relative, co-worker, etc., contributed money to help pass Prop 8?
The donor database (for both sides) is now available online.
Click
here to access the database.
There are many ways to process this information and make use of it
to ensure marriage equality moving forward. If you find out someone
close to you donated to the Yes on 8 campaign that doesn’t mean you
have to cut him/her out of your life, start an argument, etc. (You
can, but you don’t have to.)
You could take it as an opportunity to have a meaningful
conversation about why writing marriage discrimination into the
California constitution was important enough to this person to
contribute money to the effort, especially given this person’s
personal relationship to you and your family. Clearly there’s a
disconnect for him/her between their support/affection for your
family and their feelings about the meaning of marriage. One of the
mistakes we LGBT people often make is assuming that our
friends/loved ones automatically make the connection between their
relationships with us and their political views and actions.
On the other hand, if you find businesses or organizations
contributed money or resources to the Yes on 8 campaign, you might
think twice before patronizing these groups again. Should you feel
this way, I encourage you to make your feelings known to these
groups/businesses. They won’t necessarily understand the impact of
losing your business if you don’t explain to them why.
Find something surprising (or outrageous) about the Yes on 8
contributors? Tell us about it in the comments below.