Nationwide Prop 8 Protest Saturday Afternoon Downtown

If you were disheartened by the passage of Prop 8 in California during last week's elections you now have a chance to have your voice heard. Houston is one of several cities taking part in a day of coordinated protests nationwide against Prop 8 tomorrow, November 15. The protest in Houston will take place at 12:30 p.m. outside City Hall.

Proposition 8 is a 14-word addition to the California State Constitution stating that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The passing of the proposition on Nov. 4 effectively undid hundreds of marriages performed in the state since the Supreme Court of California's May 2008 decision calling the state's previous ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

The Proposition sought to remedy that decision by rewording the state Constitution. Massive funding for Prop 8 was provided by several religious entities, most of it coming from outside of California.

While civil unions between same-sex couple are still legal throughout the U.S., many proponents of equal marriage rights liken Prop 8 to the separate but equal doctrine that drove segregation in the early 1900s (which wasn't equal at all).

The backlash since Nov. 4 has been loud. Prop 8 is not a California-only issue. The proposition could set a precedent affecting the rights of unmarried couples everywhere (gay and straight) in the US with regards to issues such as health care, child custody, inheritance and more.

Politics aside, many people opposed Prop 8 because of it's extremely precise wording: "Eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry... changes California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." Opponents believe Prop 8 violates the California Constitution.

Protests are scheduled for cities in all 50 states, as well as some international locations. Houston has one of the largest gay communities in the United States and organizers expect at least 500 people to be at the protest tomorrow afternoon.

(Houstonist knows this is a confusing and ever-changing topic. For a good primer on same-sex marriage laws in California, please see Wikipedia.)

Photo: Flickr user Craig C.