While Prop. 8's sponsors strive for a benign image of their supporters as parents and family members motivated by their faith and concern for their children, their opponents are trying to paint a more sinister picture of fearmongers appealing to prejudice.
Their prime example has been William Tam, a San Francisco chemical engineer who was one of five official proponents of the ballot measure.
Tam, who heads the Traditional Family Coalition, sent a letter to churchgoing supporters in the Asian American community during the campaign warning that "other states would fall into Satan's hands" if Prop. 8 lost.
San Francisco's government, "under the rule of homosexuals," would legalize sex with children and prostitution, and "more children would become homosexual," Tam wrote.
At a deposition that was videotaped and played in court, Tam said he was concerned that every child would "grow up thinking whether he would marry John or Jane" if same-sex marriage were legalized. His own daughter, he said, told him "her classmates chose to become lesbians and experiment with it" after hearing about same-sex marriage.
It was just the sort of disclosure the plaintiffs were looking for as evidence that the Prop. 8 campaign was designed to appeal to anti-gay stereotypes. They plan to call Tam as a witness this week.
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