Prop 8 Update: January 27

Defenders of Prop 8 today called their second and final “expert” witness.  Here are a few key passages caught by Brian Leubitz at the Prop 8 Trial Tracker:

• “I’m simply repeating things that they say.”
• “These are not my own conclusions.”
• “I’m a transmitter here of findings of these eminent scholars.”
• “Extending marriage rights to same-sex couples would probably reduce the proportion of homosexuals who marry persons of the opposite sex, and thus would likely reduce instances of marital unhappiness and divorce.”
• “Gay marriage would be a victory for the worthy ideas of tolerance and inclusion. It would likely decrease the number of those in society who tend to be viewed warily as ‘other’ and increase the number who are accepted as part of ‘us.’ In that respect, gay marriage would be a victory for, and another key expansion of, the American idea.”
• “Because marriage is a wealth-creating institution, extending marriage rights to same-sex couples would probably increase wealth accumulation and lead to higher living standards for these couples as well as help reduce welfare costs (by promoting family economic self-sufficiency) and decrease economic inequality.”

Remarkably unconvincing argument against marriage equality.