Video Messages from School Board Member and Father of Gay Daughter Will Help Asian Communities Understand the Truth re: Prop 8

Los Angeles — Today, API Equality-LA announces the release of two Public Service Announcements (PSAs) targeted at helping Asian Americans understand the truth about Proposition 8.

(1) School board member Jay Chen explains that gay marriage does NOT affect schools or education (in Mandarin Chinese)

To respond to concerns from Chinese community members that advertisements from the Yes on Prop 8 campaign are giving false information to the Chinese community, API Equality-LA and Hacienda/La Puente School Board Member Jay Chen announce the launch of a public service announcement for the Chinese community. In the short (1.5 minute) video, Chen explains that contrary to the fears that many Chinese parents have, children will not be forced to learn about gay marriage in schools.

The video can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5evyB00kJsg

(2) Harold Kameya, who is the father of a gay daughter, explains how Prop 8 would hurt families (in English)

Harold Kameya urges a vote of No on Prop 8, because Prop 8 would hurt families like his by taking away the right of his daughter to get married, a day which every parent cherishes and looks forward to. He has also written a moving essay about his support for his daughter and her rights.

The video can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=216XyvDs1NA
The essay can be viewed at (originally printed in The Pacific Citizen):
http://www.apiequalityla.org/stories.php?id=5

Karin Wang, API Equality-LA Steering Committee member and Vice-President of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, says: “As a lawyer, I have a special responsibility to look beyond the advertisements and to really understand what is fact and what is fiction about Prop 8. These two videos help explain the truth about Prop 8 and how they affect our communities. I urge our community to watch them and to understand why I am joining other Asian American community leaders as well as the head of the California public schools, the leading law professors in the state of California, the California Teachers Association, the California Nurses Association, the California American Academy of Pediatrics, and hundreds of other respected institutions and leaders in saying No to Prop 8.”

In addition, dozens of Asian American community, political and entertainment leaders have also said No to Prop 8 — video clips of their comments can be viewed at:
Los Angeles: http://www.youtube.com/user/apiequalityla
San Francisco: http://www.youtube.com/user/apiequality

Click here for an article featuring six arguments in favor of marriage equality.

Chinese Translations:

Yongho Kim, Civic Participation Coordinator, Korean Resource Center

It’s great to see Korean Americans and the entire American society stirred up by the elections. Every day, dozens of voters call or visit the Korean Resource Center with questions on voter registration or other elections related issues. I almost feel sorry to witness an “expansion in our business” while the U.S. economy faring the current crisis. At the same time, it’s encouraging to note an increase in interest from Korean American voters in the ballot initiatives, and not just the presidential candidates – this must indicate a growth in the political maturity of our voters!

In particular, we have seen that many voters have been interested in Proposition 8, which will prohibit same-sex marriage. Well-known issues tend to attract rumors and misinformation; proposition 8 seems to be just that kind of issue. Some voters think that Prop. 8 is an “all-or-nothing” deal where if it were to pass, gays would somehow disappear, and if it failed to pass, everyone in California would become gay. In reality, Proposition 8 is not such a significant piece of legislation. Queer couples are already recognized in California law through domestic partnership, earning benefits comparable to those of marriage.

The only caveat is that these couples are being isolated in a separate realm called “domestic partnership”, even when in every aspect their relationship and status is equal to that of “marriage”. This is a form of discrimination that is well known in our community, called “separate but equal”.

Opponents of same-sex marriage claim that acceptance of the queer community is symptomatic of societal moral corruption, but what is even more alarming is the pervasive discourse of hate in our society against them.

All it takes is to hear the comments of voters who have been calling the Korean Resource Center’s office in response to our “Vote No on Prop 8″ recommendation. One voter said “homosexuals are worse than animals; you shouldn’t give them any rights.” No matter how much you may disagree with someone, talking of a human being as subhuman is beyond the founding premises of communal living.

What worries me is that today’s arguments for discriminating against gays are frighteningly similar to 19th century arguments for justifying racial discrimination and exploitation. Back then, European whites put black slaves and Asians in the same category as cattle; this mode of thinking was the dominant frame of the times when talking about race. Racists used moral arguments to justify their claims. Non-whites, they claimed, were unable to adopt Europe’s “culture”, did not wear clothes and displayed lavish behavior, and did not accept Christianity. Therefore, it could not be said that they were humans proper, and should instead be treated as animals. Later in the U.S. south, white supremacists recurred to violence “to prevent dirty and immoral blacks” from sitting in white-only lunch counters. Anti-miscegenation laws were passed that prohibited Asian immigrants from marrying whites.

How far away have we come from these brutal arguments when our community is saying that gays should not be treated as humans? Also, how different is this discrimination from the discrimination being imposed upon undocumented immigrants, who sustain America’s economy?

As immigrants and people of color, we Korean Americans ought to look back and learn from our own community’s history, where we had been discriminated against for not being able to speak English well, for the color of our skin, and for our immigration status. I hope that we will be able to open our hearts and start recognizing that basic human and civil rights are protections that every human being deserves.

To read the original English version, please click here
To read the original Korean version, please click here
Text is distributed with a Creative Commons BY-ND License.

LGBT Community Urged to Give More Right Away

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, LOS ANGELES – In an urgent announcement, the NO on Prop 8 campaign, Equality for All, today convened a special briefing of the LGBT press around the country. The campaign released new polling data that shows the opponents of Proposition 8 losing ground as proponents continue to flood the airwaves with misleading television ads. Proposition 8 is the November ballot initiative that eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.

“Our most recent polling data shows us four points behind,” said Geoff Kors, a member of the NO on Prop 8 Executive Committee. “And unless we raise significant new dollars, we will not be able to compete with the proponents on television.” The latest poll from Lake Research shows the race 47% Yes and 43% No.

“While our poll didn’t surprise us, it did confirm that we were starting to lose ground because we simply cannot match the proponents dollar for dollar on television,” said Steve Smith, NO on Prop 8 Senior Campaign Strategist. “We wanted to let LGBT community know that there is a level of complacency and false sense of security, and we wanted to set the record straight.”

Smith said, “Public polls have given everyone the impression that this campaign is over – it’s already won. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The campaign released a memo from pollster Lake Research Partners that indicated that the opponents of Prop 8 had lost ground from just a few days ago.

“We have the messages, our advertising is compelling, but polling tells us that it is not being seen or heard as much as the Yes side, and that needs to change,” Lake says in the memo.

Geoff Kors concluded: “The proponents will continue to mislead the public, and we can’t let their lies stick. And if we can’t get the resources into this campaign – both in dollars and volunteer hours – we will lose. Right now the fundraising gap is $6million. That’s the challenge, but I believe once the community understands how tight this race is, they will dig deep and give to our efforts. I’m comfortable that our best fundraising weeks are those ahead of us. We need everyone to pitch in right now.”

To receive a copy of the Lake Research polling memo, contact Eddie Fernandez, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide at eddie.fernandez@ogilvypr.com.

CONTACT: Ali Bay
PHONE: (916) 717-1411 or (916) 425-3363
WEBSITE: www.noonprop8.com

Since its inception in 2005, API Equality-LA has been a proud and active member of the statewide coalition to secure and defend equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in California. Now known as No on 8, Equality for All, the statewide coalition is dedicated to defeating Proposition 8, a voter initiative that will appear on the ballot in the California general election on November 4, 2008. If successful, Proposition 8 would eliminate the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry.

In addition to becoming involved in the many activities API Equality-LA offers, please visit the No on 8, Equality for All website at www.NoOnProp8.com to take the vow to vote NO on Proposition 8 and learn more about how you can help preserve equal marriage rights for all Californians by making a financial contribution or volunteering for the campaign.

Polls show the vote on Prop 8 to be too close to call and the misleading Yes on Prop 8 ads are swaying undecided voters — we need your help now to help defeat Prop 8 on November 4th.

Vote NO on Proposition 8 on November 4, 2008.

API Equality-LA Proposition 8 Factsheet (to print & distribute) (PDF)