Proposition 8 and Homophobic Bullying in California

BACKGROUND Bias-based bullying is associated with negative outcomes for youth, but its contextual predictors are largely unknown. Voter referenda that target lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender groups may be 1 contextual factor contributing to homophobic bullying. METHODS Data come from 14 consecutive waves (2001–2014) of cross-sectional surveys of students participating in the California Healthy Kids Survey (N = 4 977 557). Student responses were aggregated to the school level (n = 5121). Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared rates of homophobic bullying before and after Proposition 8, a voter referendum that restricted marriage to heterosexuals in November 2008. RESULTS Interrupted time series analyses confirmed that the academic year 2008–2009, during which Proposition 8 was passed, served as a turning point in homophobic bullying. The rate of homophobic bullying increased (blinear = 1.15; P , .001) and accelerated (bquadratic = 0.08; P , .001) in the period before Proposition 8. After Proposition 8, homophobic bullying gradually decreased (blinear = 20.28; P , .05). Specificity analyses showed that these trends were not observed among students who reported that they were bullied because of their race and/or ethnicity, religion, or gender but not because of their sexual orientation. Furthermore, the presence of a protective factor specific to school contexts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth (gay-straight alliances) was associated with a smaller increase in homophobic bullying pre–Proposition 8. CONCLUSIONS This research provides some of the first empirical evidence that public campaigns that promote stigma may confer risk for bias-based bullying among youth.

THE VICTIMS BILL OF RIGHTS: ANÁLISE DOS EFEITOS DA PROPOSIÇÃO Nº. 8, DO ESTADO DA CALIFÓRNIA - APORTES A ANÁLISE COMPARADA DE MEDIDAS NEGOCIAIS PENAIS NO BRASIL

No ano de 1982, uma proposta de alteração da Constituição do Estado da Califórnia construída a partir de iniciativa popular conseguiu alterar a Constituição Estadual, inserindo aquilo que ficou conhecido como “Proposition 8 as the Victims' Bill of Rights” – um dos primeiros movimentos civis de oposição ao “plea bargaining” nos Estados Unidos. A partir da consulta de documentos primários e bibliográficos, desenvolvesse uma análise qualitativa dos principais efeitos do "The Victims Bill of rigths", elaborando, por fim, um aporte comparativo com o Brasil de medidas negociais penais advindas do plea bargaining.

A Love Song for All of Us?: Macklemore's “Same Love” and the Myth of Black Homophobia

According to theNew York Times, white rapper Macklemore and his DJ partner Ryan Lewis's “Same Love” was “the first song to explicitly embrace and promote gay marriage that has made it into the Top 40.”1In 2013, as the Supreme Court of the United States prepared to rule on challenges to the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, the track quickly climbed the charts and became a nationally recognized anthem for marriage equality. Despite this generally positive reception, however, the song does not reflect all queer-identified listeners. Macklemore raps, “If I were gay, I would think hip hop hates me,” an assertion that positions black communities as a significant threat to (white) LGBTQ rights. Much like the backlash against black voters following the 2008 passing of Proposition 8, this claim relies on an invented black pathology that locates homophobia in black American culture specifically rather than American culture at large. This article offers a close reading and contextualization of “Same Love” and demonstrates that, rather than combating homophobia in hip hop, Macklemore's lyrical claims actually bolster his strategic performance as a socially and politically aware white rapper, while erasing queer and trans hip hop artists of color from the discourse.

Reading Novels into Life

This chapter examines how readers read Jarrettsville into their lives. To read a novel into one's life is to treat the novel as the raw materials through which one turns over, reconsiders, or shares with others one's own experiences. While some book groups found Jarrettsville to be neither a “good book” nor a “good book group book,” other groups viewed Cornelia Nixon's work as good in both ways, or not a great read but still a good book to make discussion with. The chapter considers how Jarrettsville became a means for discussing two topics: inquisitive and oftentimes frank talk of personal romantic relationships, and distressing observations of—and encounters with—structural racism. It also explores how readers connected the plot points and events depicted in Jarrettsville to a wide range of current events and topics, including post-Apartheid South Africa, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the passage of Proposition 8 in California.