Continental promo
||  News  ||
 
October 10, 2008

Pepperdine Prof Back in New Yes on 8 Ad

The campaign to ban gay marriage in California is running a television ad starting Wednesday featuring a girl telling her mother she learned in school that she could marry a princess.

Richard Peterson, a law professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, appears on-screen asking, "Think it can't happen? It's already happening. When Massachusetts legalized marriage, schools started teaching second-graders that boys can marry boys. The courts ruled that parents have no right to object."

An announcer then says that California would also require schools to teach children about same-sex relationships if gay marriage remained legal in the state. Opponents of gay marriage are backing Proposition 8, which would amend California's constitution to nullify the state supreme court decision that gave same-sex couples equal marriage rights.

Last week, Pepperdine president Andrew Benton ldemanded that the organization behind the commercial, Protect Marriage, remove all references to the school in another ad featuring Peterson. "The reference to Pepperdine must disappear," Benton told the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

This week's ad has a small disclaimer below his name that says Peterson's title is for "identification purposes only."

"The first thing the Yes on 8 people did was remove Pepperdine [in last week's commercial]," Jerry Derloshon, Pepperdine's executive director of public relations, told The Advocate on Thursday. "What the campaign has done is put in a disclaimer. Many people have accepted that this was a faculty member speaking a position and his employer was identified. The disclaimer underscores that Pepperdine remains neutral."

Equality California executive director Geoff Kors told reporters Tuesday that the Yes on 8 campaign is raising more funds than the opposition and that poll numbers are tipping toward support for the ban. (Michelle Garcia, The Advocate)

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: Nathan
    Date posted: 2008-10-16 5:41 PM
    Hometown: Santa Rosa area

    Comment:

    Bill H said, "I find it remarkable that even prisoners on death row can get a license to marry, as long as they're heterosexual!" A homosexual can get a license to marry, too; that's never been a problem. They can marry any member of the opposite sex who consents, just like heterosexuals. This is like saying, "Cops won't let British people drive in America," just because the British person wants to drive on the left side.


  • Name: Jerry
    Date posted: 2008-10-10 1:23 AM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    I have donated in the past to Pepperdine - they won't get another nickel from me. Who do they think they're fooling anyway? Since they have no problems associating themselves with such legal "brains" as Richard Peterson, they probably don't want my money anyway.


  • Name: Bill H.
    Date posted: 2008-10-09 4:42 PM
    Hometown: Malibu, CA

    Comment:

    Negative ads work, and the people pushing for passage know that if they frighten enough people, Prop 8 will pass. And no, regardless of what Jerry Derloshon says, the disclaimer does NOT make Pepperdine neutral- it puts them squarely and officially on the side in favor of Prop 8's passage. The christianists, (mormons, Bishop Mahoney, etc) think they can get away with throwing mud, knowing that some of it will stick. They're fear mongers, and what they're doing is distinctly non-Christian. We need ads that will make the public sympathetic to the problems gay couples face in stabilizing their relationships. I find it remarkable that even prisoners on death row can get a license to marry, as long as they're heterosexual!


  • Name: Tom
    Date posted: 2008-10-09 3:00 PM
    Hometown: SF Bay Area

    Comment:

    Couldn't agree with you more, Jack. The lies in the "YES" ads are really quite disturbing, and need to be FORCEFULLY rebutted. Not hearing many ads at all around here, probably because both sides know we are the epicenter of "NO" territory in the state. But I have heard a small number of "YES" ads on radio stations with strong signals that reach well into the Central Valley.


  • Name: Jack
    Date posted: 2008-10-09 2:41 AM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    Just saw the ad on ch.4 in LA, at 11:10pm (10/8). apparently Richard Peterson doesn't care if he drags Pepperdine University's name through the mud. It's the kind of negative nonsense that is guaranteed to frighten parents, who may vote 'Yes' just in case some of the lies might turn out to be true. Have to say I'm disappointed in our "warm & fuzzy" ads. Would like to see something more hard-hitting: a hospital door slamming in the face of a gay man, stopped by his mate's parents from visiting in a hospital; the contesting of a will in a courtroom, in which a deceased man's deeding of property to his mate is denied by a judge, and given instead to the homophobic sister of his mate (I know this happened for real); and other situations in which being married makes a difference in our society and demands the kind of respect civil unions simply don't establish.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max. HTML formatting and hyperlinks are NOT permitted.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
    Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.
  • Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
    When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.
  • Hungry Like the Wolf
    A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.
  • Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
    Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.
  • The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
    With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.
  • Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
    After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.
  • The Pride of Antwerp
    Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.
  • Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
    In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.
  • Top Political Blogs
    From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.
  • The Diva of French Television
    A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.