SFist: Parody Obama Posters Tell Prop 8 Truths

Chris Daley

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:59:06 -0800

@Jamison, you're 100% right that Obama said this (many, many times). I happen agree with Elly about his true feelings. But even if you don't, Obama supported the CA Supreme Court decision and opposed all anti-marriage constitutional amendments. No argument that he could have been more eloquent on both issues, but he still made his positions clear. And other than marriage, he is 100% on our side on every other LGBT issue on the books. 100%. You know this already, I don't need to list them. I get what Humbert means about needing to mourn. The question for me, though, is are we going to get so caught up in our pain that we throw snark at our strongest allies when they don't pass a really strict litmus test? We're better than that. We really are. And just to be clear, I think Stop8 is a really great site. I just wish Matty would take down these posters. But wishes and fishes and all that.

Jamison

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:49:59 -0800

@EllyMental Rather than blindly defending homophobic statements, consider the case you're actually making here: That by saying he opposes equal rights for gay Americans he doesn't actually mean it, he's just lying because it will help him get the vote of homophobes and telling voters the truth or what you actually believe doesn't really matter in a campaign as long as you win.

EllyMental

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:31:28 -0800

Of course he's going to put that on his official statement, because consistency also matters in an election. What I'm saying is that he HAD to have that position in order to gain the support of the conservative right in this country. Without it he wouldn't have had a chance to win the presidency. His willingness to allow the states to choose supports the theory that he's truly for it. Bush wanted to change the US constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage on a federal level. Obama says right in your excerpt that he firmly against that.

Jamison

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:35:12 -0800

@EllyMental Here's Obama's official statement (pdf) opposing equal rights for gay Americans: I believe civil unions should include the same legal rights that accompany a marriage license. I support the notion that all people – gay or straight – deserve the same rights and responsibilities to assist their loved ones in times of emergency, deserve equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to traditional married couples, and deserve the same property rights as anyone else. However, I do not support gay marriage. Marriage has religious and social connotations, and I consider marriage to be between a man and a woman. If I was President, however, I would oppose any effort to stifle a state’s ability to decide this question on its own. Whether it was a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage or a bill like the Defense of Marriage Act, I would oppose such efforts. I think the President should do all he or she can to advance strong families. Whatever the make-up of the family, it is the President’s role to provide policies and leadership that enable the family to thrive. So there you have it, President Elect Obama doesn't want us to have equal rights, but he doesn't want to take away the right he doesn't want us to have. Every time I read this it makes me regret voting for him.

EllyMental

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:34:39 -0800

Polymergirl, I highly doubt Obama is against gay marriage as you say. Beneath his stump speech message (one that the entire conservative nation had to hear and vote on) is one, no doubt, of an ultimate desire for equality, in marriage or whatever. Noting gays in his election night speech clearly shows the fact.

Incandenza

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:24:57 -0800

(Most of the time) I'm not gay, I'm not married, and most of my gay friends are, like me, just anti-marriage in general, sexual inclinations aside. But the whole Prop 8 thing has made me so fucking furious... is there a support group I can join? Do they make a cream for this? I just can't get over this anger.

Jamison

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:21:16 -0800

@chris Obama has stated he opposes equal marriage rights and we should instead be given a second class status with "separate but equal" civil unions. It's offensive he and his campaign even created a pride flag version of the Obama logo while at the same time opposing equal rights for us gays. If anything it doesn't got far enough and that asterisk should say "Not Valid in Barack Obama's America".

polymergirl

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:14:49 -0800

Obama is against gay marriage. Why should his supporters be any different? It amazes me that so many people seem to have overlooked that fact.

Chris Daley

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:51:49 -0800

Wow. Really? Fair enough.

DJBurrito

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:44:06 -0800

@travin Might be the best diss of the week. ahhahahah

HHumbert

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:42:21 -0800

They're funny. In many ways, they bring necessary humor into the bitter-sweetness that was Nov 4th. Many folks I know bothered going to the polls *only* to vote against Prop 8. ... And saying that it minimizes Obama's statement, while I can appreciate the significance of his accomplishment and the motto's symbolic role, it's still funny. Irreverence is the key to some humor and oftentimes, hyperbole makes a point. Now is not the time to get all ADL on us while we're wallowing in our defeat.

travin

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:53:12 -0800

I think they're funny as hell. Thanks for posting these, Brock. p.s. @chris daley, You offered your apologies for being overly PC but that's the same as prefacing with "all due respect" because surely what comes after is disrespectful. Sufficed to say even though you're cabable, you really don't need to over-think, kill and dissect everything. It kinda sucks the oxygen out of a room, even in cyber-space. It's pretty much like being a self-absorbed 'winer.'[sic].

Chris Daley

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:12:28 -0800

Brock - I get the sentiment, but I don't think these posters are either humorous or true. "Yes We Can" is, of course, about a lot of things, but in this context it was about retaking the White House with a leader in whom a lot of us believe. Apologies if I'm being overly PC, but it just isn't cool to diminsh the historic nature (from a lot of angles) of Obama's win like this. CA was a major component of his win and will benefit tremendously from his leadership, so it just isn't accurate to say that the slogan isn't valid here. While I think the slight is unintentional (or at least not an intentional slight, if you know what I'm parsing), it isn't helpful. Just in a gut level strategic way, it makes us look like self-absorbed winers (which most of us aren't).