Political protesters, De Anza College students and others, gathered in the Main Quad last Wednesday and Thursday to voice concerns on Proposition 8, a California State ballot initiative that will appear in the upcoming election and which will decide the legality of gay marriage in California.
The crowd that rallied on Thursday far outnumbered the group that congregated in front of the De Anza library on Wednesday, and protesters against Proposition 8 far outnumbered those in favor of the ballot initiative.
Those against Proposition 8 began to encircle the few students who were holding up “Yes on 8” signs in the Main Quad around noon, holding signs of their own that read “Vote NO on Prop 8.”
At one point during the rally, a pro-Proposition 8 activist hit an anti-Proposition 8 protester in the back of the head with his sign. Campus police were called in to help quell the rising threat of violence and to keep a few of the more rowdy protesters in line.
The passing of Proposition 8 in November would amend the California State Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, eliminating the right of same sex couples to marry in California. The amendment would effectively reverse the state supreme court’s May 15 decision that ruled a state law banning gay marriage as unconstitutional and discriminatory.
In 2000, 61 percent of Californians voted yes on Proposition 22, which made it state law that only marriage between a man and a woman could be recognized in California. “Four judges in San Francisco nullified my vote, and I have a right for my vote to count,” said Judy Zimbel, a Bay Area resident invited to De Anza on behalf of the Korean Emmanuel Presbyterian Church of San Jose.
“It comes down to supporting equality,” said Exning Smith, a De Anza student who protested against Proposition 8. “Homosexual people are denied over 100 rights that heterosexuals are allowed, and to divide them is an act of bigotry and discrimination.”
“It’s not only immoral, it’s unconstitutional,” said Devon Kniess, another De Anza Student who showed up to protest the proposition.
In a recent video speaking out against Proposition 8, California Superintendent of Schools Jack Cornell said it has “nothing to do with our schools or kids. Our schools aren’t required to teach anything about marriage, and using kids as a way to lie about it is shameful.”
Cornell said issues surrounding homosexual marriage are not being taught in California’s schools without parental notification or consent, but according to Jim Allen, a Bay Area resident also invited to De Anza on behalf of the Korean Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, they are. “These issues should be kept between the mother and father,” he said.
The role of religion was a key talking point among pro-Proposition 8 activists. “I believe God created Adam and Eve, and there was no Adam and Steve,” said Sarah Shin, a De Anza student and member of the Korean Emmanuel Presbyterian church, “and God is the only one who has the right to change the rules of marriage. It’s like a copyright.”
“No single group of people should be discriminated against at the state or federal level, said Ernest Chavez, a De Anza student and member of the student activist group Students for Justice, “and there are a lot of misconceptions about what will happen if we defeat Proposition 8.” Students for Justice plans to set up tables and pass out information regarding the proposition and their stance on Monday, the day before elections. “If pro-Proposition 8 supporters show up there, we will have another rally,” said Students for Justice member Matthew Bradley.
The protest went on for several hours, dying down later in the afternoon as the wind grew increasingly heavy and it began to rain. A few protesters, mostly pro-Proposition 8 demonstrators, remained standing in the harsh weather conditions even as most others retreated indoors or left for class. Toward the end of the day, protest signs could be found in trash bins or littered around campus.