Prop. 8 opponents dissect defeat

Opponents of the recently passed ban on same-sex marriage had plenty to talk about during a virtual town hall meeting Tuesday discussing what went wrong for the first time with the campaign.

Organizers blamed the surprise defeat of Proposition 8 on lackluster fundraising, misleading opinion polls and media coverage of a lesbian wedding used to scare voters into believing children would be taught about gay relationships.

“Frankly, it was a real credibility problem for our campaign,” said Steve Smith, No on 8 senior consultant.

Organizers said they thought concerns regarding the question of whether gay marriage would be taught in school had been sufficiently addressed by the state superintendent of schools. They said they were blind-sided by a class field trip to witness a gay marriage that was covered heavily in the media.

“I think that takes women (to) a place where they were beginning to question what was true and what wasn't,” Smith said. “And, if they had to chose between treating people quote unquote equally or their kids, they chose their kids.”

Internal polling showed their target audience was the 20 percent who were undecided on Proposition 8, and flip-flopped throughout the campaign, Smith said.

Same-sex marriage is an issue that resonates with many locally. Palm Springs area boasts one of the largest gay populations per capita in the U.S.

Statewide, 52 percent of voters approved Proposition 8, which overturned a state Supreme Court ruling that found a 2000 gay marriage ban was unconstitutional. In Riverside County, the measure passed by an even greater margin, 64 percent.

Opinion polls had consistently shown the measure going down to defeat.

As reported on mydesert.com, no sooner had the election results rolled in than the No on 8 campaign was beset with infighting and finger-pointing. Some have questioned the campaign's timid tactics.

The No on 8 campaign has defended its TV ads.

No one predicted the size and scope of the Yes campaign's fundraising, panelists said Tuesday.

Opponents and supporters collectively raised more than $73 million, making Proposition 8 the most costly same-sex marriage battle in the nation. Organizers had thought the campaign would cost about $20 million, which would have still cost more than any other same-sex marriage fight.

The campaign reeled at the Oct. 6 filing deadline when financial disclosures with the Secretary of State showed the Yes campaign had raised $10million more. By then, the campaign conceded Tuesday night, they were forced to play catch-up.

“Early money was really the key,” said Lorri L. Jean, a No on 8 executive committee member.

Panelists were short on specifics regarding future strategies.

The organization is in the process of hiring an independent consultant to evaluate the campaign and recommend suggestions, which may not be released to the public, and coordinating a January summit to discuss future strategy.

In the days after the election, Equality California, which has spearheaded the same-sex marriage issue in the state, sent out an e-mail soliciting support for a 2010 ballot measure if the state Supreme Court rules next year that Proposition 8 is valid.

Not all of the panel members, though, agreed that putting the issue on the ballot in less than two years would be the best move.

“I don't want to give (the Supreme Court) the excuse to not decide this issue because it might be on the ballot in 2010,” Jean said.

The court initially declined this summer to review a petition challenging the validity of placing Proposition 8 on the ballot.

Tuesday's virtual town hall meeting drew about 270 participants, many of whom were concerned about the validity of the 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted across the state since June 17, the first day gays and lesbians could legally marry. Of those, about 1,200 same-sex couples have married in the Coachella Valley.

Most legal scholars believe those marriages will remain valid and Attorney General Jerry Brown has said the state will continue to recognize them.

If the Supreme Court, however, finds Proposition 8 legitimate, justices will then weigh in on the validity of those marriages, said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Minter argued the same-sex marriage case before the California Supreme Court on behalf of the 14 couples and Equality California earlier this year.

Others worried the religious right would go after gay adoption rights next.

“I'm worried about that myself,” Minter said. “People that do not like our community can come back at us and take other rights as well. They certainly have not been shy about doing that in other states.

“I'm confident at the end of the day that we will have equality. But we're going to have to fight for it and fit for it very hard.”

Some questioned whether boycotts against businesses that contributed to the Yes on 8 campaign would backfire during a time of economic uncertainty. Gays and lesbians across the state are being encouraged to boycott work and spending on Dec. 10.