If Cal State Long Beach student Ismael Flores was asked what his post-graduation plans are, he would say they include a career in teaching kindergarten and a family of his own.
Last week, it may have seemed like a plausible future for the 27-year-old liberal studies major, save for the fact that Flores is openly gay. As of May 26, those plans were only possible in six states in the country, and California is not one of them.
The long awaited decision by the California Supreme Court rejected the challenges to Proposition 8 by a 6-1 vote, effectively defining marriage as between only a man and a woman. The 18,000 marriages between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples prior to the Supreme Court ruling will still be recognized.
Hundreds of protesters — young, old, gay and straight — gathered at the corner of Alamitos Avenue and Broadway on May 26, angered at the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Proposition 8. The crowds marched with posters and banners in hand, to Bixby Park.
After several speakers took the stage, including Long Beach councilman and former Associated Students Inc. President Robert Garcia, the crowds dispersed into local bars rather than marching back down Broadway. Flores was among the protesters who gathered at Bixby Park to express their support in attempting to overturn Proposition 8.
Looking out over the throng of LGBT supporters at Bixby Park, faces painted in rainbow colors and clothing adorned in facetious messages, one speaker said, “The fight is not over and we will not go back into our closets.”
The decision did not surprise Flores or David Stewart, a CSULB religious studies assistant professor. The justices had implied their positions prior to the ruling.
According to Stewart, Proposition 8 does lead to greater inequality within our social system. There are two parts to a marriage: a civil part and a sacred part.
“Proposition 8 has nothing to do with the sacred part and has everything to do with civil marriage,” Stewart said.
The proposition strips civil marriage away from people who identify as LGBT when they have already had that right for a while, according to Stewart. “It’s an inalienable right in my mind.”
Many have equated the LGBT struggle to that of blacks during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, which, according to Stewart, is not entirely invalid.
“It’s too bad it hasn’t been perceived as a similar struggle,” he said.
Proposition 8 passed in the Nov. 4 election last year by 52 percent, banning marriage between same-sex couples. The measure’s passage was met with upheaval from the LGBT community, as well as several human rights organizations.
Amending the state constitution worries many because the gay minority can have their rights taken away by a small majority of the vote.
“If that’s the case, then other minorities, even Christians, are at risk of having their rights taken away by a small majority,” Stewart said.
Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa and New Hampshire have legalized gay marriage, and Stewart said he suspects that New Jersey and New York will follow suit within the next couple of years.
In addition, supporters of same-sex marriage vowed to continue the campaign in 2010 at the rally, and event speaker Vanessa Romaine’s statement that “this war is not over” was met with encouraging cheers from the crowd.
Although marriage between gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual individuals seems to be gaining acceptance around the country, substantial hurdles must still be cleared.
no no homo, no no lgbt, and no no to gay marriage. Libs wait tell 2010 the people spoke in 2008 let it be! Check out the http://www.thecsulbrightwing.blogspot.com for a real take on gay marriage
LOL @ MarkBoston
So when a group of legislators legalize gay marriage it’s okay, but when the people who put those legislators in power vote to define marriage as between a man and woman or – in this case – to reaffirm that definition after judges disregarded that vote then it’s a “mob”.
O brother, you’re a perfect example of the elitism that liberals have.
1.
The original gay marriage ruling was illegal. The judges wanted to keep their jobs and not be recalled. In the original definition of marriage at the time of the creation of the constitution, there was no gays implied because they were closet cases (deselect by evolution). You need an amendment to change the constitution not an illegal ruling to change the constitution. Prop 8 is a couple words and Brown’s opposition was 111 pages? Intellectual insanity! You folks are still believing your fake polls believe that you can revoke P8. It must be the medical marijuana you libs are smoking. That is why you lost twice and your puppet judges want their pay instead of their socalled principles. Their 2 rulings are logically inconsistent. The fed case will cause a separation of the country between the gay states (the NE) and the rest of the country. We will press prop 8 and end civil union and adoptions driving you gays out of the state because you folks are too insane to stop. Even the ALCU says stop. What a bunch of insane morons.
it’s sad and so apparent that CA does not have a real “constitution”. What it DOES have is a document that is nothing more than a mere “suggestion” of rights and offers no protections. When a matter of civil rights of any minority class can actually be REMOVED by a referendum of the popular vote by as little as 50% plus 1.It becomes a mockery of The American value system and the Federal constitutional rights of American citizens to be PROTECTED by “equal treatment under the law” and the right to the PURSUIT of happiness. BUT in CA any mob can simply change the law or go backwards and reclaim a law to remove civil rights. I am from Massachusetts . We have the world oldest living constitution here. Our forefathers had the insight to make changing any part of it a rather difficult process. It is an iron clad document that is a TRUE protector of the peoples rights. The people of CA need to rethink the idea of how to strengthen the amending process. CA has changed their constitution an amazing amount of times in the past 20 years. It’s a joke