11/17/08

What Do We Want? Equal Rights. When Do We Want It? NOW!

In Los Angeles on Saturday November 15th, protesters clustered shoulder to shoulder angrily, albeit peacefully, near City Hall before setting off on a downtown march, chanting and carrying rainbow flags and signs bearing messages such as "No More Mr. Nice Gay" and "No on H8."

I was lucky enough to attend.

It is estimated that 10,000 to 12,000 people attended the event, well below the 40,000 the department had expected.

Still, demonstrators called the event a success, noting that participants had been galvanized by a loosely organized grass-roots campaign that sprang up after the Nov. 4 election. Not to mention that there was a heat-wave sweeping through Los Angeles this past weekend and temperatures hung around a sweltering 90 degrees.


My friends and I marched loudly and proudly, holding signs like "Seper8 Church & St8" and "Next time we'll vote on YOUR rights". As always, I showed up fully armed... with my camera, to shoot all the action. I've included a slideshow of some of my favorite moments, including some of the best signs I could find, plus a short video clip taken from my phone.

We are in a new kind of civil rights moment right now - there has already been change but there is still so much more to come. Anything you can do to help stand up for the LGBTQI community is something show your support and show that we deserve the same rights as anyone else...remember every little bit counts. Just remember one thing - do it peacefully, do it respectfully and do it with honor.

I will leave you with a quote: “Those who make peaceful revolutions impossible will make violent revolutions inevitable” - John Fitzgerald Kennedy



Repeal Prop 8 Protest - Los Angeles


8 comments:

Queers United said...

its so nice seeing the streets full of vibrant energetic activists

Shannon said...

Here is my report from Atlanta:
http://sinnerviewer.blogspot.com/2008/11/prop-8-protest-atlanta.html

Anonymous said...

That video gave me chills, its crazy that all of this is happening the same time I am learning about the civil rights movement for african americas in college history. I only wish that city would have put together a rally like this!

Anonymous said...

Awesome post, and great pics. Here it started rainy and cold, but still had a pretty great turn-out, despite that.

I hope it makes a difference.

Anonymous said...

You ask for something you already have.

You have the same right as i to marry another of the opposite sex. I also do not have the right to marry another of the same sex.

The same freedoms and restrictions. The democratic process worked as designed. Ain't America grand?

ReneeG said...

didthat1x... your reasoning is ridiculous. Gay people don't want to marry someone of the opposite sex because they are...gay! They aren't looking for heterosexual rights, they are looking for gay rights!

Anonymous said...

exactly my point, so stop asking for EQUAL rights. You want unequal/new/different rights, and you attempted that and lost. Accept the result and try again if you so wish via the democratic process. Another bright example of our system ratified 221 years ago.

ReneeG said...

Fortunately, for you and I, it is NOT 221 years ago. Times are changin' my friend. Women can vote. African Americans don't have to go to separate schools. Bi-racial couples can marry. These are all things that our "system" and our "democratic process" have failed us in the past. These are all things that were wrong and unjust but have since been made right. The LGBTQ commnunity WILL have equal rights sooner or later, and there's absolutely nothing YOU can do to stop it. You can try, but equality will prevail, it always does. Don't believe me? I invite you to sit down with a history book and see it for yourself.