Initiative Foes Turn to Author’s Son

SACRAMENTO — Hoping some human drama might dim enthusiasm for a March ballot measure aiming to ban same-sex marriage, foes of Proposition 22 turned for help Wednesday to the author’s son, who has been all but estranged from his father since announcing that he is gay.

In a conference call with reporters, David Knight said his father “has a lot of difficulty with change” and criticized him for sponsoring an initiative that “singles out” lesbians and gays for unequal treatment.

Knight denied, however, that paternal angst over sexual orientation prompted his father to launch Proposition 22--a position at odds with one put forth by initiative opponents.

Knight said he believes that his father acted because he has “a view of what he thinks marriage and family” should be, one that does not include gays and lesbians at the altar.

“He’s doing what he really, honestly believes,” he said.

Knight, 38, shared his views in a 30-minute call from Baltimore, where he builds furniture and lives with his longtime partner. The son of GOP state Sen. William “Pete” Knight of Palmdale, he has been a reluctant campaign participant.

But with Proposition 22 holding a steady lead in the polls, foes of the measure appealed for help. Mike Marshall, manager of the anti-Proposition 22 forces, appealed to David Knight because he believes that the son’s experience helps voters evaluate “the motivation of the people behind this measure.”

Sen. Knight responded angrily to the news conference, saying in a prepared statement that foes of the measure “should be ashamed for exploiting a private family matter for political gain.”

“The critics . . . just won’t give up trying to make my son an issue in this campaign,” Knight said. “I think their tactics are reprehensible.”

Knight added that Proposition 22 “is about public policy and has nothing to do with [David] and me.” He said that if their relationship is “strained,” as his son described it, “it’s only because he has acquiesced to the opposition’s tactic of forcing a private matter into the public arena.”

Proposition 22 would bar recognition of same-sex marriages in California if they are legalized in another state.

The measure is an outgrowth of the senator’s unsuccessful attempts to pass a similar law in the Legislature. If voters approve Proposition 22 on March 7, California would be the 31st state to adopt such a law.

Polls have consistently shown the measure to be favored by a majority of likely voters, with about 52% supporting it and 39% opposed in one recent survey. Those numbers were gathered before the No on Knight ads began airing on television last week, and opponents note that history is replete with examples of initiatives that led until late in the campaign but ultimately lost.

Still, some analysts call Proposition 22 a “gut issue” about which voters form quick, solid opinions that are not easily swayed.

“There is no misunderstanding about this--people get it,” said Wayne Johnson, a Republican political consultant. “It goes right to the seat of their values, and it’s not as open to the kind of manipulation that we consultants do.”

Foes of the measure, however, believe that the Knight family story can influence voters. Since David Knight told his family he is gay four years ago, father and son--both of whom were Air Force fighter pilots--have scarcely spoken.

Opponents of Proposition 22 say that the family strain proves that the elder Knight is a homophobe who is using the initiative process as a sort of retaliatory or cathartic tool. One of their television ads makes the point bluntly, declaring that the elder Knight “may not like it that his son is gay” but “shouldn’t make us vote on his private problem.”

Some analysts say that the ad, and David Knight’s public statements, potentially are powerful because they suggest there is a personal agenda beneath the rhetoric over Proposition 22.

“It raises awareness and makes people wonder if all this stems from a family problem,” said Gale Kaufman, a Democratic strategist. “And no matter what you think about Pete Knight and how he has treated his gay son, you have to wonder if it’s worth a $10-million campaign.”

David Knight has said that he was reluctant to become a poster boy for the issue, but he ultimately agreed to Wednesday’s news conference because he believes that the fate of Proposition 22 is a “pivotal” event for the gay and lesbian movement.

He added that while he “disagrees totally” with the senator on gay marriage, he loves his father and telephoned him Tuesday to warn him of the news conference.