marriages initiative, Prop. 22 was written by Republican State Senator William "Pete" Knight as a pre-emptive measure. Though same-sex unions are already illegal in California, supporters say it would "close a legal loophole" requiring the state to recognize gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Yes 57% No 38% (source: Public Policy Institute of California; margin of error is 3.5 percent; date: 2/15/00) |
Voters see Prop. 22 as a referendum on gay marriage, and that's just how advocates of the measure hope voters see it.
This week the Protection of Marriage committee unveiled two new television spots. Like prior ads, the Prop. 22 backers don't mention the words "gay" or "lesbian." One ad features a school teacher who says "marriage should be between a man and a woman." Another shows a woman sorting through her wedding memorabilia, talking sentimentally about the way "marriage has always been." Previous ads have warned voters not to let "judges in other states" decide what constitutes a marriage in California.
"We are running a positive, pro-family, pro-marriage campaign," says Robert Glazier of the Protection of Marriage Committee.
Glazier insists his group would "never condemn the gay lifestyle," adding "Should gays and lesbians still be protected? Yes."
But opponents of the marriage initiative insist the measure will beat back domestic partnership rights.
| Same-Sex Marriages: The National Picture |
"The 'yes' campaign itrying to sugarcoat Prop. 22," says Tracey Conaty, press secretary for an organization opposing the initiative.
This week, Conaty's group is also releasing two new television ads, one of which accuses the bill's sponsor, Rep. Knight, of being anything but pro-family: "The California politician may not like that his son is gay. But he shouldn't make us vote on his private problem."
The ads accuse the measure of interfering in people's private lives. And they say the measure will "be used by extremists" to discriminate against gay people.
"People have values about marriage, but they also have values about fairness... . Under those terms I think we can win," says Conaty.
Prop. 22 opponents have received high-profile support in the past from the likes of singer Melissa Etheridge and the cast members of NBC's Will and Grace sitcom, who starred in an anti-22 campaign ad. The mother of Matthew Shepard, the gay university student who was murdered in Wyoming, appeared at a "No on Knight" fundraiser. But the pro-tolerance tone of these efforts doesn't seem to be having much effect on voters.
Statewide polls conducted in the last two months by two private, non-partisan organizations show consistent support for Prop. 22. The California Field Poll and a survey by (PPIC) suggest the measure could receive as much as 57 percent of the vote.
According to a sociologist who conducted one of the polls, voters don't see this as a civil rights issue.
"I think people are very much in favor of gay rights," says Mark Baldassare, a Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. He says seven out of ten California voters expressed support for measures granting gays greater opportunities in the workplace and the military.
"But most are not comfortable with same-sex marriage."
Conaty insists she's not discouraged by the polling because it shows Prop. 22 winning by a surmountable margin.
Her group knows it must confront the contradictory thinking of voters, who apparently view gay rights and gay marriage separately.