First of all, some finer points that Farhad Manjoo's article fails to point out: the Survey USA poll that is being repeatedly cited as evidence of a shift in voter sentiment is not the most reliable historically. It is the same polling organization that predicted a win for Green candidate Matt Gonzalez in the SF mayoral race not too long ago.

The Field Poll is far more respected as a gauge of public opinion. It has been polling the gay marriage question for 30 years. As recent as September 18th (granted, an eternity ago in politics), it showed Prop. 8 trailing 38-55.

Now SurveyUSA shows it leading 47-42, essentially within the margin of error. Even the director of SurveyUSA cautions: "I wouldn't want to jump on that as conclusive proof of anything." The shift is no doubt linked to some very effective (and misleading) ads by the Yes on 8 campaign; however, both sides are still below the 50 percent mark, with a sufficient number of undecideds to swing it either way. The latest internal polling by the No on 8 campaign (Equality California) shows a 44-44 split, in response to their own wave of advertising aimed at older voters and single women, both decisive blocs. California is a very divided electorate on the issue of gay marriage, and opponents of Prop. 8 never claimed defeating the measure would be easy.

I find it irresponsible and divisive to prematurely blame support for Prop. 8 on socially conservative minority communities, as Manjoo suggests. This is simply not true, and there is no statistic evidence for it, either in the ethnic/racial breakdown of the poll respondents or anywhere else. On the contrary, the most thorough survey of Asian-Americans ever done in the history of polling, released today, shows that 57% of Asians in California plan to vote NO. The reason? "the ability of gay-marriage proponents to frame it as a major civil rights issue. Many Asian-Americans have faced discrimination [themselves]..." Is it possible that other minorities might perceive it the same way?

This is an emotional issue for me. I am gay. I am married. I want to stay married. I want to live in California and feel proud of my state. I do not want to wake up on Nov. 5th with the legality of my marriage in doubt. It is literally keeping me awake at night and consuming my thought each and every day.

So naturally, it irks me to see a journalist writing the storyline on why Prop. 8 is likely to pass when the verdict is still out.