NEVER LET THE MAJORITY VOTE ON THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF A MINORITY. Goddammit, shouldn't that be ensconced in some civil law SOMEWHERE?

Fuck. Hometown (that voted yes for this), Fuck you too.

So sad.

My hometown voted for this too, no surprise. I think the only good to come out of it may be that some people -amazingly, considering how entrenched opinions generally are- changed their minds over the course of this election season. my parents previously did not support gay marriage (or were neutral on it, in the case of my mom) and the wedding of a lesbian couple in their church was a revelation for them. both attended no on 8 rallies and donated and are devastated this morning. I hope there are more like them.

Cheer up, Dan. Our new "living constitutionalist" President will get the Supreme Court on your side real quick.

Don't like what 5 million Californians believe? No problem-- convince only five judges of what you want and you can do *whatever you want* in this country.

Living constitution fever. . . catch it!

How ironic that the black voters who went out in droves for Obama also helped Prop 8 win. And as for Obama? "Prop 8 is discrimination...but MARRIAGE IS BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN!" Um, yeah, thanks for the help, you're a real hero.

Can Barack Obama do anything to overturn Prop 8?

Will he have time to change the Supreme Court?

I'm really sad about this. And angry. We got complacent until it was too late to see where the work had to be done. dammit.

Even as ye old straight, white, middle class male I cannot understand the homophobia that still exists today. It just boggles my mind that this measure could pass (let alone all the other anti-gay measures in other states that passed this election).

That sucks. Hard. I don't, however, see how it's possible to retroactively disallow marriages that have already been certified. I suspect it will carry on in the courts. Maybe some of the conservatives in the US Supreme Courts will die late in the day on January 20th. Have a stick of butter, Scalia.

Ugh this sucks. Of course the fate of Prop 8 has no effect on my actual life or relationship, but it does skew my opinion of my fellow Americans, which sucks plenty.

But then I remember this business about our new president, and once again I'm far more happy than sad.

No fucking way.

I have a copy of the Book of Mormon I've been reading to try to understand their faith. Now I think I'll just use it to save myself some toilet paper and kleenex runs.

This is the single saddest thing thats happened in the US in the last 4 years. People voted to TAKE AWAY the rights of a minority. It wasn't about kids, or religious rights, It was about bigotry, and the sad thing is that 90% of the people that voted YES know it.

We need a national day of action. I'm fucking tired of being walked all over.

Fuck. That fucking sucks.

revoke the mormons' tax exempt status

I worked on the campaign that lost this same fight in Wisconsin in 2006. Even from a distance this year it still really hurts. My heart goes out to all those who were beaten by intolerance yesterday in California.

My joy at the election of our O is tempered by my sadness at the passage of Prop 8, although I am not gay and do not live in California.

It is a sad day for civil rights.

But, this is only a temporary setback.

The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution clearly grants all consenting adults the right to marry. The precedent was established in 1967 with Loving vs. Virginia invalidating miscegnation laws.

It's my hope that the Californians now in marriage limbo are now a 18,000 round ammunition belt to sue in Federal Court under the 14th Amendment.

Sorry doesn't cover it adequately. I am grieving. It's a travesty.

What the FUCK is wrong with those people. Seriously. This isn't over yet, not by a long shot.

"The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice". - MLK, Jr.

The Yes on 8 campaign was really, really well done, with much better imagery and impact than No on 8.

I mean, it was also rooted in evil, but...

revoke the mormons' tax exempt status

Yeah talk about an ugly fly in the middle of the overall sweet sweet victory sundae of last night.

One step forward, two steps back.

But, you know what? We elected a black president yesterday. Gay couples shouldn't have to wait to get married or adopt kids, but we'll win that fight too.

We will tell our grandchildren and nieces and nephews someday about how we were there when people finally wised up and decided that you can love who you want to love.

And they will look at us like we're crazy, because how was there ever a law against it in the first place?

Obviously, I'm very disappointed by this. But it proves my theory (at least to me): We need to drop the word "marriage". It's too loaded with meaning, and too easily manipulated.

For the religious among us, "marriage" is a sacrament. Thus, the religions are able to say that government is trying to dictate to them who may receive their sacraments.

I know that's nutty to rational people, but it's also the truth, and we might as well stop banging our heads against the wall of religion.

Were it up to me, the goverment would get out of the "marriage" business entirely, and would only issue civil union licenses. If you wanted to get "married", you would have to go to a church that allows your particular coupling.

I'm disgusted. Disgusted that my state's constitution can be amended by a narrow majority vote, disgusted that we're writing discrimination in, and disgusted that California is a more bigotted place than I thought it was.

But more than that, I'm disappointed, and I don't know what to say to my downstairs neighbors, and to my co-worker and his husband, all of whom recently got married. "I'm sorry" just doesn't seem to cut it.

This blows my mind, how a blue-blue state can pass this. Moreover, how a simple majority can impact the rights of a minority group.
I think just come-uppance for that Mormon mother of five is that at a couple of her kids are gay. One can hope...

This Law being passed makes me ashamed of living in California.

My wife and I will be moving back to Seattle as soon as possible...

Fuck. That fucking sucks.

I am gay and live in California. I held my boyfriend last night and we cried. Today I just feel numb.

My emotions are so confused this morning that I feel kind of crazy. I'm beyond delighted about Obama, but I'm so heartbroken over the state bans (CA, AZ, and FL) that I can't fully feel the joy in the way I otherwise would. The presidential election makes me think, "Maybe America isn't full of fuckheads after all," but the bans make me think, "Oh, yes, it is."

At least seeing comments like these remind me that it's only HALF full of fuckheads. Thanks, y'all. I appreciate the solidarity.

(Now let's hope those three near-to-retirement judges will hustle on off within the next four years.)

The one buge heartbreak of the night.... thought our country was better than this.

I guess not: I just had a conversation about how marriage equality all boils down to allowing couples in love as many choices as possible reguardless of their gender and a really progressive co-worker made an glancing comparison and said that "if a 40 year-old man and 10 year-old girl want to choose something, how do we not legislate against it?"

Consent? How about basic reason?

I don't want to admit it, we still have a long way to go.... sadly.

I hate America. God I hate America.

i know you're not reading this but to all of you who voted for prop 8: fuck you. fuck your face in half. how could you do that? you are disgusting.

to david schmader: i'm sorry. this is bullshit. but you DID get married and no one can take that away, ever.

since gay marriage has become a cause celebre, i've consistently advocated instead for the banning of ALL civil marriage. leave it to the religions.

This makes me so sad. And then angry. And then sad some more. Not just sad for the people whose lives this affects directly, but sad for the people who were too stupid to realize that they are negatively impacting other people's lives for no good reason. And then I get angry again. And it makes me want to blow up Salt Lake City. Fuck.

The one buge heartbreak of the night.... thought our country was better than this.

I guess not: I just had a conversation about how marriage equality all boils down to allowing couples in love as many choices as possible reguardless of their gender and a really progressive co-worker made an glancing comparison and said that "if a 40 year-old man and 10 year-old girl want to choose something, how do we not legislate against it?"

Consent? How about basic reason?

I don't want to admit it, we still have a long way to go.... sadly.

Perhaps my "Gay Q" is really low, but can I ask a question?

My thought about gay guys is they mostly want an "open pool" of people to have sex with...in fact, isn't that the whole attraction of gays wanting to live in high density areas.

So, really, what percentage of gays actually want to "get married" and take yourself off the market?

Completely embarrassing that this bigotry passed. Even worse that it was California, my home state and supposed home of liberal causes. Sorry to gays and lesbians out there. We'll get this overturned soon.

fuck fake-ass california.

seriously, fuck them.

We went through this 4 years ago in Michigan, so this actually doesn't surprise me. It saddens me, yes. And the day after is the WORST!

But this isn't a surprise. In CA you had the Mormons and the child-raping Catholics sending untold millions into a state so that the Yes on 8 people could legally put ads on the air and in our newspapers that flat-out lied. And there's nothing we can do about it. That's disgusting, and that's what the child-raping Catholics and other churches did in MI--they flat out lied in advertisements. How is this legal?

I'm often amazed at how poorly run the pro-gay groups are when it comes to the marriage issue, and I can't figure out why that's the case. But it needs to change.

I think it might be time to take to the streets, Californians.

The Yes on 8 campaign funded as much as 70% by the Mormon Church was very nasty -- here in LA we saw deceptive mailers, ads, etc -- including a last-minute massive mailing to African Americans claiming that Obama supported the Constitutional amendment when the opposite is true. It's really disgusting that they can get away with these lies. Assholes.

Damnit.

I know it sucks, but it's not over.

Yes,people should not be voting on the rights of minorities.

However, court victories generate backlash, and there's not yet enough public support to prevent that. I wish it were different.

Is it time to suspend the effort to effect the change through the courts? Not that there's anyway to precent individuals from making their case in court.

Eventually, marriage equity will come to pass.

Maybe there's a 40 year rule in American politics and we'll have to wait 10 more years.

Despite everything, this makes it a sad day. All men are created equal? Yeah right. As long as you're straight.

"I think the voters were thinking, well, if it makes them happy, why shouldn't we let gay couples get married. And I think we made them realize that there are broader implications to society and particularly the children when you make that fundamental change that's at the core of how society is organized, which is marriage," he said.

I just wanna punch someone's lights out.

totally depressed in LA this morning

If I don't get all the rights, then why should I have all the responsibilities? goodbye jury duty, goodbye state income tax

The one buge heartbreak of the night.... thought our country was better than this.

I guess not: I just had a conversation about how marriage equality all boils down to allowing couples in love as many choices as possible reguardless of their gender and a really progressive co-worker made an glancing comparison and said that "if a 40 year-old man and 10 year-old girl want to choose something, how do we not legislate against it?"

Consent? How about basic reason?

I don't want to admit it, we still have a long way to go.... sadly.

This happened because of high black and latino voter turnout COMBINED with high evangelical and conservative voter turnout. The downside of having a black man on the ballot for president at the same time as gay rights issues is that blacks and latinos tend to vote against gay issues.

totally depressed in LA this morning

If I don't get all the rights, then why should I have all the responsibilities? goodbye jury duty, goodbye state income tax

;_;

Douglas at 35: Agreed. Thanks for the commiseration, as well as the gift of "fuck your face in half," which I shall integrate into my vocabulary with glee.

GOD DAMMIT. FUCKING MORMONS.

I felt like I was watching the New Years celebration last night when they called it for Obama. Then I turned to the other races, and my heart sank. Prop 8 was already ahead.

My joy today is tempered by the feeling of defeat. I worked to fight Prop 8, and feel like I couldn't have done enough. Hell, this is the first time I've ever worked on a political campaign in the first place.

So what now? What if this had been an amendment to take away the right to marry between a black man and a white woman? To me, it seems like the exact same thing, and just as wrong. Can we continue the fight, or do we have to just suck it up and let the fucking Mormon church strip away all our civil rights?

California's progressive democrats have to start acting up, and Gavin Newsom has to start learning when to not open his fucking mouth.

Anyway, as a native Californian who's happily a Washingtonian now, this really saddens me, but it's not all that surprising.

Proposition 8 is looking to pass due to roughly the same reason Proposition 13 passed in 1978.. the power of the suburbs in California.

While the suburbs in Washington and Oregon may be fiscally right or hard-right, they tend to be more centrist socially. In California, the suburbs tends to be both socially and fiscally hard-right. It's not just Orange County. It's San Bernardino County. It's Riverside County. It's San Diego County. It's much of Los Angeles County! The pave-the-earth civilization that complements the Bay Area, Humboldt County, Monterey, and the urban core of Los Angeles is too great at the moment..

..but just barely.

I'm hoping either the courts strike this down, and/or something comes along to rectify this by 2010, which I can see realistically.

DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE, MY FELLOW SANE CALIFORNIANS! It may just be a few years. Please have faith and hold on.

I sent a little note to the Mormons, which will probably go to some web admin somewhere, telling them how despicable they are, and how embarrassed they will be some day, some day, just as they are embarrassed now that they officially classed black people as mud people with the special mark of Satan upon them until about 1970.

You're still married in my mind, David and Jake. Same as mine.

It truly is disappointing to see this happen in conjunction with an otherwise inspiring election. The passing of this measure and those in Arizona, Arkansas and Florida and taints the outcome--leaving me with conflicted feelings that I just don't know what to do with. I really wanted to love you whole heartedly again, America.

Is gay the new black? This clearly shows that politics of "the other" is still alive and well within our borders. Yes there will be legal challenges--hopefully all those who spoke out against this will continue to publicly support the cause as it moves back to the courts.

I live in Los Angeles and this basically ruined my excitement about the Obama win. A few points, beyond the fact that this is obviously a horrible prejudiced thing:

-This illustrates "dictatorship of the majority" at its worst.

-I'm ashamaed of Los Angeles. Los Angeles needed to vote "no" in order for the state to defeat this, and that didn't happen.

-People in my office are skipping around gushing about the election "turnout" - but it was that very turnout that had a lot to do with this travesty passing. Specifically, blacks voted about 2-1 to pass this.

-I'm very relieved Obama won, but I think he deserves some of the blame for this happening. He did not speak out strongly against this.

fights not over lavode @53. there were decades of terrible jim crow laws in full effect until just 40 or so years ago. things change, but it can take time. keep your chin up.

mr. poe and i will be beating up mormon missionaries spotted anywhere on cap hill. right, poe?

"What if this had been an amendment to take away the right to marry between a black man and a white woman? To me, it seems like the exact same thing, and just as wrong."



But don't you see? Miscegenation was about civil rights and fairness, but gay marriage is just a religious issue. Well, at least that is what this guy thinks.



"...they officially classed black people as mud people with the special mark of Satan upon them until about 1970."



Actually it was closer to 1980 that god finally changed his mind. Strangely, god only seems to change his mind in accordance with the political climate of the day. He was johnny-come-lately to the civil rights movement apparently. So much for omniscience.

"What if this had been an amendment to take away the right to marry between a black man and a white woman? To me, it seems like the exact same thing, and just as wrong."



But don't you see? Miscegenation was about civil rights and fairness, but gay marriage is just a religious issue. Well, at least that is what this guy thinks.



"...they officially classed black people as mud people with the special mark of Satan upon them until about 1970."



Actually it was closer to 1980 that god finally changed his mind. Strangely, god only seems to change his mind in accordance with the political climate of the day. He was johnny-come-lately to the civil rights movement apparently. So much for omniscience.

Total wet blanket on an otherwise most awesomest day ever.

@18 - I hope you are right! It makes me feel so much better to think that this mean-spirited effort caused what will become the settlement of the issue NATIONWIDE and once and for all. Maybe THAT'S why teh gays were so apathetic about getting the vote out on it.

@26 - You are definately right. But don't think it will happen for 20 years at least.

I am not happy with 52% of the population of my state. Talk about injustice.

And, a thought: why is it that a constitutional amendment in California takes a simple majority vote, but a bond initiative requires 55%?

As a Californian I feel that I need to apologize to my gay friends and acquaintances for this terrible measure (even though I voted against it). Gay marriage is going to be legal someday, it is just going to take some time and some fighting.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Suck it homos

Even though I'm not gay this makes me all kinds of sad.

Here is what my friends and I decided to do.. and we recommend it to all of you... Dan, you push it.

everyonbe decorates their car in traditional post-wedding attire... anyone, gay or straight. if you were married in California, add a sign: "We are Stil Married"
if you were not married in California add a sign that says "My Friends are STILL MARRIED"

drive it around... its important to celebrate these marriages.

Here is what my friends and I decided to do.. and we recommend it to all of you... Dan, you push it.

everyonbe decorates their car in traditional post-wedding attire... anyone, gay or straight. if you were married in California, add a sign: "We are Stil Married"
if you were not married in California add a sign that says "My Friends are STILL MARRIED"

drive it around... its important to celebrate these marriages.

PS... my friends Liz and Henae are out lesbian teachers in Phoenix Arizona who were married in the Rotunda of the SF City Hall in July; today their students in their GSA are decorating their car in just this way.

Maybe if here in Massachusetts it's no big deal, and no big deal for a few years, and people can see it's no big deal, people in other states might not be so frightened of it. Come here and get married! Stay with us!

62, the ironic thing about it is that religions would probably benefit if you actually had to go to a church to "get married" (as opposed to just registed with the government), because lots of people who are not particularly religious would want to say they are married. Certain dying religions (I'm looking at you, Catholicism) could use all the help they can get.

But the again, the world's religions are not run by particularly bright people.