Opponents of California Proposition 8

As you can well imagine, there are just as many opponents of Proposition 8 as there are proponents. It is interesting to note who they are as well.John McCain

Senator John McCain (also a Republican presidential nominee) supported this proposal. Both he and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich released statements in support of it. They said that the court ruling was against the American people's will.

Equality For All

The lead organization in the opposition of Proposition 8 was called Equality For All. They were the same organization that ran the NoOnProp8.com campaign. Some political figures, religious organizations, non-partisan organizations, corporations, editorial boards and major newspapers took part in this organization.Mayor Gavin Newsom

Mayor Gavin Newsom from San Francisco spoke at an anti-proposition 8 rally that was held on the Sproul steps at UC Berkeley.Barack Obama

President Barack Obama was a presidential nominee and U.S. Senator throughout this time period. He stated that while he personally believed that marriage should only occur between a man and a woman, he would support civil unions that conferred comparable rights but not same sex marriage. Obama continued on to say that he was opposed to "divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution... the U.S. Constitution or those of other states."

Joseph Biden, who was Obama's vice presidential candidate and who is now the vice president, was also opposed to this proposition.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is the Republican California governor, stated that while he is opposed to same sex marriage, he respected and would uphold the court's ruling. This occurred after he vetoed the proposition twice. He continued on to say that he would still oppose the initiative and any other attempts that were made at amending the state's constitution.Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi, who is the U.S. House Speaker and California Representative of the 8^th District, joined with other members of the California congressional delegation to voice her opposition of Proposition 8. Two of the other women who joined her in this were California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.