A political scientist hired by defenders of Proposition 8 testified at a federal trial Monday that gays have accumulated substantial political power in recent years, though he admitted that stereotyping and discrimination persist.

Claremont McKenna College professor Kenneth P. Miller, the first witness for defenders of Proposition 8, was called to the stand to rebut a plaintiff’s expert who testified that gays were politically powerless. The question of power is part of the legal analysis over whether gays need stronger constitutional protection.

Under cross-examination by David Boies, Miller acknowledged that the Democratic Party, unions and corporations that he testified were allies of gays also support the rights of other minorities.

Read the rest of Maura Dolan’s LA Times article here.