Margin shrinks in defeat of gay marriage ban (Prop 8)

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Thursday, October 23, 2008 | John Wildermuth

[nickcarraway]

A majority of California voters oppose Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in the state, but a new statewide poll shows that the gap has narrowed in the past month.

While Prop. 8 is losing with 44 percent in favor to 52 percent opposed among likely voters in the survey by the Public Policy Institute of California, opponents of the measure had a cushion of 14 percentage points, 41 to 55 percent, in a poll by the same group last month.

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But the battle over Prop. 8, which supporters and opponents have described as the second most important contest in the nation, is drawing increasing attention. The poll suggests the race is anything but over.

Prop. 8 ahead in other polls

While each of the past three Public Policy Institute polls has shown Prop. 8 running behind, supporters of the measure point to other surveys giving the same-sex marriage ban a lead.

A poll by Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., conducted this month for the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic group that has put more than $1.2 million into the effort to pass the measure, showed Prop. 8 ahead 52 to 43 percent. A SurveyUSA poll done last week for a group of California TV stations had Prop. 8 with a narrow lead of 48 to 45 percent.

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But an increasing number of Prop. 8 supporters say the campaign against same-sex marriage is a top priority for them - 69 percent of its backers call the election "very important," up from 62 percent in September. Among opponents, 49 percent say the outcome of the election is very important, down from 51 percent last month.

[goldstategop]

Agreed. Same sex marriage isn't popular with most people and they still cannot show, 12 days left in the campaign, how it would benefit society. If you correct the sampling, Prop. 8 is leading in line with other polls. The Left's attempts to smear society as bigoted and intolerant of gays is falling flat.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[newzjunkey]

I have spoken to some gay friends and they are embarrassed by the whole situation.

Exactly. The radical Gavin "whether you like it or not" Newsom would embarrass anybody. He's just about been the YES campaign's best friend.

CA already had civil partnerships but the case of having a "separate but equal" system is not a inconsequential concern.

The scare tactics about what might be taught in public schools wouldn't go away just because Prop 8 passes and hasn't come up just because gays can marry now in CA. There's something to be said for introducing the idea of "gays" in public schools which must accommodate all students. Statistically, some of those students will come from gay-headed families or grow up discovering their own homosexuality. Those who do not want their children "exposed" to this reality have other educational choices: private school or home school.

I appreciate a desire to keep termed "marriage" separate as a religious right.

Frankly, state government should call all of its licensing of couples "domestic partnerships." That's what's at stake with Prop 8. There's a certain humane decency accorded with gay marriage being affirmed. I've little doubt they are treated as second class in the greater society regardless of legal status.

Courts will continue to draw lines of whether a party can discriminate based on religious belief such as the wedding photographer in NM who declined to film a same-sex ceremony. A board decided she violated NM anti-discrimination law and was ordered to pay the couple's legal fees (about $7000). That case is on appeal.

I don't believe she should be compelled to photograph gay weddings any more than she should be compelled to photograph a child's birthday party. Her business specializes in bride-and-groom wedding photography. Maybe it's a discriminatory choice of clientele that will be a loss of business but that's something she'll have to live with in the market place.