Did suburban swing voters—Maine soccer moms—cost us marriage equality in Maine? Political blogger Matthew Gagnon (who leans right, but not too far) thinks so, and his argument makes some sense.
While the analysis is still coming in from Maine, it’s also worth noting that sixty-four percent of voters with children under 18 voted for California’s Prop 8, according to CNN exit polls. Among married voters with children, the yes votes rose to 68 percent. Only 44 percent of voters without children (and 45 percent of those married without children) voted for it.
Queerty, who first posted about Gagnon’s observations, suggests a strategy for the future: “If that’s true, maybe we should take a hint from huge marketers like General Mills and Nabisco: Knowing that moms make the decisions in heterosexual households, let’s cater our message to them.”
That also means we lesbian soccer moms will continue to have a critical role to play going forward. Hearts and minds are changed as much, if not more so, by personal encounters as by advertising. The next battle for marriage equality will be won on the soccer fields and playgrounds as much as on the airwaves. It will be won at the PTA meetings and potlucks where we show that we are part of the broader community, and casually mention how inequality affects our families.
Don your jerseys, folks. It’s game time.
11:07 am
Politics and Law
MCinDC
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 11:30 am:
Hi Mombian. Love your posts. I just saw this on twitter but would URGE you not to start a meme that this is about soccer moms. I think Gagnon’s overall point is that this we underperformed in the suburbs. That’s really different than saying we lost soccer moms.
Suburbs are ALWAYS a big persuasion target on lgbt ballot measures, and moms/soccer moms are usually one of our most important persuasion targets. But until we have gender and age breakdowns of the voter, we simply won’t know what happened. In CA, age and religiousity were the biggest drivers of vote.
Dana
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 12:07 pm:
Thanks, MC. I agree that we should wait for more data before casting specific blame on any one group. That’s why I said Gagnon’s argument made “some sense” rather than “a lot of sense.” At the same time, as you say, suburban moms are clearly a pressure point. And the data from Prop 8 clearly indicates that parents voted in large part for Prop 8. My bigger point (which perhaps wasn’t clear enough) was that we lesbian moms have an important role in persuading other moms (and other parents, generally), who are key influencers in a key demographic. I don’t think that will change, even if some other demographic group turns out to be the number one driver in Maine.
Kate
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 7:31 pm:
I second the love – I check this site daily. I have to say though, that I’m sick to death of our community working so hard to prove ourselves to various segments of straight society. Whether it’s the soccer moms, or heterosexual parents in general or the over 35 straight crowd, this idea that we have to market ourselves to them in order to make them like us enough to vote to give us equality is starting to get very old. It’s humiliating – I feel like we’re the hooker who keeps performing but never gets paid. It is truly time to march in the streets and demand our rights. I don’t care to try and make straight soccer moms from the ‘burbs give me my rights.
outoutout
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 9:07 pm:
I agree 100% with Kate. It’s all fine and good to analyze specific voter segments, but the fact that we have to ask permission AT ALL is ludicrous. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: this is a fight we’ll win in the courts, not the polling place. Just imagine if slavery, women’s suffrage, or racial desegregation had been fated to the vote of the American people! We need to learn from history and demand our civil rights.
Dana
on Nov 5th, 2009
@ 9:30 pm:
I agree absolutely with you, Kate and outoutout, that civil rights should never be put to a vote. If we take to the streets, however, numbers count, and we won’t get the numbers without allies. This gets us back to persuading straight soccer moms–not to “give” us our rights, but to join us in demanding them.
Kate
on Nov 6th, 2009
@ 9:35 am:
Good point, good point.
Liza
on Nov 6th, 2009
@ 1:59 pm:
I think improving our marketing strategy is a great idea.
Yes, it’s offensive and obnoxious and wrong that we have to seek full citizenship and equality, but it’s also a fact. If we want to change that fact, we should use the most effective tools we can find.