Contact: Tracey Conaty, Press Secretary
Knight Intiative Takes Nose Dive;
Field Poll Shows Support For Anti-Gay Measure Dropping
San Francisco, CA --- October 27, 1999 --- Support for the anti-gay Knight Initiative took a significant plunge according to a new poll by the Field Institute. The numbers do not bode well for the Knight Initiative. Support dropped to just 50 percent, and the history of ballot measures in California shows that any initiative with only 50 percent support more than four months out from election day will have a very difficult chance of passing.
A number of recent developments have helped shed light on the discriminatory nature of the initiative. The vast majority of Californians support basic civil rights for gays and lesbians. The anti-gay Knight Initiative would discriminate against committed same-sex couples, denying them such basic rights as hospital visitation, access to health insurance and inheritance. In September both Vice President Al Gore and presidential candidate Bill Bradley came out against the Knight Initiative, and two weeks ago David Knight, the gay son of initiative sponsor State Senator Pete Knight, also spoke out against the initiative. In an opinion-editorial in the Los Angeles Times, David revealed that his father rejected him after he told him that he was gay and that he has a life partner. In addition, both Senators Feinstein and Boxer, as well as Republican Congressman Tom Campbell, have come out against the measure.
According to the Field Poll, support for the anti-gay measure slipped by seven percentage points since their last poll in September from 57 to 50. Those against the initiative increased by two percentage points from 39 to 41. In addition, undecideds jumped from four percent to nine percent.
The following is a statement from No on Knight campaign manager Mike Marshall on the latest Field Poll:
"When the light shines on the Knight Initiative, its darkness is revealed. Increased attention to the Knight Initiative brings increased opposition. Both Vice President Gore and presidential candidate Bill Bradley have spoken out against it, and Dave Knight shared with Californians what Pete Knight’s politics have done to his own family. It’s a discriminatory measure that is not – as its backers claim - simple or straightforward. The Knight Initiative is not about defending marriage - it’s about attacking families and forcing a broader, right-wing agenda on Californians. Voters will resent the Knight campaign for attempting to mislead, misinform, and manipulate them. And they will oppose the Knight Initiative because it is unfair, divisive, and intrusive."
The Knight Initiative, sponsored by right-wing State Senator Pete Knight, is on the March 7 ballot. It states: Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. The Knight Initiative threatens hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights and other equal rights and protections that any two people in a committed relationship deserve. It increases the rhetoric of hate and intolerance towards gay and lesbian Californians and their families. And it would inject the government into the most personal decisions -- who we spend our lives with. The Knight Initiative is opposed by Vice President Al Gore, presidential candidate Bill Bradley, and Republican Congressman Tom Campbell, among others.