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How Gay Marriage Broke Through the Voting Booth Barrier

ByJohn CloudNov. 08, 2012

On Election Day, voters in Maine, Maryland, and (in a tight vote where mailballots continue to be processed) Washington made history when they voted to

allow same-sex couples to marry. These ballot measures were the first

state-wide votes approving same-sex marriage, which had been enacted

previously only through legislative or judicial actions. Minnesotans also

changed gay politics: they were the first to reject a proposed constitutional

amendment to ban gay marriage. (Half the states have approved such

amendments, which have almost always passed with easy majorities.)

Over the past 15 years, Americans have become steadily more supportive of

marriage rights for gay couples. According to Gallup, exactly half the country

now supports legalizing gay marriage. But it took years for popular opinion to

change, so gay-marriage advocates fought most of their battles in courts and,

later, legislatures. (The first state to legalize gay marriage was Massachusetts,

whose Supreme Judicial Courtruled in 2004 that it is unconstitutional to deny

marriage licenses to gay couples. The Vermont legislature was the first to

authorize gay marriage without being forced to do so by a court.)

But in national politics, gay marriage has remained a delicate topic. President

Obama declined to endorse equal marriage rights until May, as he was raising

millions of dollars for the fall campaign. Some observers pointed out that gay

men provide a disproportionate amount of funding for the Democratic Party.

For his part, Obama toldABCs Robin Roberts that his thinking had undergone

an evolution on the issue of gay marriage partly because of discussions with

his wife and children.

The wins on Nov. 6 will make it easier for future national politicians to supportmarriage equality. Popular votes provide durability in a way that executive

orders, court rulings and legislative measures cannot. Its the single biggest

talking point that anti-gay groups use in city halls, legislatures, Congress: you

dont have a popular vote, says Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights

Campaign (HRC), the largest gay-rights group in the world. Taking that talking

point away from them is important.

One of Griffins most dedicated opponents agrees: Speaking on election night,

Chip White, a spokesman for Preserve Marriage Washingtonwhich opposes

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gay marriagewas mindful of history: It would be the first time that the

votersthe peoplevoted to redefine marriage, he told me. Its always been

judges and politicians who have imposed homosexual marriage.

Judges began to impose gay marriage in 1993. That year, in a shockingdecision for both sides, the Supreme Court of Hawaiiwhich had never even

considered a gay-rights casedeclared that officials who denied marriage

licenses to gay couples were violating the state constitution. The justices

asked for more debate in the legislature, and they ignited a battle for which

neither side had prepared.

Five years later, Hawaii held the first U.S. vote on gay marriage. The gay side

lost 2 to 1 even though HRC spent $1 milliona backbreaking amount for the

Washington lobby, which struggled afterward. Their money couldnt trump

cheap, simple ads from the other sideone depicting a young boy reading

with confusion from a book about two men raising a child. If you dont think

homosexual marriage will affect you, an announcer said, how do you think it

will affect your children?

Another enormous failure came for the pro-gay side in 2008. That year, three

statesArizona, California, and Floridavoted to change their constitutions to

make marriage available only to opposite-sex couples. In Floridawhich has alarge population of gay people in Miami and Orlando, both entertainment

hubsthe amendment passed 62% to 38%. The defeat in California was so

dispiriting that gays protested not just in that state but also in New York City,

where streets had to be closed for the throngs. Nothing like those protests had

happened since the assassination of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man

elected to any significant political office. (Killed along with Mayor George

Moscone, Milk was a member of San Franciscos Board of Supervisors.)

The curious part for gay activists was that by the late 00s, they had little

problem raising money. In fact they didnt know how to spend it all. By 2012,

partly because of donations from gay donors, Wisconsin Representative

Tammy Baldwin looked to be in a solid position to win one of that states U.S.

Senate seats (she beat Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of Health and

Human Services, by a comfortable 51-46 margin).

Still, marriage was always the most difficult problem. Previous strategies that

had used ads to emphasize legal and judicial equality had failed to motivate

voters. This year, the messaging changed. Evan Wolfson, 55, the

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Harvard-educated founder of the group Freedom to Marry, helped convince

others in the gay-rights movement to use ads that featured loving couples and

the importance of commitment. We made a real connection on emotion, he

says. Also, all that gay money had allowed for a robust ground campaign. We

put a political campaign in place in Minnesota over a year ago, says Wolfson,

one of the most powerful gay-rights organizers in the country.

Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider various measures

that would allow or deny gay marriage on a national level. The justices will

spend most of their time writing about the legal and judicial aspects of each

measure. But it may be important to some of them that popular majorities were

willing to vote for marriage equality just a few weeks before. After [Election

Day], the gay marriage debate wont be same, says Griffin of the HumanRights Campaign. We changed it.

Further Reading

Maine Legalizes Same-Sex 'Marriage'

WASHINGTON Voters in the state of Maine approved a ballot measure Nov.

6 to redefine marriage to include homosexual couples, becoming the sixth

state in the U.S. to do so and the first to do so by a vote of the people.

Previously, marriage had been put before the people 32 times, and voters had

affirmed marriage as the union of a man and a woman in each case.

Question 1 on the Maine ballot proposed to legally recognize gay marriage,

reversing a similar referendum in 2009 that was narrowly defeated.

With 45% of precincts reporting on the night of the Nov. 6 election, the

measure held a 55%-46% lead, enough for analysts to project its passage.

Discussion

1. Man and woman are supposed to reproduce to keep humanity alive. Howdo homosexuals contribute to society/civilization?

2. Why is it so important for it to be a marriage?3. Is same-sex marriage in Taiwan legal?

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Obama Wins!

Americans re-elect President Barack Obama for a second term in the nations top office

NOVEMBER 07, 2012 By Kelli Plasket with AP reporting

President Barack Obama smiles as confetti falls after he gave his victory

speech at the McCormick Place Lakeside Center, in Chicago, Illinois. On

November 6, Americans re-elected Obama to a second term as President.

After a long and tough campaign season, American voters went to the polls to

make their choice for President on Tuesday November 6. Citizens elected

President Barack Obama, a Democrat, to a second term in office against his

challenger, Republican Mitt Romney.

Obama addressed cheering supporters at his campaign headquarters in

Chicago, Illinois, as well as audiences watching at home on TV or online. The

President thanked voters and spoke about the challenges ahead for the nation.

He promised to work with leaders of both parties to improve the country.

Whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you. I have learned from

you, and youve made me a better President, Obama said. And with your

stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and

more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that liesahead.

Mitt Romney, who was formerly the governor of Massachusetts, gave a

concession speech from his campaign headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

He congratulated President Obama on his victory and encouraged politicians

to work together. The nation, as you know, is at a critical point, Romney said.

Ourleaders have to reach across the aisle to do the peoples work. And we

citizens also have to rise to the occasion.

Practice Stress

determined victory encouraged occasion campaign challenger

politician governor elected congratulated critical audiences