Post-Prop 8 analysis indicates black support less than originally thought

As the movement for LGBT rights continues to examine how Proposition 8 passed in California, researchers Patrick Egan from New York University and Kenneth Sherrill at Hunter College co-authored a report that indicates fewer black voters supported the amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples than initially reported.

The report suggests 58 percent of African American voters (as opposed to roughly 70 percent) backed Prop 8. Egan and Sherrill's research further indicates party affiliation, religiosity and age were among the factors that influenced the Prop 8 vote most.

There was no discussion about No on 8's apparent failures as outlined in a separate report Marriage Equality USA released yesterday. MEUSA cited the campaign's failure to utilize LGBT-affirming clergy and the exclusion of same-sex couples and their families from advertisements as among the factors that contributed to Prop 8's passage. This debate will obviously continue to take place, but the fact some LGBT and allied people continue to scapegoat black voters in the post-Prop 8 analysis and debate remains an unfortunate reality.