Chickens and gay marriage

The chickens are getting a bad rap in the battle for gay marriage.

Several bloggers have criticized (here, here and here) California voters for what they deem to be an absurd contrast in compassion - voting to give farm chickens a better life (Proposition 2) while voting to eliminate the right of gay men and women to marry (Proposition 8).

I can understand the frustration Prop 8 opponents must feel, but this false equivalence minimizes the importance both measures and avoids the hard analysis of why Prop 8 prevailed and what to do next. There are much more complicated issue at work in the California electorate than compassion for farm animals.