For those of you unfamiliar with state level politics in the United States, Proposition 8 was a state ballot referendum which, if passed, would amend the California constitution to redefine marriage as a union between solely one man and one woman.
The obvious repercussions here were much larger than California politics, or even US politics as the world watched the most liberal state in the union of the United States, and a progressive beacon for the world, approve the referendum and curb the right to marry for homosexual couples.
The reaction could best be described as mixed across the country. While right-wing conservatives hailed this as a confirmation, as even the most liberal state in the nation seemed to also believe gay marriage was a societal threat, gay activists and supporters of equal rights for gays were shocked, dumbfounded and defeated. How had this happened in California, of all places? The answer was not too difficult to dig up.
It turns out that what tipped the scale for supporters of Proposition 8 was actually minorities in California. At first blush, this seems illogical, but upon further investigation, many pollsters and news houses found that minorities, such as Blacks, Asians, Latinos and Indians actually have very strong feelings about homosexuality, deeply rooted in the lack of equal human rights in their countries of origin. As these constituencies came out in throngs this election year, defeating Proposition 8 never really had a chance.
Many gay rights supporters were shocked. An anonymous gay rights supporter here in Mumbai told me, “It is shocking that of all constituencies, minorities, who have seen, experienced and felt discrimination in their own right, would turn around and do the same thing to us. It’s hypocritical, and they should know that.”
Whichever side one falls on on this polarizing issue, one thing is for sure: the California defeat of Proposition 8 will bound to have ripple effects across the world. In a country such as ours, where larger cosmopolitan cities are still struggling with striking a balance between old and new, how will we inherit the lessons of more mature societies around the world when it comes to gay rights, and should we necessarily look towards other countries for inspiration? What baby steps can we take as a community to show other developing countries the right path to accepting and respecting the gay community?
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