What may be good news for the Barack Obama campaign may spell bad news for same-sex marriage in the state of California as voters go to the polls in November .
That is the concern of opponents of Proposition 8, a measure on the November ballot that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, which was legalized in May by the State Supreme Court. Mr. Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, is against the measure. But opponents of the proposed ban worry that many black voters, enthused by Mr. Obama’s candidacy but traditionally conservative on issues involving homosexuality, could pour into voting stations in record numbers to punch the Obama ticket—and then cast a vote for Proposition 8.
To try and prevent this, Prop 8 opponents are holding informal educational sessions in black and Latino neighborhoods and talking with black clergy to try to sway the opinion of minority populations that have historically been hostile to LGBT rights—especially same-sex marriage. The stakes are high.
Black voters account for 6 percent of likely voters in most statewide elections, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, while Hispanic voters make up about 15 percent. But taken together, those two groups could easily decide the election, people on both sides of the issue said.
Don’t expect McCain or Obama to step into this fresh pile of controversy. They’ve been staying away from this issue like it’s Kryptonite.
McCain supports the amendments, Obama opposes them. Yet the two nominees rarely mention them proactively as they compete for middle-of-the-road voters who rank the marriage debate low on their list of concerns.
“It doesn’t benefit either one to promote it for their own campaign,” said Matthew Corrigan, a political science professor at the University of North Florida. “You have the economy, the war. It makes it more difficult for social issues to get people’s attention.”
The larger problem it points up is that LGBT rights advocates have done well to educate the public at large about the importance of equal rights, including marriage rights, for everyone. Polls show Prop 8 opponents outweighing supporters by 55 percent to 38 percent. But, the LGBT community has made few inroads into communities of color where a tradition of misogyny and homophobia continue to be the rule not just in the church but also at the ballot box.
