Competing images in the fight over same-sex marriage
Posted on June 30, 2008
Filed Under Gay News Blog
SACRAMENTO — Since June 16, Californians have been bombarded with images of gay marriage: men kissing men, women embracing women, with friends and family celebrating alongside.
Now both backers and foes of Proposition 8, a November ballot initiative that would amend California’s Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, are employing those images and others in their fundraising strategies. As of Friday, the initiative’s supporters had raised nearly $2.3 million, its foes about $1.3 million. Consultants predict that by the time voters go to the polls 4 1/2 months from now, each side will have raised $15 million or more.
“In many people’s minds, it is the civil rights issue of the day, if not the decade,” said Steve Smith, the leading political consultant working to keep same-sex marriage legal in California. “People are very focused on it across the country.”
Fundraising for the campaigns is only now beginning in a serious way. But groups on each side will rely on images to help them persuade constituents to dip into their pockets.
Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for gay rights from its base in Washington, D.C., featured on its website a photo of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin of San Francisco, who have lived together since the Eisenhower administration. They made news around the country when they exchanged vows the evening of June 16.
“Help preserve this momentous victory — donate to HRC,” the caption reads.
Human Rights Campaign has contributed $242,600 so far to defeat the initiative.
Competing images in the fight over same-sex marriage
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
This posting was automatically generated from a feed from Gay News Blog Read more….
Tags: aids barack obama britney spears celebrity gossip chrisComments
Leave a Reply
