A follow up commercial from anti-gay
marriage backers in California focuses on gay marriage being taught
to children in public schools.
The Yes-on-8 campaign has stepped up
its pressure on undecided voters to vote for Proposition 8 – the
anti-gay initiative that would forbid gay marriage in California –
with a new scare tactic.
In the new ad, a mother is frightened
as her daughter tells her that she learned that she could marry a
princess at school. The ad falsely warns that without Proposition 8,
gay marriage would be taught in public schools.
The only mention related to marriage in
the California education code has to do with navigating the financial
and legal responsibilities of marriage – an optional class for
school districts.
The inclusion of Associate Professor of
Law Richard Peterson in the ad opened a new controversy, when his
employer, the Pepperdine Law School, requested removal of any
association with the anti-gay campaign.
“[The Yes-on-8] ad does not represent
a Pepperdine University-endorsed position,” wrote Pepperdine
University Alumni and Career Services Executive Director Nicole Hall.
“Pepperdine University does not advocate for/against candidates or
ballot propositions. We immediately requested to have the ad pulled
entirely or for them to have the reference to Pepperdine University
deleted from the ad since the professor in the ad was not advocating
a Pepperdine position, but his own personal view.”
Hall said the Yes-on-8 campaign had
agreed to remove any reference to Pepperdine University from its
original ad and website. However, the second ad clearly names
Richard Peterson as a professor at Pepperdine University School of
Law.
The campaign's first ad featuring an
unfortunate sound bite from San Francisco Mayor Newson is being given
credit for influencing some voters. A new CBS/SurveyUSA poll
released Monday shows a majority of Californians supporting the gay
marriage ban by five percent (47% to 42%). Previous polls had shown
the gay marriage ban failing. Analysts say the race remains too
close to call.
Meanwhile, gay marriage advocates, who
recently reported a $10 million disadvantage behind gay marriage
foes, released their second effort as well. In 30-seconds the spot
plucks at the unjust nature of Proposition 8.
In the ad, two women discuss gay
marriage at a kitchen table. When one says she does not know how she
feels about gay marriage, she other comforts her by asking, “Are
you willing to eliminate rights and have our laws treat people
differently?” The first woman thinks for a moment, then answers,
“No.”