What a Yes on 8 Vote Means
and to their children. Those of us who
In Fresno, a Catholic priest who
recently came out to his parishioners asked
them to imagine they have just discovered
they are gay. “How would you feel when
you saw a car with a ‘Yes on 8’ bumper
sticker?” In San Diego, a group opposing
Proposition 8 calls itself “Californians
Against Hate.” In San Jose, two women
parked in front of a house that had a large
“Yes on 8” banner. They spray painted their
own car to turn it into a billboard saying
“Bigots Live Here.”
Given all these episodes, I would
like for the gays and lesbians of California
to know what I mean by the “Yes on
Proposition 8” sign in my yard. I want you
to know what I am saying, and what I’m not
saying, by driving around with a “Yes on
Prop 8” sticker. Some opponents of
Proposition 8 seem to view it as a
referendum on whether we like gay people.
I do not share this view. From my
perspective, it would be tragic for the gays
and lesbians of California to believe that
every house with a Yes on 8 sign in the yard
is inhabited by someone who hates them.
I’m voting yes on 8, not because of
my views of gays and lesbians, but because
of my views about marriage. I view
marriage as a gender-based institution that
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse • 663 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road Suite 222 San Marcos CA 92078
www.jennifer-roback-morse.com • email: drj@jennifer-roback-morse.com • 760/295-9278
©2007 No part of this document may be reproduced or disseminated in any way without the expressed written consent of the
Ruth Institute.
attaches mothers and fathers to each other
support Proposition 8 believe that children
deserve at least the chance to have a
relationship with a mom and a dad. That
isn’t hateful toward anyone.
We have watched as the small
children of Massachusetts were taught about
homosexuality in their public schools. We
believe parents should decide when and
what to teach their children about
homosexuality, in accordance with their
values, and their perception of their child’s
maturity. We have trouble believing that the
well-being of gays and lesbians really
depends on children reading King and King
in kindergarten.
We believe the California Supreme
Court greatly overstepped its bounds. Their
decision did more than legalize same sex
marriage. The Court declared that requiring
spouses to be of the opposite sex counts as
discrimination. Religious groups that act on
the belief that marriage is between a man
and a woman, are henceforth engaged in
unlawful discrimination.
The Court also increased the level of
judicial scrutiny given to sexual orientation
discrimination cases, giving same sex
couples the highest possible level of
protection. This means that in contests
between religious liberty and sexual
orientation discrimination, religious liberty
would almost always lose. The Court’s
ruling gave gays and lesbians new grounds
on which to sue religious people, and a
higher probability of winning than before.
Fair-minded Californians of all political
persuasions don’t want every church-related
activity threatened with legal harassment.
Every marriage preparation class, every pre-
school, every adoption agency, every high
school, every teen youth group is potentially
covered by the Court’s ruling. Voting Yes
on Proposition 8 is one of the few ways
ordinary citizens can protest. They are not
saying they hate gay people: they are saying
the Court is out of control.

Millions of people are going to vote

Yes on Prop 8. People of every religion and
no religion are going to vote Yes on Prop 8.
People with gay loved ones are going to vote
Yes on Prop 8. It would be tragic, and
completely unwarranted, for gay men and
lesbians to conclude that all these people
hate them.

Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D. is an official

spokesman for Proposition 8, the founder
and president of the Ruth Institute, and the
author of Love and Economics: It Takes a
Family to Raise a Village, Smart Sex:
Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-Up
World, and 101 Tips for a Happier
Marriage: You can Improve Your Marriage
even if Your Spouse Doesn’t Change a Bit.

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse • 663 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road Suite 222 San Marcos CA 92078
www.jennifer-roback-morse.com • email: drj@jennifer-roback-morse.com • 760/295-9278
©2007 No part of this document may be reproduced or disseminated in any way without the expressed written consent of the
Ruth Institute.