Last night, I was one of 10,000 or so protesters who hit the streets of Los Angeles in opposition to PROP 8. It was the first time I have been to a gathering that size that didn't have Madonna as the main attraction. (That's where I was on Thursday!) What with the election on Tuesday, Madge on Thursday, and having my rights stripped away, it's been an eventful week.
First things first: PROP 8 was largely supported by the Mormon Church, which I was raised in and to which my family still belongs. There was a surreal quality to the protest last night because of that. My LGBT brothers and sisters came together to fight for equal rights and fight against the oppression of the Mormon Church. Many signs reflected the crowds outrage, as well as sometimes chanting: "Tax the Church!" Which would be appropriate since, in this country, we are supposed to have a SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! Go to Mormons Stole Our Rights! to sign a petition. I am incredibly angry and ashamed that Mormons are in large part to blame for this proposition getting passed. Historically, denial of marriage rights has been a way of oppressing hated groups, whether you are talking about Ireland or interracial relationships. Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships are most certainly NOT the same as marriage, in law or ideology. What a monumental waste of millions of dollars! And the real irony is that NOW the very children that the supporters of Prop 8 were trying to protect from being exposed to Gay Marriage have had a $76 million dollar education on the subject. One of my fellow marchers, last night, held a sign that said: "If your daughter wants to marry a princess, she is already GAY!" I couldn't agree more.
I was so very proud of our country for electing Barack Obama on Tuesday. Naively, I assumed that Prop 8 would be defeated handily in the current political climate. I thought that the time had come. Was I wrong? How could so many Californians vote to put DISCRIMINATION into our State Constitution?? After seeing the protests this week and how strongly and quickly the community has come together to fight for our rights, I believe that the time IS NOW! Gay Marriage WILL BECOME A REALITY IN AMERICA! We will no longer accept Second Class Citizenship! We want what YOU have! We want what the fucking CHICKENS got!
