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- The Passage of Proposition 8: Denying Fundamental Rights to LGBTIQ South Asians
Priya Murthy
Priya Murthy is the Policy Director at SAALT. As Policy Director, she monitors and analyzes legislative and administrative policies affecting the South Asian community; conducts advocacy on various policy issues; and develops educational materials for the South Asian community members and organizations. She also represents the organization as a member of immigrant and civil rights coalitions as well as before lawmakers and governmental agencies. She previously worked for various Immigration Courts, the Amnesty International Refugee Office and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi. Priya received her J.D. from Tulane University and her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in Peace and Conflict Studies. To reach Priya, please email priya@saalt.org.
The Passage of Proposition 8: Denying Fundamental Rights to LGBTIQ South Asians
- By Priya Murthy
- Published 11/12/2008
A week after the elections, many in the South Asian community are looking forward to a new Administration and Congress that will hopefully bring forth positive changes concerning civil rights. The elections, however, are bittersweet for many South Asians who are also grappling with disappointment of Proposition 8's passage in California. This ballot initiative amends the state's Constitution to ban marriage between same-sex partners. Its passage is especially significant given that it followed a California Supreme Court ruling in The Marriage Cases that recognized same-sex couples' right to marry. The passage of Proposition 8 replays a shameful chapter in our country's history regarding inequality in marriage. During the first half of the twentieth century, anti-miscegenation laws prohibited many immigrants and individuals of color, including Punjabi farmers in California's Imperial Valley, from marrying Caucasians. It wasn't until the landmark Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia in 1967 that all race-based legal restrictions on marriage were declared unconstitutional. With this history in mind, over 60 Asian-American organizations joined legal briefs supporting marriage equality in The Marriage Cases in California in 2007.
Marriage equality, along with other issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) individuals, is often silenced and ignored in the South Asian community. Advocates and community members in California worked tirelessly to raise awareness about equality among South Asians. For example, Trikone-SF developed posters, distributed in collaboration with Satrang, featuring South Asians opposing Proposition 8. South Asian Network (SAN) spoke at a press conference expressing concerns about the initiative. SAN and Satrang also coordinated a march in Artesia's "Little India." The struggle for equality continues with rallies against Proposition 8 continuing after Election Day and lawsuits filed against the initiative for violating the Constitution.
If you want to learn more about the range of issues affecting the South Asian LGBTIQ community, check out SAN and Satrang's groundbreaking needs assessment report, No More Denial, and the LGBTIQ section of A National Action Agenda: Policy Recommendations to Empower South Asian Communities.
