California Bans Gay Marriage

California elected Barack Obama, with 61.1% of votes against 37.1% for John McCain. But 52.5% of Californians approved “Proposition 8,” a popular referendum supported by conservative religious groups, which bans gay marriage in the state, reopening this debate and a new legal battle over legislation for marriage between people of the same sex in the United States.

Ironically, Mr. Obama’s electorate contributed to the new ban on gay marriage in California. According to exit polls carried out by the Associate Press, African-American and Hispanic voters who came, in mass, to elect Barack Obama favored the approval of “Proposition 8” (70% of black electors and more than half of Hispanic, while the white vote was split).

“Prop 8” increased public awareness and established a record 74 million dollars in donations for a popular initiative. Political figures showed their opposition to the restriction of marriage rights, including former President Bill Clinton, who recorded phone messages inviting electors to say “no” to a legal proposition that was “discriminatory and which does not resemble Californians’ spirit.” In vain, “Prop 8” suspended the California Supreme Court’s decree from June 15 authorizing this type of marriage. Since June, 18,000 homosexual couples took marriage vows in California, with record numbers in the weeks preceding the November 4 ballot. Since Wednesday, three appeals have been filed, and the gay community has rallied in the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco.