National Day of Protest
by: Patrick
Mon Nov 10, 2008 at 10:56:11 AM EST

http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8123

( - promoted by Julien Sharp)

Spread the word!  This is our FIRST opportunity to get President Obama's attention.  As has been said far too many times during the campaign, we need to get him elected first, then hold his feet to the fire.

The fire has been started.  Stoke the flames of your indignation.  Demand equality.  Demand Obama's attention to the erosion of our equal protections.  Follow through on your end of the bargain and protest the attacks on our citizenship that have taken place in 30 states.   

I don't believe that it is necessary to hold Obama's feet to the fire. We elected him, now let's support him. I didn't vote for him because he was the lesser of two evils, far from it. This lesbian blogger sounds just like what the darn Christians accuse her of being, shrill. She sounds like a whack job to me. So are the right wing nuts, but that's beside the point. She just gives them more to point at and say, "See, Lesbians are freaking nuts!"
And further more, they keep saying "This only affects Californians". They aren't paying attention. The same thing happened in Florida, I guess we're just small potoatoes here. There is a protest here today, but I am not going to it, because I am trans and I am a nurse. I dont want to go to jail and lose my job(s) and license.
I really don't think this woman is worth me listening to, she doesn't sound very intelligent.

Nickie, the article was written by Patrick (no last name given), so I assume he isn't a lesbian. 

Some of the Prop 8 protests shortly after its passage were rather ugly - with racist signs and shouts, pushing and other physical intimidation.  I can understand your reluctance to attend your local Fight the H8 rally.  I, too, would worry that some of the anger would get out of hand.  I guess we will hear about it if it does.

Yes, some have criticized Obama for not strongly endorsing the LGBT community.  But he has made some favorable comments, for example, the website of his presidential transition mentions gender identity as one of the things his administration will not discriminate.  I think he is being a shrewd politician by not wanting to anger his anti-LGBT supporters by being too openly supportive of our community.  Again, I guess we will see what he does.  As for "holding his feet to the fire", I think that phrase is just angry rhetoric. 

This is just my opinion, but maybe the nationwide Fight the H8 rallies are mainly about venting anger.  Yes, Florida and a great many other states, also passed an anti-gay law on Nov. 4th.  Some people in our community have felt slighted by all the focus on Prop 8.  I guess the emphasis on Prop 8 is to bring everyone together on the same note.... but I don't know.

Thank you. Obama's press release told that not only will he not discriminate against people of differing gender identity, he plans to fight for equal rights for gender identity and sexual orientation, so that they no longer be legally discriminated against in this country.
I am not looking through rose colored glasses (I can't remember where I laid them) but I firmly believe that we have finally elected a president who sees the value in all people. I am sure that he is very disappointed that hate won and Florida and California used the law to push their ugly fear based beliefs onto other people. I wonder how the Mormon sect would feel if they could no longer marry more than one woman?

Quote from: nickie on November 15, 2008, 06:26:30 PM
I wonder how the Mormon sect would feel if they could no longer marry more than one woman?

While I think the Mormon Church deserves the negative attention it is getting, to be fair we need to remember that the mainstream Mormon Church hasn't approved of polygamy since 1890.  Polygamy has been grounds for excommunication since 1921.

The polygamists who have been in the news recently are members of fundamentalist splinter churches.
http://extras.sltrib.com/specials/polygamy/Timeline.asp

Quote from: Kaweah on November 15, 2008, 10:08:57 PM

Quote from: nickie on November 15, 2008, 06:26:30 PM
I wonder how the Mormon sect would feel if they could no longer marry more than one woman?

While I think the Mormon Church deserves the negative attention it is getting, to be fair we need to remember that the mainstream Mormon Church hasn't approved of polygamy since 1890.  Polygamy has been grounds for excommunication since 1921.

They have not approved of it. But they still believe in it. It is still a fundamental aspect of their doctrine.

BUT, this is not about the Mormon church.  This is about equal rights.  I agree that we should not demand attention from the new presidency of our country. Quite frankly, Obama has a full dump load of doo doo to clean up and will not be able to focus attention on anything but the highest priority items.

We have protested here in California, all over the state today for equal rights in marriage. In the out of the way very conservative town where I live, some 70 people gathered together to protest the recent proprosition that rescinded rights for a minority group.  Of the 70 in attendance, there were three gay couples.  Everyone else was not. We had many married people, teens, and singles.  We were jeered at, people stuck up their middle fingers and yelled obscenities as they drove by.  But you know what?  In this town, where the measure passed in favor of the religious majority, we had resounding support from most people driving by.  I believe that we are at a turning point.

This is not about a national agenda, it is about a majority ammending our state constitution through a ballot measure rescinding existing rights of a minority group.  This is much more than a gay issue. This has never been done before in this country. Additionally, we are fighting the very concept of changing our state constitution without convention and through a proposition. There are three lawsuits pending in our courts to challenge the popular decree to diminish existing rights of a minority group. 

I remember (even though I was very young at the time) during the civil rights marches of the 60's someone said that blacks would never have equal rights until whites would stand with them in protest. In my community, straight people stood up for gays today.

The major religions have drawn a battle line here in California over gay rights.  We will fight here and we will win.  We do not need the help of the federal government, nor do we want it. We do realize that we Californians do set the stage for the rest of the country.  If we can help gays attain the same rights we all share here, then it is only a matter of time until the rest of the country must follow.

No matter how you stand on these issues, know this: WE will never have equal rights before gays have them. They are in line first.  We can not hope to receive the attention on issues we feel important until gay rights are firmly established.

Cindi

Perhaps someone can explain things to me.

Dani and I went to the rally in our city today...and I don't understand the point of it. I understand the outrage that rights were violated. I understand that we need to change things so that everyone has equal rights. And I agree strongly that we need to make these changes happen.

What I don't get is standing out on the courthouse square with posters. I felt like I was at a high school pep rally but forgot my pom poms. I felt like I was the only adult with a bunch of squealing 5 year olds who were cheering every other sentence out of the speaker's mouth. Everyone (including Dani) was all gushing about how "wonderful" it all was and how it was so great that all these people were there and "Oh! I was part of it!". I'm glad they all had near-religious experiences, but all I got from the rally was wet clothes (it rained) and a headache.

What did I miss? What am I not getting? I certainly didn't feel a "part" of those gathered. Personally, I felt rather excluded. I don't know why, but that's how I felt.

I've already tried asking Dani to explain how these rallies helped, but I still am not getting it. About the most I've gotten out of it is "it raises awareness" and "it shows others that they're not alone." Well, OK so far. I think maybe my issue is something the first speaker said today. We need to change the government...but so far no one's said *HOW* we're going to go about this. Raising awareness is all good, but where's the direction?

I'm just trying to understand...

WR
--still wondering just what she "accomplished" today...

WR,

I think that I've mentioned this quote that I remember from the black civil rights movement in the sixties.  I don't know who said it but I pass it on generously:

"Blacks will never have equal rights until whites are willing to protest with them."

Or something like that.  What's happening?

We are getting the "whites" of this movement to stand with gay people.  That's everyone who is not gay.  And how do we do that?  We keep protesting, we keep it in their faces, it's on the main burner.  Look at how little the vote was lost here in California... jut 6 percent I believe. During the last election, they didn't have half of that.  The movement is growing.  Non gays are realizing that equal rights are equal in every respect. It can be no other way. It is or it isn't. The protests help firm up their beliefs and support.

So, that's what you got wet for.  Good for you.

Cindi

Being able to organize a large scale protest like that, and get media attention for it, means people are engaged.  Just like it did for the big Obama rallies.  Engaged people will act when they need to.  Engaged people, and a diverse group of them, will really get things done.  And as Cindi pointed out there were an awful lot of "Str8 Against H8" out there.

If people had been this engaged in the first place, we might have had the diverse coalition needed to prevent 8 from ever passing.

That's why these protests mattered I think.