No On 2: “We are deeply disappointed… but we will never give up.”
November 5, 2008 at 3:47 pm by David WarnerNadine Smith, co-chair of the Vote No On 2 campaign, sent a letter to supporters today expressing her reaction to Florida voters’ approval of the constitutional gay-marriage ban. She expressed profound disappointment at the outcome, but she also saw a “silver lining” in polls showing support for domestic partnership and civil unions, and in the large coalition that formed to fight Amendment 2.
And maybe there’s another reason to hope: the man America elected last night.
In his victory speech, Obama said that his victory was the answer to “anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible… It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight…”
I watched that speech with my partner at Georgie’s Alibi in St. Pete, and you should have heard the cheers when he said the word “gay.” So he mentioned us – big deal, right? But it is a big deal; despite all the progress gays and lesbians have made since Stonewall, most U.S. politicians still treat gay rights as the issue that dares not speak its name. But here was our new president, including gay people in his vision of a truly United States.
And it made me think. Seventy-one percent of the black voters interviewed in Florida exit polls said they voted Yes On 2. That’s the biggest percentage of any group measured, except for Republicans. Ninety-six percent of black voters said they voted for Obama, who was on record as an opponent of the amendment.
It’s possible that Obama’s stance wasn’t widely circulated among the black community — or that even if it had been, it would have not affected the pro-amendment vote. Still, this won’t be the last time a state tries to codify discrimination against gays and lesbians — so it will be interesting to see whether, as president, Obama will once again take a stand. His reaction will be a good indication of how serious he is about uniting everyone.
