Too bad Proposition 8 won't go away this year. Every day that gay and lesbian couples cannot marry is another day of discrimination against homosexuals, denying them the basic right to form families with equal stature to that of any other family. That said, we never thought 2010 was the best time for a new vote on Proposition 8. It's too soon after the original, divisive election, and we worried about the potential for a costly, well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful effort.
For this reason, we're not all that disappointed that a petition drive failed to get enough signatures to put a repeal of the measure on the November ballot. The gay rights movement has a lot of work to do before it can prevail over the ban on same-sex marriage -- more than can be accomplished in a matter of months. The Proposition 8 campaign was particularly well funded on both sides, and the No on 8 forces shouldn't wait to begin lining up contributors. Major donors opposing the measure indicated last year that they wanted to wait for the 2012 ballot. Corporate leaders who deplore the marriage ban are willing to give generously to defeat it, but they are not a source of limitless funds. Savvy business types, they expect a reasonable chance of seeing results for their money.
