Fall 2008 was a fierce time in America for politics. In addition to the massively publicized political campaigns being driven by both Democrat and Republican hopefuls for the 44th seat of the American presidency, a different fight was happening in California.

Proposition 8 - a fight which was surprisingly active in states and even continents far away from where proposed legislation would eventually take effect - reversed an earlier state decision to allow gay and lesbian citizens to get married. The passing of Proposition 8 has halted gay and lesbian marriages from taking place in the state of California, and even marriages which occurred prior to Prop 8's passage are being scrutinized as to whether they are still legitimate.

Although there was a fairly substantial public outpouring of support against Prop 8 (including numerous country-wide protests, demonstrations and letter-writing campaigns), there was equally impressive public support in favor of banning gay marriage. Millions of dollars were contributed in support of the passage of Proposition 8 from individuals, corporations and churches alike. Even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was brought under scrutiny for its donation of tens of thousands of dollars to the "Yes on 8" campaign, for its (illegal) financial support of such a ballot initiative, because the church receives tax-exempt status as a nonprofit entity.

Was Prop 8's passage avoidable? I think it was. The mass financial organization that Prop 8's supporters enjoyed was no accident. Although those of us on the right side of history did a seemingly formidable job of creating public awareness through online video campaigns, public gathering protests, congressional protests, news appearances etc., the efforts to stop Proposition 8 were not good enough.

The vote margin which passed Proposition 8 was within 5 points. This means Prop 8's public support was only slightly greater than its opposition. Does this mean future legislation in favor of gay marriage will pass in California (and in other states across America)? Absolutely. Will it come soon? It depends on you. It depends on the spirit of all of us, who stand on the right side of history. The motivation of the pubic to generate interest in equality in whatever way they can - and to form a catalyst under the asses of those they come in contact with to change interest into action - is key to our success.

We all know full acceptance will come in time to our society, as it has with other minority groups who have experienced prejudice and mistreatment, but when it comes is something that can be changed. I am a YouTuber, and made a video blog describing my personal opinions on why Proposition 8 was a dangerous piece of legislation and my reasoning for why people should have voted against it. My boyfriend is the president of his school's gay straight alliance, and he was able to hold public demonstrations against Proposition 8 in his community.



No contribution is too small! Seemingly paltry contributions - if passionate - can have huge implications when they happen en masse. Do your part. Talk to those around you and *inspire change!* Think it's naive optimism? Naive optimists, the "crazy ones" are the people who have the vision - and the guts - to bring change, instead of just talking about it.

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