While African-Americans have been subjected to horrible legal disadvantages and bigotry that doesn’t mean they are immune from bigotry themselves. And antigay bigotry has been, and is, rampant there. While it is to our advantage to reach out to everyone the responsibility for bigotry lies with the bigot not with their victim. Whites who attacked the rights of Blacks were responsible for their bigotry, we didn’t blame Blacks. And Blacks who vote agaisnt the rights of gays are responsible for their prejudices not gays. Don’t blame the victime here.

I believe in the traditional ideal of two spouses marrying for love and committing for life to raise children, and I wish to end gender-based restrictions that are preventing thousands of couples in this country from marrying. Marriage should be about love and commitment, not a mere matter of genitals.

I support free trade because I favour consumers over the corporate interest of the giant trade unions.

I support fox-hunting because I want to alleviate the suffering of innocent rodents…okay, that’s a little spurious.

I agree. We must not be complacent with the rights we have already won. We must always be on alert.

For some that maybe true. But for those conservative faiths like the fundamentalist/evangelical Christians, Catholics, Mormons, and the like do not want the law to recognize any type of gay relationship. They will fight us if we try to pass civil union amendments. They will claim civil unions are like marriages and state that those that have business that are not “religious organizations” will be forced to provide benefits to partnered workers against their own religious beliefs. And let us not forget about the children that will be harmed by these “evil” civil unions. This is in fact reality. I have been all over the net the past few weeks and many of these so-called religious people would like nothing more than for us to shut up and go back into the closet. Of course this is right after we are called perverted, sinful,and abominations to God.

And the fact that this thing passed in California sends a loud message to the religious right that these things can pass anywhere. It tells them that the winds are blowing in their favor, and they now have a mandate to roll back gay rights nationwide.

We can’t fall into pessimism because it will lead to dispair, but we likewise can’t fall into optimism because it will lead to overconfidence.

And those of you quoting MLK need to remember: The civil rights movement in the 60s also faced a lot of uphill battles, but constitutional amendments designed to deprive black people of rights that won in state after state were not among them.

And Wanda, I absolutely agree with you. It’s unwise, foolish and racist — or at least statistically illiterate — to pin the blame for Prop 8′s passage on black people. However, do you think that if given the opportunity, even white gay people would support a constitutional amendment depriving a racial minority of rights by a 70 percent margin?

In other words, the govt. gets out of the “marriage” business and gives euqal benefits to all couples, regardless of gender coupling.

Also, keep in mind that late absentee and provisional ballots meant as many as 3 million ballots were left to be counted after all precinct votes were tallied.

So, I AM NOT GIVING UP HOPE!!! Until that very last vote is counted! It ain’t over!

Another thing that disturbs me is that the number of votes cast for all Presidential candidates (Obama+McCain+Others) does not equal the number of votes on Prop. 8 (yes+no), the Presidential votes are higher.

So, does that mean that a lot of people did not vote all the way down the ballot?

Did they just cast their vote for President and leave?

California:
Voted for President (Obama+McCain+Others) – 10,088,999
Voted for Prop 8 (yes + no) – 10,013,567

Difference of 75,432 votes!

Now, if those were “Yes” votes, then good riddance.

But, what if they were “NO” votes!!!???

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that ALL men [including the gay ones] are created equal.” (Thanks Michael R)

It’s ‘self-evident to me’, and I’m going to keep on fighting until it’s ‘self-evident’ to everyone else!!

Let’s try being totally honest next time. The “Yes On 8″ people brazenly lied, but the No side was guilty of lying by ommission.