Looking back on Prop. 8

Shortly after the election, I volunteered at a public school "star party" -- just a few telescopes showing off Jupiter, the Moon, and star clusters to hundreds of school kids and parents. The students were full of questions, the parents were so enthusiastic they yoga-contorted themselves down to the kid-level eyepieces to see what the kids were yammering about. It was a rousing success -- the principal says they've never had such high turnout for an after-school event.

Despite being bone-tired and still in disbelief over passage of Prop 8, I stayed on my feet, slewed my telescope, and adjusted the eyepiece so kids of all sizes could reach. I explained how the stars in an open cluster are drifting away from their birthplace, out into the galaxy at large.

The parents in line with their children, waiting for a look through my telescope -- how many voted for Prop 8? How many realized that we, the volunteers sharing the stars with their kids, were gay? Did anyone notice my small No on 8 button, and second-guess their vote? How many parents stood up for equality & voted No, even if they weren't sure why?