In the waning days of the election,
Proposition 8 continues to draw big name celebrities to the
controversial ballot initiative that would reverse a May Supreme
Court decision legalizing gay marriage in California.
Celebrity opposition to the gay
marriage ban continues to outpace endorsements.
“This is not what America is about,”
says former President Bill Clinton in a record telephone call to
California voters.
“This is Bill Clinton calling to ask
you to vote NO on Proposition 8 on Tuesday, November 4th,”
Clinton says in his telephone message. “Proposition 8 would use
state law to single out one group of Californians to be treated
differently – discriminating against members of our family, our
friends and our co-workers.”
“If I know one thing about
California, I know that is not what you're about. That is not what
America is about. Please vote NO on 8. It's unfair and it's wrong.
Thank you.”
Basketball Hall of Fame inductee,
five-time NBA champion and HIV/AIDS advocate Magic Johnson also
recorded a similar telephone message.
Millions of registered California
voters will hear Clinton's and Johnson's appeal to reject
discrimination and vote against the gay marriage ban.
California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger came out in favor of gay marriage just after the
Supreme Court overruled the gay marriage ban in May. And in April –
a month before the court ruled – Schwarzenegger told a group of gay
Republicans, “I will always be there to fight against that [a
constitutional ban against gay marriage], because it should never
happen.” But since May, the governor has been silent on the issue.
That is until last week, when the Log
Cabin Republicans – the gay Republicans – used his words and
image in a new ad against the gay marriage ban.
The sixty-second spot draws parallels
between former-Governor Ronald Regan's rejection of the 1978 Briggs
Initiative, which would have eliminated the right of gay and lesbian
Californians to teach in the public schools, and Schwarzenegger's
opposition to the proposed elimination of gay marriage in the state.
“Ronald Reagan is a conservative icon
because of his efforts to spread freedom around the globe,” said
Republicans Against 8 Campaign Manager Scott Schmidt. “Conservatives
need to remember that Ronald Reagan was opposed to taking away
people's rights. Were he still with us today, Ronald Reagan would be
in good company with another Republican Governor, Arnold
Schwarzenegger.”
The video effectively conveys the
shared ideology of the two Republican governors. And if the gay
marriage ban is to fail, it will be at the behest of the moderate
voter – who better then to reach out to them than Reagan and
Schwarzenegger. Still, with only one day left of campaigning, one
wonders, where is the “fight” Schwarzenegger promised?
If Republicans opposed to the gay
marriage ban goes against common wisdom, how about a celebrity
Mormon?
Legendary former San Francisco 49ers
quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Steve Young and
his wife, Barbara, said Saturday they disagree with adding a gay
marriage ban to the state constitution.
“We believe ALL families matter and
we do not believe in discrimination, therefore, our family will vote
against Prop 8,” a Young family statement said.
In taking a stand against the gay
marriage ban, the Youngs are voting against their Mormon church.
Californians Against Hate, a group that tracks Prop 8 donors, says
Mormons are responsible for a majority of the giving. The group
estimates Mormons have funded $22 million or 77% of the Yes-On-8
campaign.
Top Mormon leaders, known as the First
Presidency, sent out a letter in June to be read at all California
congregations asking members to “do all you can” to support the
gay marriage ban.
“The church's teachings and position
on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a
woman is ordained by God,” Mormon leaders said. The leaders also
urged members to donate their “means and time” in support of the
gay marriage ban.
Barbara Young also disclosed that she
had given a gift of $50,000 to the No-On-8 campaign.
Meanwhile, USA Today, the
nation's largest daily newspaper, sided with the majority of dailies
who have spoken up on the gay marriage issue and called on
Californian voters to reject the gay marriage ban.
In making their case against the gay
marriage ban, the editors wrote, “the state's responsibility is to
protect their citizens' rights.”