Who is to Blame For Proposition 8?

"I am tired of Black people making up only [6.2%] of the population [of California] and 100% of the blame. Proposition passed because a majority of White people voted for it. A majority of everyone voted for it." - Frangela on the Stephanie Miller Show Nov. 7th. I was devastated that Proposition 8 passed. As the result of a marriage just a few years after Loving v. Virginia I understand how important it is to allow loving relationships to manifest however citizens please. We cannot allow preferential treatment to be allowed to discriminate against our citizens. A right bestowed to one person is a right that all of us, US citizens deserve. I personally find Conservative marriages offensive. They go against my personal belief systems and THREATEN MARRIAGES, look what they did in California. They allow them to teach their hateful values as equal in my tax funded schools. But we allow them to marry, not because it is right, but because we as a society do not make laws on preferential treatment. We allow them to marry because it is a right we all have, or should. This is a small loss in a long arc of justice that we will bend toward the right ends, but this set back is devastating. In our pain we cannot and should not single out a minuscule minority for blame. There is plenty to go around. We all need to work toward educating all Californians, indeed Americans towards doing the right thing. It is not the fault of 6.2% of the population (less than 5% of the voting population). We need to educate about the linkages between separate but equal and this battle. Because while the fight for civil rights is different, there is one common thread: It is about fairness and equality before the laws of this land. Cara Powers at By Any Media Necessary has it right: It has been 41 years since the historic Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, ruling any race-based legal restrictions on marriage to be unconstitutional. Married in 1961, Barack Obama’s parents could have been torn from the very same marital bed as Mildred and Richard Loving were in Virginia in 1958. The Loving’s marriage violated the “Racial Integrity Act of 1924.” The Lovings pleaded guilty and received a sentence of one year in prison, which was suspended, provided that they leave the state of Virginia. The case was fought all the way to the Supreme Court, and set a national precedent. Yesterday, the very same state of Virginia elected Barack Obama, son of a white woman and a black man to be our next President of the United States. Look how far we’ve come. Sadly, neither Richard or Mildred Loving lived to see this historic moment, though Mildred, who passed away earlier this year, knew how far we still had to go. Last year, on June 12th, the anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision now celebrated as “Loving Day,” 69 year old Mildred Loving released a statement for Freedomtomarry.org, which concluded with the following: My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God’s plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation’s fears and prejudices have given way, and today’s young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry. Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the “wrong kind of person” for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights. And it wasn't just California. Repressive laws were passed in Florida, Arkansas and Arizona. The battle to win equality is far from over. Rather than casting false blame lets role up the sleeves and get to work. Thanks also Shanikka at My Left Wing for background as well. RSS