SF Mayor Becomes Unwitting Gay-Marriage Bugbear

In California’s gay marriage fight, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom finds himself cast as the villain, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Newsom, a ban opponent, had largely kept a low profile. But he gave Proposition 8 supporters fodder on Friday by officiating at the wedding of a lesbian teacher, attended by her class-skipping first-graders. “This is promoting same-sex marriage and indoctrinating young kids,” says the ban campaign manager.

Newsom says he didn’t know that first-graders would be skipping school, but political analysts agree that the mayor has become a liability. One, who opposes the ban, described the wedding as a “gimme for the right-wingers.” Another strategist suggests Newsom spend his time enlisting anti-Prop 8 spokespeople from conservative California enclaves, “people who can connect with voters in those places. The mayor of San Francisco, no matter who it is, isn't that person.”