Tag Archives: years

Four years ago, opponents of gay marriage celebrated a winning streak, having persuaded California voters to end marriage rights for gays. If courts or legislatures bowed to the pro-marriage forces, the opposition figured it could just go to the ballot box to restore marriage bans.

But all that changed Tuesday, when gay marriage supporters succeeded in the four states where the question was on the ballot.

Until then, voters had consistently opposed marriage rights, most recently in June in North Carolina.

The opposing sides differed on the significance, with Christian conservatives considering the election a blip and gay rights activists describing it as a monumental sea change.

But the results emboldened activists to target other states for marriage rights and left their opponents reeling.

Gay rights activists singled out President Barack Obama’s change of heart in favor of same-sex marriage as a key ingredient in Tuesday’s victories. Just four years ago, the sponsors of Proposition 8′s ban on same-sex marriage made robo-calls to California homes with a recording of Obama saying he opposed gay nuptials.

His shift caused a lot of other politicians to feel free to change their positions as well and made it easier for African American churches to change their positions, said Jon Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal, a gay rights organization.

With election victories in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington, gay rights activists said Wednesday they would focus next on winning marriage rights both in the federal courts and in state legislatures, which could include states such as Rhode Island, Delaware, Hawaii and Illinois.

When you have momentum on your side, it’s the time to double down, said Chad Griffin, a gay activist who launched the legal fight against Proposition 8. That’s exactly what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to take this momentum and move forward.

Gay rights supporters spent about $32.7 million in Tuesday’s races, compared with $11.3 million by Christian conservatives. Four years ago, the spending on Proposition 8 was roughly equal. Activists said the Mormon Church largely stayed out of the races this time, letting the Catholic Church carry the burden.

Read more:

Gay marriage wins embolden supporters