California isn’t the only front where marriage rights are being vehemently fought for.  On November 4, in Arizona Prop 102 amended that state’s Constitution by adding the following article:

Marriage – Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.

The Yes on 102 side spent over $8 million to pass this measure, making it one of the most expensive ballot initiatives in Arizona’s history, money that could have spent  to improve the lives of residents, rather than hurt the lives of many citizens.

In response to 102’s passage the Tucson Observer has published a list of donors to Yes on 102 and is calling for a boycott of businesses that helped pushed through the discriminatory measure:

Consumers expect honesty and to be treated equally and fairly from the businesses they deal with so if they are not, why should one continued to associate with and most important, spend their monies in such a place that treats them as second class citizens or believes these customers don’t deserve the same rights as other customers who utilize the business’ goods and services…

Citing the boycott of Florida orange juice and the state itself in the 1970s, the boycott in Colorado caused by the passage of Amendment 2 which repealed Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws (subsequently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court), and successful boycotts Arizona boycotts of AM/PM stores and radio talk show host Dr. Laura–who has since become more gay-friendly,  Observer columnist Mark Kerr writes passionately:

Once again it is time for the LGBT community of Tucson and Arizona to speak with their purses and wallets about basic rights and equality, in the wake of Proposition 102…

Arizona is not exactly a bastion of civil rights love…Remember that in 1983 John McCain voted against the creation of the holiday to honor King, and in then 1987 McCain defended Arizona Republican Governor Mecham’s rescinding of the state holiday in honor of MLK? Ouch. It’s a darn good thing McCain and the very scary Palin weren’t elected.  Obama made part of his platform the repeal of the repressive Defense of Marriage Act, and we need to keep up the pressure on that, along with continuing to fight for individual states’ equal marriage rights issues.