The protest was a success. About 500 people showed up, marched around Oakland, and at least 20 people gave speeches. Many of the stories were beautiful, and many were very painful.
A couple was married in Massachusetts and now has two adorable sons. Beautiful.
A young man misses his partner, who is in Iraq. While his partner is risking his life for a country that he loves, he has to hide who he really is. Tragic.
A young woman has lost all contact with her family, who believes that she is sick. Depressing.
A young girl has been ridiculed and verbally abused her whole life because she was born with Cerebral Palsy. She is straight and has experienced hate first hand. She doesn’t want anyone to be discriminated against. Moving.
An elderly couple, easily in their 50’s, holds hands, hugs, and each smile at the amazing support they are receiving and witnessing. They have clearly gone through a lot, dealt with prejudice, and grown together immensely. They are strong, beautiful.
A mother supports her gay son. She wants what every mother wants: for her son to have every opportunity to be happy, healthy, and cared for. Loving.
I spent the afternoon walking around with Alex, listening to everyone share their stories. I wanted to say something, but couldn’t figure out what to say. Hearing so many people talk, tell what they have gone through, or why they support the movement, made me realize that we are not a country of bigots. We certainly have a long way to go, but we will get there. Eventually.
You don’t have to support homosexuals. You don’t even have to like them. You have to realize that this is about more than “yay, gay!” It’s about rights. Human rights. It’s about the fact that you can’t take away a person’s rights. It’s about equality. Equality.
Don’t stop fighting.
I don’t want my son to grow up in a country where not everyone is given the same rights. Alex should be able to get married whether he is gay or straight. He shouldn’t make more money than an equally qualified woman. He shouldn’t get a job because he is white and the other applicant is not. I want Alex to see that we are a wonderful country that isn’t so hateful.
Hey!
Two close friends and I recently started a grassroots site (http://OurVoicesForMarriage.com) as a response to Proposition 8 passing. It is a VERY basic, no-frills site that allows individuals to voice their sadness, their frustration, and, most importantly, their personal stories on how the passing of Proposition 8 effected them. Our hope is that President-Elect Obama will soon announce a GLBT liaison whom we can refer to this site, and, who in turn, will refer President Obama to it with the hope he will speak out and say, loud and clear, that discrimination written into any constitution is a violation of everyone’s civil rights.
PLEASE take a moment, go to the site, and post YOUR story. The more voices we have the louder our message will be. . .
http://ourvoicesformarriage.com
Thanks!
Yes, this.
As I drove past y’all marching on Saturday (on my way to a bday party) I got goosebumps.
I agree 100%.
Exceot for the part about the “elderly couple” in their 50s. Because that would make my husband elderly next year and me not too far behind, lol.
But other than that? Word!
Great post. It seems like such a simple concept doesn’t it? I don’t understand why people don’t get it.
ciao,
rpm
We need to engage in civil disobedience when “Civil Law” threatens our FAMILY & CHILDREN.
The National Equality Tax Protest -
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
I wish we had been there to join in, but knowing that there are others doing the right thing and supporting equality is what is truly important.
[...] odd situations I encounter. It would probably make sense for me to find another outlet for my more politically minded posts, but they are pretty sporadic and often are in some way connected to Alex. Everything [...]