Reply #71: You might want to read this: PROP 8 HURT MY FAMILY ASK ME HOW

[FreeState]

http://www.marriageequality.org/uploads/REPORT%20TWO_PROP_8_HURT_MY_FAMILY_FINAL_VERSION.pdf

In January 2009, the American Psychological Association (APA) released three separate studies that described the
psychological distress associated with anti same-sex marriage amendments. One study using national survey responses of
LGBTI individuals found that those who live in states that have passed marriage amendments experienced increased
psychological stress not due to other pre-existing conditions but as “a direct result of the negative images and messages
associated with the ballot campaign and the passage of the amendment.” Furthermore, participants reported feeling
“alienated from their community, fearful they would lose their children, and concerned they would become victims of
anti-gay violence.” These studies also reported that this harm extends to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Intersex (LGBTI) family members and straight allies who experience a form of “secondary minority stress.” Finally,
“although many participants displayed resiliency and effective coping with this stress, some experienced strong negative
consequences to their mental and physical health.”

snip....

LGBTI people experience increased verbal abuse, homophobia, physical harm and other discrimination associated
with or resulting from the Prop 8 campaign;
Children of same-sex couples express fear due to direct exposure to homophobia and hate and concerns that the
passage of Prop 8 means they could be taken from their families and targeted for further violence;
LGBTI youth and their supporters experience increased bullying at schools as Prop 8’s passage fosters a
supportive environment for homophobic acts of physical and emotional violence;
Straight allies experience the impact of homophobia firsthand and express shock and fear for their LGBTI family
members and friends and the danger they may experience if they were perceived as gay or an ally;
Families are torn apart as relatives divide on Prop 8; and
Communities are destroyed from the aftermath of abusive behavior towards them during local street
demonstrations, neighborhood divisions, and the impact of “knowing your neighbor” voted against your family.