George Takei and Brad Altman
You’ve probably heard of Proposition 8, the Californian ballot measure that denied gays the right to marry as of November 2008. What you might not know is that the battle over Prop. 8 was the most expensive social issue campaign in US history.
The effect of Proposition 8 was simple—it added a line to the Constitution of California that stated that only marriage between a man and a woman is recognized in the state. This addition had the outcome of overturning a recent Supreme Court decision that allowed same-sex marriages on the basis that denying anyone the right to marry—when marriage was not explicitly defined in the state’s Constitution as being between a man and woman—was discrimination.
Supporters of the bill included the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, who pledged $200,000 to the cause, Mormons, evangelical Protestants and the Knights of Columbus, who made the largest single contribution at $1.4 million.
On the other side of the fence was the Screen Actors Guild, who voted to officially oppose the measure. Director Stephen Spielberg and actor Brad Pitt also made sizeable contributions to Proposition 8’s opposition.
All told, $82 million were raised in support or opposition of the measure and Proposition 8 passed 52-to-48. The 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place during the short time when it was legal, including that of George Takei (of Star Trek and Heroes fame) to Brad Altman, are still legally recognized.
