Asian Americans in California Support Gay Marriage, Survey Says

October 15, 2008

The
national results were released last week and California-specific
numbers released today. Some highlights from the national poll:

  • The majority of Asian Americans who voted in the primary
    supported Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama by nearly 2 to 1, but Clinton
    supporters now overwhelmingly plan to vote for Obama rather than for
    John McCain by a 59 percent to 10 percent margin among likely voters.
  • About
    80 percent of likely voters who are Asian American list the economy as
    one of the most important problems the nation faces, followed by the
    war in Iraq. On both issues, there are strongly divided opinions
    between Obama and McCain supporters.
  • 32 percent of all Asian
    Americans identify themselves as Democrats; 14 percent as Republicans;
    19 percent as independents; and 35 percent as nonpartisan.
  • One-third of Asian
    American citizens get informed about politics from Asian-language media
    and 28 percent say they would use Asian-language ballot materials.
Contributor: 

Harry Mok

Editor in chief

Editor in Chief Harry Mok wrote about growing up on a Chinese vegetable farm for the second issue of Hyphen and has been a volunteer editor since 2004. As a board member of the San Francisco and New York chapters of the Asian American Journalists Association, Harry has recruited and organized events for student members. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was also a graduate student instructor in the Asian American Studies Department.

Comments

Comments

Here are some good posts on the subject, regarding the desi angle on the issue, from Sepia Mutiny:"Desi Grandma for Same-Sex Marriage" - http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/005436.html"We're Here. We're Queer. We're on Pioneer" - http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/archives/005465.html
Undecided on Prop 8??? Consider that to tolerate is not the same thing as to condone. Tolerance is a lens through which we should view all people, including gay and lesbian people. We cannot and should not condone all actions. You can love people without loving what they do.Voting Yes on Prop 8 is a vote for tolerance. Voting Yes on 8 guarantees that rights will be preserved for traditional marriages and for domestic partnerships. Voting Yes on Prop 8 is NOT intolerant, bigoted, or discriminatory. Please vote YES on Prop 8!http://www.protectmarriage.comwww.whatisprop8.comhttp://concernedincalifornia.blogspot.com
Do not be mislead. Voting yes is not a vote for tolerance. Voting YES means TAKING AWAY the right to marry. Back in May, the California Supreme Court decided that it was UNCONSTITUTIONAL that same sex couples did not have the same right to marry, and therefore LEGALIZED same sex marriage. If you vote YES, you would be TAKING AWAY a LEGAL RIGHT. Vote NO ON 8 to protect our constitution. Vote NO so that we can MAINTAIN EQUALITY. Do not be mislead!
Josh:1. Tolerance is NOT the same thing as love.2. Love is not an action. Love is a feeling that goes beyond what a person does privately within their home.3. Voting Yes on 8 IS discrimination. And I fail to see how two consenting, of age, same sex individuals are going to somehow "destroy" marriage. Marriage has been redefined before. For example, interracial marriage was once illegal.Civil Unions and domestic partnerships do not grant couples the same rights as marriage does. That is one of the main points in addition to the whole "separate but supposedly equal" thing.
I wrote a long e-mail to my family and friends about why, as Asians and people of color, we should oppose Prop 8. I've gotten a really good response.It's too long to post here, but I hope you can take the time to read it at my livejournal and forward it to anyone who might be persuaded. Thanks!http://tensegritydan.livejournal.com/195858.html