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Californians say yes to Prop 8
Proposition 8
Proposition 8 accepted - gay marriage is banned in California
"While victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here; freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday."
Gay Pride rainbow flags flew at half mast in San Francisco today to mark the passing of Proposition 8; the initiative which has banned gay marriage in the state.
Despite rallies, vigils and a number of lawsuits questioning the validity of Proposition 8, the move was carried by 52% against 48% with key cities like San Francisco and West Hollywood voting against the new definition.
The ‘No on Prop 8’ organisation wrote on their website:
"Sadly, fuelled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.
"And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, is has become apparent that we lost.
"While we knew the odds for success were not with us, we believed Californians could be the first in the nation to defeat the injustice of discriminatory measures like Proposition 8.
"And while victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here; freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday.”
A host of celebrities and organisations leant their support to vote against Proposition 8, including Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg and internet company Google, but despite mass publicity against the proposal, the public still voted in favour of the movement.
A UCLA study estimated that 18,000 same-sex couples married following a decision in May at the state's Supreme Court that ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. One such couple was Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
Comedian DeGeneres spoke of her disappointment at the outcome of the Prop 8 vote:
“I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step toward equality and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away,”
According to California Attorney General Jerry Brown couples who were married between May and November won’t be affected by Proposition 8, but other legal experts have suggested that this may well change in the future.
