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Golden Opportunity
How the GOP helped bring gay marriage to California.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted July 8, 2008
Golden Opportunity

In 1978 former California governor Ronald Reagan announced his opposition to the Briggs Initiative, a proposed law that would have not only barred gay people from teaching in the state’s public schools but also allowed administrators to fire any instructor suspected of “advocating, imposing, encouraging, or promoting” homosexuality. Prospects for the initiative looked bright at first: Gay rights measures were being rejected across the country. Reagan, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1976 as a movement conservative against the more moderate Gerald Ford, was gearing up for the 1980 race and could scarcely afford to offend the “family values” crowd. Nevertheless, he declared that the initiative had “the potential for real mischief” and that “innocent lives could be ruined.” Initial polls showed 61% of voters in favor of the initiative and 31% opposed, but after Reagan announced his opposition the public mood shifted dramatically to 45% in favor and 43% opposed. The measure was eventually defeated by over a million votes.

Exactly 30 years later, another Republican governor of California announced his opposition to an antigay ballot measure. Asked on April 11 at the Log Cabin Republicans’ annual convention in San Diego about his stance on a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I will always be there to fight against that.” He labeled the campaign a “total waste of time” and predicted that enactment of the amendment “will never happen in California, because I think the California people are much further along on that issue.”

Schwarzenegger’s position proved increasingly relevant when, on May 15, the California supreme court issued a 4–3 ruling striking down the state’s same-sex marriage ban. The governor, who previously had vetoed two bills to legalize gay marriage, immediately put out a statement announcing his intention to “uphold” the court’s ruling. Gay couples began marrying on June 16, but if the proposed constitutional amendment passes in November—and it only requires a bare majority to do so—California will not only join the 26 other states that have constitutionally banned gay unions but will achieve the dubious honor of being the first state in the country to revoke previously certified gay marriages.

Schwarzenegger is the most prominent Republican opponent of the marriage amendment, and his opposition doesn’t come as a surprise to California gay rights activists, especially Republican ones. Log Cabin Republicans president Patrick Sammon points to the fact that the governor has signed more gay-friendly laws than any other current governor in the country. Indeed, Schwarzenegger is just one part, albeit a significant part, of a larger story, one that may come as a surprise to many gays. As much as liberals have been at the forefront of gay rights struggles across the country, Republicans too have played a crucial role in bringing marriage equality to California. 

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Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Terre
    Date posted: 2008-07-10 5:39 PM
    Hometown: San Luis Obispo

    Comment:

    This article is important. Republicans need to know that people in their party support equal rights for gays, and many will follow that lead. Many Republicans, including gay Republicans, consider themselves social liberals but fiscal conservatives. The Republicans have proved themselves fiscally wanton, but that's beside the point. I happy when any Republican stands in favor of equal civil rights, even when I don't like their views on war or social services.


  • Name: L. Myron
    Date posted: 2008-07-10 3:20 PM
    Hometown: Edgewater, New Jersey

    Comment:

    Though it's easy to isolate two Republicans and cite their supposed pro-gay positions (Reagan? give us a break!), which party is, by far, in the forefront of leading the charge to rescind those very laws that empower us? The Republican Party is the correct answer. I am by no means suggesting that the Democrats have accomplished a great deal with respect to our rights either. However, our greatest nemesis today is the Repbulican 'let's pass a federal amendment defining marriage as an institution between a man and a woman' Party.


  • Name: Chris Sullivan
    Date posted: 2008-07-08 6:09 PM
    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    Comment:

    I am well aware of Shwarzenegger's position and I obviously disagree with it, very much for the same reason I agreed with the courts deciding that blocking interracial marriage was unconstitutional. Putting a whole segment of the population's civil rites up to a popular vote is absurd. No other grouping of people would tolerate this. It IS in fact the role of the judiciary to interpret the law, even when it isn't "popular". The Reagan reference remains a completely irrelevant reference to fluff up the feathers of "gay Republcans" - talk about reaching.


  • Name: Jay
    Date posted: 2008-07-08 4:19 PM
    Hometown: Burbank

    Comment:

    Schwarzenegger's position is now and has been that the legislature doesn't have the autority to decide these matters. He's always maintained that it was up to the voters or the judiciary. It's completely consistent of him to now respect the courts ruling and oppose the antigay ballot measure. Here's hoping that his oppposition helps avoid a turnout like the previous amendment.


  • Name: Chris Sullivan
    Date posted: 2008-07-08 2:02 PM
    Hometown: Chicago, IL

    Comment:

    This wouldn't be the same Gov. Schwarzenegger that has twice vetoed gay marriage measures previously passed in California - would it? What Reagan did regarding teachers in 1978 is irrelevant to gay marriage 30 years later. What Reagan did NOT DO in the early years of the AIDS crisis says infinitely more about him than any supposed "pro-gay" effect that his position had on this one issue. "Gay Republicans" (you know, the loony "Log Cabin" types) will go to any length to claim they have had a beneficial effect on gay rites. Interesting how this author didn't mention John McCain's recent support of the anti-gay-marriage amendment - guess that didn't fit his agenda for this article - but by all means, pull out something totally unrelated some 30 years ago.


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