Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Repeal Falls Short

[Kadie]

Apr 12, 2010 11:27 am US/Pacific
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Repeal Falls Short

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Gay rights activists say they have failed to qualify a measure that would repeal California's same-sex marriage ban for the November ballot.

Restore Equality 2010 chairman Sean Bohac says the volunteer-run group fell short of gathering the nearly 695,000 signatures needed to put the initiative before voters. Monday was the deadline for submitting the signatures to the Secretary of State's Office.

Bohac says Restore Equality's failed effort was undermined by the decision of more established gay rights groups not to participate in the campaign.

He says same-sex marriage supporters now are turning their attention to trying to repeal Proposition 8 in 2012.


http://cbs13.com/breakingnews/gay.marriage.repeal.2.1627277.html

[mikelgb]

1. shitty

[sinkingfeeling]

2. What happened to the suit about whether it was constitutional?

[Kadie]

3. Still pending

before the judge.

[Xithras]

4. Current estimates are that the case will take 2-5 years.

No matter who wins, it's certain that it will be appealed. When you factor those appeals in, we're probably looking at 2015 before a final judgement gets handed down.

[Xithras]

5. They managed to piss off most of the major gay rights organizations.

In a nutshell: This group put out a measure and started collecting signatures. A couple of other gay rights organizations, including one of the largest in the state, began doing fund raising on their own so they could run ads to support the measure. Restore Equality very publicly called that fund raising fraudulent, and tried to claim that as the organizers, only THEY have a right to fundraise for it. They even went as far as requesting that Equality California turn over all the funds it had raised to support the campaign, or return it to the donors. Restore Equality all but called the states largest LGBT rights group a bunch of scam artists.

After that, the majority of the states LGBT organizations washed their hands of the whole mess, declining to offer fundraising assistance or help in organizing volunteers. Nobody is quite sure what Restore Equality was thinking, but their actions seemed to be more about promoting themselves as the "lead" organization, and less about actually working with other groups to get the bill passed.

Equality California, working with several other groups, is preparing a measure for the 2012 ballot box that should fare far better. Restore Equality probably won't be involved.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. shit. nt