Once seen as a black-and-white issue, the definition of marriage has become gray. In last week’s election, Arizona, California and Florida voted to change their constitutions to define marriage as a heterosexuals-only institution. The marriage amendment passed in Florida 62.1 percent to 37.9 percent. It was a much tighter margin in California, with the amendment passing by less than 4 percent.
Because we live in a democracy, the citizens of our country are extended the right to vote for the passage of laws intended to benefit society. Although the majority of voters decided to maintain the traditional definition of marriage, the opposing side is protesting the decision.
Supporters of same-sex marriage focused their protest and anger on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by staging marches at the Los Angeles Temple and at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. A close look at polling numbers will quickly show that their efforts were misguided.
Black turnout8212;spurred by Barack Obama’s historic campaign for president8212;was unusually large, with black Americans making up roughly 10 percent of the total electorate. Polls show that black voters are more likely to attend church than white voters and less likely to be comfortable with equality for gays and lesbians. According to CNN, black Americans voted against marriage equality by a wide margin: 69 percent to 31 percent.
“I was born black. I can’t change that,” said California resident Bilson Davis, 57, who voted for Proposition 8. “They weren’t born gay8212;they chose it.”
According to an analysis of the most recent reports from the California secretary of state, opponents of Proposition 8 raised $43.6 million, compared with just $29.8 million for those who oppose gay marriage. The Los Angeles Times reported that LDS Church members donated nearly $20 million dollars to support the amendment. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that California has a population of 36.5 million people. LDS Church members total 770,000, which represents only 2 percent of California’s population.
Supporters of gay marriage will inevitably exercise their right and appeal the decision of the general election. It is a healthy democracy when citizens exercise their freedoms, but it is inappropriate for supporters of gay marriage to unjustly target and falsely accuse the LDS Church or any other group of wrongdoing just because the decision didn’t go their way. There should be no blame assigned for why the amendment did or did not pass. Instead, it’d be more productive for both sides of the issue to engage in a mutually respectful dialogue to determine appropriate solutions and compromises to settle the issue rather than fight with crass words and heated emotions.
Liz Carlston