In California, Arizona and Florida, voters are scheduled to assess whether or not their respective states should initiate state constitutional amendments that ban same-sex marriage, according to the latest US Mother Jones magazine.
We’ve probably heard more about California’s trials and tribulations over the issue, given that the Californian Supreme Court actually struck down earlier referenda results that tried to prohibit it, leading to a stampede to the registry office. However, asks Josh Harkinson in his article on the subject, will the same-sex marriage ban issue neccessarily galvanise state and federal conservative Christians to vote against Barack Obama, who supports the California ruling, and wants to axe the federal ‘Defence of Marriage Act?’
Referenda against same-sex marriage have now been defeated in three states- Arizona, Iowa and Indiana. Moreover, Californian and Florida Republican Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charles Crist oppose such referenda. Moreover, there is even a Republican anti-ban group (Republicans Against 8) that is marshalling centre-right opposition to the same-sex marriage ban referenda option in California (hat tip: Independent Gay Forum). And as with New Zealand, younger voters tend to heavily support same-sex marriage, which could have a cascade effect through the electorate as they age and as opponents of same-sex marriage succumb to mortality and illness, and their voter cohort diminishes.
Meanwhile, though, what about straight marriage? It will be remembered that when Bruce Logan was still at the helm, the Maxim Institute rabbited on and on and on about the alleged ’sanctity’ of straight marriage as an alleged ‘poverty relief’ measure. Stephanie Mencimer provides a critical update on the antics of the Bush administration and US Christian Right/male backlash ‘matrimaniacs.’ Bush took money that had previously been tagged for real poverty relief programmes, and threw it at the ‘marriage movement’- and the Congressional Democrats tamely acquiesced.
By all accounts, these programmes are poorly monitored, and don’t actually do much to help low income families in need of funds for accomodation, child care, educational needs, transport costs and other everyday expenses. But hey, it’s not neccessarily supposed to be targeted at low-income couples and families, anyway, or even track whether ‘counselled’ couples stay hitched. According to the University of Tennessee, single mums did better than divorced mums, who experienced accomodation jeopardy and power cut-offs. Meanwhile, Bush is up to his old tricks as his regime sinks slowly into history, cutting federal childcare funding, healthcare access and accomodation assistance.
Welcome to the funhouse world of US fundamentalist ‘family values’, where nothing is as it seems…
Recommended:
Josh Harkinson: “The Wed Menace” Mother Jones (Sept Oct 2008): 15-17.
Stephanie Mencimer: “10 Ways to Satisfy Your President” Mother Jones (Sept Oct 2008): 62-65, 106
http://www.republicansagainst8.com
Republican supporters of Californian same-sex marriage
2 responses so far ↓
1 Craig Young // Sep 1, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Meanwhile, in the Advocate, Anne Stockman trains her eye on the battle for and against Proposition 8.
Interestingly, the estimated 15,000 fundamentalists, conservative Catholics and Mormons who want to ban same-sex marriage aren’t depicting Proposition 8 as that at all, but as ‘defending’ marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Although polls show that the progay No on 8 side is starting to pull ahead, California’s Christian Right is galvanised and has immense numbers of volunteers to draw upon. Added to which, the Christian Right has more money…
C.
2 Craig Young // Sep 3, 2008 at 6:42 pm
The Public Policy Institute of California has Proposition 8 losing by a heavy margin in its poll- 54% opposed to banning same-sex marriage, while 42% support such a discriminatory constitutional amendment.
http://www.ppic.org
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