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Alum mobilizes community in opposing Proposition 8

In print | November 13, 2008

Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, was passed on Tuesday, November 4 by almost 500,000 votes: a margin of four percent. The measure was passed despite the vigorous efforts of many California residents — some of them Swarthmore alumni — who campaigned in opposition to the measure. Vincent Jones ’96 was heavily involved in the campaign to defeat the ballot initiative in Californi`a, both as a member of the Jordan/Rustin coalition, a fundraiser for Love Honor Cherish and as an independent activist. Although his efforts failed to sway a sufficient number of voters, Jones is not ready to concede defeat just yet and urges those students dissatisfied with the election’s outcome to protest Proposition 8.

Jones’ campaign strategy hinged on mobilizing California’s African-American community, which he recognized as an influential constituency in the election and one that had been overlooked by other vocal opponents of Proposition 8. “I realized that the black community would be swing voters and that the campaign [against Proposition 8] hadn’t targeted them enough,” Jones said. He correctly predicted high turnout among black voters, a statistic he attributed partially to the candidacy of Barack Obama.

Through his blog, www.whoiscitizenjones.blogspot.com, Jones circulated video clips of African-Americans speaking out against Proposition 8. In one clip, an elderly black woman identified as Aretha described herself as being “raised in the heart of the Jim Crow South” and denounced discrimination against the queer community. Joined on screen by her daughter and granddaughters, the family appealed to all voters, but especially African-Americans. “It’s unfair and wrong to write discrimination into the constitution,” her youngest granddaughter said. In another clip, entitled “No Matter Who You Are Vote No Against Proposition 8,” a number of African-Americans, who identify themselves one by one as a veteran, a man of faith, a lawyer, a marketing professional, a Vice-President of a Fortune 500 company, and a parent, urge the viewer to vote no on Proposition 8.
According to Jones, those who campaigned for Proposition 8 realized that voters didn’t like the idea of taking rights away from California citizens, as the campaign against the proposition had put it, so they “changed the debate.” This angle included some false information spread by some proponents of the ballot measure.

Noting that some voters were under the impression that churches would lose their tax-exempt status if they refused to perform same-sex marriage, and that schools would be forced to teach young children about same-sex marriage, Jones said “unfortunately, you don’t always have to be fully accurate in campaigning.” Because of this, some of his work consisted of correcting these mistaken beliefs.

After the passing of Proposition 8, the campaign against it is gearing up for a new fight. “Now the strategy is to challenge it in court — that it’s not a constitutional amendment but a constitutional revision, which has a different process for ratification,” Jones said. The campaign argues that the proposed amendment, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, is actually a revision because it would change the original interpretation of the constitution by the state Supreme Court, which decided that the right for a person to marry any other person was implied by the document.

As many Swarthmore students were celebrating the election of Barack Obama on November 4, others were still anxiously awaiting the fate of Proposition 8. “I was really concerned about it,” Linnet Davis-Stermitz ’12 said. “They called [the election] for Obama at 11 when the polls closed in California, but I was checking for the results on Prop 8 for a couple hours afterwards.”
Brigette Buquez ’11 said she was torn by the election’s mixed results.

“As a minority I was happy that Obama won the election, but as a queer person I still had that feeling of being a second class citizen,” Buquez said.

Asked what Swarthmore students who are interested in fighting for same-sex marriage can do, Jones mentioned a couple of ways to make a difference. On Saturday, Nov. 15, he will join other opponents of the initiative in a nationwide “Prop. 8 Protest” directed at the California measure and similar initiatives that were passed in Florida, Arizona and Arkansas.

Jones specifically criticized Arkansas’ Initiative 1, which will make illegal the adoption of children by unmarried “sexual partners.” While this initiative applies to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples, it effectively bars homosexual couples from adopting children, as these couples cannot marry in Arkansas. Information on the protest is available at www.jointheimpact.com.

Additionally, Jones urged queer Swarthmore students to talk to their friends and family. “People have to know that their vote has an effect on people’s lives,” he said. He also called for straight people who support gay marriage to talk to their straight friends who oppose it, because “straight people can have a different conversation with other straight people than they would with a gay person.”

Adrianna Massi ’12 said that she sees the passage of these regressive ballot initiatives as an affront to the constitutional rights of all Americans, not just the queer community. “This is a civil rights issue. For me as a queer person, this isn’t a queer issue, it’s a simple issue of the 14th amendment: full federal protection of citizens,” Massi said. “At the same time, this is what you get when you legislate from the bench.”