Campaign to overturn Prop. 8 and legalize gay marriage begins today with ballot filing

Despite concerns from some gay-rights activists that it's too early to revisit the issue, one group today pushed forward with plans for a 2010 ballot measure that would repeal Prop. 8 and allow gay marriage in California.

The group Love Honor Cherish filed ballot language with the state today for a measure to overturn the ban on gay marriage in the state. That is the first step in getting the question on the ballot.

According to the group, if the state approves the language, they will begin the process of collecting the estimated 1 million signatures needed to get on the November 2010 ballot.

Last month, Leaders of Equality California, one of the state’s largest gay rights groups, announced  it will wait until 2012 to push for an amendment to the California Constitution to permit same-sex marriage.

Despite concerns from some gay-rights activists that it's too early to revisit the issue, one group today pushed forward with plans for a 2010 ballot measure that would repeal Prop. 8 and allow gay marriage in California.

The group Love Honor Cherish filed ballot language with the state today for a measure to overturn the ban on gay marriage in the state. That is the first step in getting the question on the ballot.

According to the group, if the state approves the language, they will begin the process of collecting the estimated 1 million signatures needed to get on the November 2010 ballot.

Last month, Leaders of Equality California, one of the state’s largest gay rights groups, announced  it will wait until 2012 to push for an amendment to the California Constitution to permit same-sex marriage.

They have said they worry about raising the millions of dollars necessary in the current tough economic climate and also that it will take longer than two years to convince enough voters.

But Love Honor Cherish said now is the time to move.

"Starting today, there is new hope for committed gay and lesbian couples who want to get married,” said John Henning, executive director of Love Honor Cherish, said in a statement. “We’re back on the path toward full equality.”

Voters in November approved Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in the state, and the California Supreme Court later upheld the measure.

--Shelby Grad

Photo: Supporters of same-sex marriage march in May in West Hollywoood. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[FlexSF]

Love, honor, cherish, the burden is on you. I'm not giving you a penny for your cause. You didn't learn the lesson from our proposition 8 failure. The question of marriage equality doesn't belong in the hands of voters.

The Perry v. Schwarzenegger challenge will beat you to the punchline, and you will bring a fresh failure in November, 2010!

[Patrick]

What an absolute waste!! They just don't get it.

[Richard Ivey]

I am not gay but I will vote to overturn Prop 8, which violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: "make no law respecting an establishment of religion"

[Aaron Bloom]

This is a very exciting time! The campaign to officially repeal Proposition 8 and remove discrimination from our state constitution has officially begun.

As a straight guy who will be celebrating his ninth year of marriage this December, I cannot even imagine what it must be like to not enjoy the liberty to marry the person you love. Marriage is a wonderful institution that provides stability, rights (and responsibilities) and strengthens families -- and two consenting adults should enjoy the freedom to marry regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation.

We must stand up for one another to ensure that we are all treated fairly and equally under the law. LGBT Californians pay taxes and contribute to society just like us straight folk. This is a human rights issue that all people should care about, even if they are straight. As Nelson Henderson put it, "the true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit." Let's abide by that principal, and the principal that all people are created equal and have the same hopes and dreams as the rest of us!

Of course, it is going to take a lot of hard work and money to qualify the initiative for the ballot and to win the election. If you would like to learn more and contribute time and/or money to our efforts, please visit http://www.repealprop8.com or http://www.lovehonorcherish.org . Thanks!

Aaron Bloom
Chair, Ballot Initiative Committee
Love Honor Cherish

[MikeNYC]

I hope the people in California keep filing until prop 8 is overturned. People opposing the right to marry can just keep footing the bill for their bigotry every election.

[James Monroe]

John Henning also thought Rosa Parks was "just a tired old lady." He knows nothing about organizing. Most of the organizations representing people of color, and the organizations with true experience in coalition building and campaigns are asking for a 2012 campaign. These 6 rich white men of Love Honor Cherish only care about their own validation.

[Lloyd Baltazar]

Finally, the LGBT community have some validation as we fight to repeal Prop 8 in 2010. It is important that we all communicate and share positive dialogue with each other as we attempt to victoriously overturn Prop 8, which discriminates against California gays and lesbians.

My deep gratitude and joy goes to all our Gay & Lesbian supporters, including our overwhelming number of straight allies. All efforts to repeal Prop 8 in California would not be fruitful unless everyone took their part to contribute in this endeavour. Let's take back marriage equality for California in order to achieve lifestyle tolerance and cultural diversity as an American nation! The movement for equality and tolerance can only improve and be better at this point. Let's show them what a powerful force we can be when we are all united under one social cause!

Lloyd Baltazar
Web Director,
SFV Equality.org

[kristin]

Gay marriage is not about the separation of church and state. Lots of Asian-Americans voted against marriage. Statistically, only a minority of them are Christians. Their opposition to gay marriage comes from their social cultures that do not look favorably upon gay marriages.

If gay marriage supporters continue to view this issue in the framework of "church and state," they will have effectively written off the votes of many people.

[Dale]

The Mormons are running out of cash, go for it!

[Allen Maciej]

What country is this anyway?? How can it be 2009 and we are arguing about whether or not a certain group of law-abiding tax paying citizens gets to be treated equally? Is this Iran?

If a gay couple wants a marriage license, let them have one. They have just as much right as a straight couple. I am so ashamed of this country sometimes. What a bunch of hypocrites we are. Equality and liberty for all...unless we can whip a up a religious majority to dislike you.

[SAW]

What about the fact that there is another initiative that has already made its way through the Attorney General's process, to the Secretary of State's office, and is in the signature gathering process? Aren't these respective anti Prop.8 groups going to be tripping over each other and battling for campaign funds?

[TravisH]

Why can't we just accept the fact that gay and lesbians want the same rights as everyone else. Seriously, who gives a F*** if they want to get married or not. It doesn't physically hurt anyone else. The Bible says "love thy neighbor", so what if your neighbor is gay? Bunch of hypocrites in my opinion. Love everyone. Vote to overturn Prop 8!

[Abdal-Latif]

Want to get married? Then marry a person of the opposite sex. That's the only legitimate form of marriage. If you are attracted to persons of the same sex, then get treatment for the disorder, rather than expecting that our society will grant blanket approval to your problems.

Homosexual people are deeply insecure--in their hearts, they know that what they're doing is wrong. That's why they're putting so much effort into having their relationships officially sanctioned by the government, even though they already have a right to live together and even have sex with each other (in private, please--leave those public men's rooms alone). But the government is not the ultimate source of marital legitimacy.

[Raul]

I am not gay and nor I am religious but I still think marriage should be between a man and a woman. It has always been in times. Also I am sick and tired of this, the populous has spoken.

[Madison]

Love Honor Cherish in the least will keep the debate going strong, rather than letting the matter of marriage inequality languish on the backburner till 2012. Inspiring conversations moves the cause forward regardless of whether it passes in 2010, so that we are better prepared for the next fight in 2012. Voters will eventually learn that saying "no" to equality is not an option. The religious right needs stop flip-flopping: does the issue "belong in the hands of voters" or in the lap of "activist judges" - in either case, constant debate makes for a more tolerant public and an eventual win for marriage equality.

[Joe Cole]

Oye. Well they won't be getting my signature! 2010. 2012. It doesn't really matter.

[Jon]

Yes Raul, discrimiation out of habit is totally justifiable.

[Jan B. Tucker]

Can't wait to start getting signatures.

[NO]

Gay marriage is an evil twist on an institution central to American life. I shudder to think that not only has America declined to accepting gay marriage and the immorality involved therein, but now these pseudo-marriages are fighting for the right to adopt! I don't see how this can even be considered; two people of the same gender are not meant to start a family with children of their own! As much as I do believe in equality of men and women (I think it's a fault of American society to limit the rights of either one, culturally or legally) there are fundamental differences between the two that cannot be compensated for in any form of same-gender parenthood.
I don't think somebody should be discriminated against because of the way that they feel--same gender attraction is a real issue. But suppose I were depressed, would that make it good to kill myself? That's just not right. Discrimination in the form of refusing jobs or service is wrong, but even worse is allowing American morality to decline in the name of "equality."
Call me a 'bigot' and a 'homophobe' all you want for my opinion, as I know radicals reading this will, but at least I have morals and am willing to stand by them.

[Karen Grube]

All I can say is "What part of NO do you not understand?" I truly doubt there will be enough people stupid enough to sign this ballot initiative, and even if it does, by some miracle, manage to get on the ballot, we've said no TWICE already, and we WILL say NO again! No one's flip-flopping about this being the voter's choice. Hopefully, when this loses again or fails to make the ballot, this will mean that there won't be another ballot initiative in 2012.

I will never forget being called a hater, watching people who made their own personal donations to support Prop 8 being boycotted and vilified and lose their jobs, people being pushed around, churches being trashed, and having my own name show up on websites of lists of people who are labeled as bigots so any prospective employer - or even my current employer - will see it! I will not cease reminding people that the people behind this ballot initiative are the same people who pulled stupid stunts like that last time. We should all do whatever we can to stop them. This isn't about gay marriage; it's about people trying to force their own lifestlye on all of us, and personally, I won't stand for it.

[fern]

It'll take more than two years to convince people to vote for SSM, it'll take forever, being hetero I know so. But gubernatorials have less attendance than presidentials, the GOP has little to offer, so there will be even less attendance, more and more people are finding out about the unfairness of prop8 and I mean hetero people here. Grassroots have done a great job and if they keep it up I'm sure they will reverse the 52/48%.

[Mick O'Gorman]

Dear Abdal-Latif,

If only you knew what it was like to be stereotyped and categorized, maybe you'd realize how those (said) taint public and religious opinion.

Oh wait - You DO, Abdal! And still you defend the warden who imprisons you.

I'm just sayin'.....

Posted by: Abdal-Latif | September 24, 2009 at 02:56 PM

[Lloyd Baltazar]

I have never taken such a cause so personally as this one. The heterosexuals who are against Gay marriage should know better to understand that Tolerance IS an American value in 2009. We live in a secular society that should be free from bigoted religious views, and intolerance which divides cultural diversity. THIS IS AMERICA. All law-abiding, tax-paying Americans are entitled to the same privileges, freedoms, protections and endeavours guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Yes, Gay marriage failed twice. But look at HOW CLOSE the numbers have been? 52/48%. A close margin of 4%. Such Anti-Gay Marriage rates were much higher in 2000. This only proves how people are changing minds, and how Marriage Equality for Gays and Lesbians is nearing our grasp. Gay Marriage WILL pass in California---it is not a matter of IF, but WHEN.

I truly feel sorry for those of you who cannot perceive to understand what true equality means in America. You and your kind will be apologized for in the future of the history of the United States of America. Your Bibles and Christianity can no longer be your scapegoat defenses to discriminate and hate against Gays & Lesbians who choose to be free from your restrictive, religious, homophobic beliefs but are STILL entitled to the same protections, rights, privileges and liberties guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

As long as there are Gays & Lesbians breathing and spreading the truth of social equality in America, the fight for Gay marriage will NOT rest---be it 2010, 2012, 2014 or whatever year you can choose or pick. You can choose to say no---as we convince the younger California voters to say yes to diversity, yes to fairness and justice, and YES to marriage equality.

Lloyd Baltazar
Web Director
SFVEquality.org

[traci]

Why don't you ask both political parties to pass a law saying people can assign anyone as a beneficiary, legal guardian etc regardless of if they are related by blood or marriage? Problem solved.

[Been there, done that.]

Has anyone told gays about "family court" yet?

The business of government is; Business. So cases tend to end only when the child reaches the age of eighteen.

And some flip out completely. http://www.familylawcourts.com/kids.html

(On a lesser note....it turns out you can illegally bug a phone line and not get yourself prosecuted. At least if you're billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who apparently knew Pellicano bugged his ex-wife's phone during their custody suit.)

In need of protection? Ask the judge to order the only Effective tool to ensure restraining orders work.
http://www.gpsmonitoring.com/family-courts.html

It just might save your life.