Prop. 8 protesters: "What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!"
It's inspiring to see people making their displeasure with the (likely) passage of Proposition 8 heard ... very loudly. I had an awards show commitment and could not be at tonight's rally in West Hollywood but friends called with some details and Ross von Metzke of The Advocate has posted some of what went on. Here is an excerpt:
No on 8 and Equality California called the rally to thank volunteers for their support and assure the community the fight would carry on.
But the crowd appeared angry and frustrated, with much of that anger directed at the Mormon church, which funded the bulk of the Yes on 8 campaign. Several attempts to get the crowd to block traffic on Santa Monica Blvd. failed as speakers including Lorri L. Jean and West Hollywood Mayor John Duran addressed the crowd.
When the speaking ended, the angry and motivated crowd marched out of central West Hollywood and up the hill to Sunset Blvd. A police escort led the crowd of some 2,000 people nearly a mile through the main drag of West Hollywood's Sunset Strip, the city's central hub for dining and nightlife.
With traffic backed up, people were honking, cheering and offering 'high-fives' of support to the crowd as it wove in between stopped cars. People poured onto restaurant balconies to take photos, some even leaving their meals to join the march.
Also, Scott Schmidt, who does the BoiFromTroy blog, is a leader in the Republicans against Prop. 8 effort and took the above photo wrote:
News accounts say there were 2-3000 marchers in all, who broke into four separate groups, going throughout Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City.
Maybe losing a right was what our community needed to get us out of the bars and into the streets, but I feel more energized than ever tonight...
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About Out
in Hollywood
Greg Hernandez authored Out In Hollywood for the Daily News from June 2006 to February 2009. He can now be found at Greg In Hollywood: www.greginhollywood.com
I believe that they should fight for what they believe in, I voted yes on 8 because of the issue of teaching children that women and women or men and men can marry, that is not the appropriate thing to put into the minds of young children. The adult are free to engage in this behavior, but not my children. Love the gays
I am both black and gay. I hope I can post the following comment here because it is in response to the prior post by "Do What Is Right."
My great-grandmother would say to me that it is always preferable to be called the n-word to your face rather than behind your back. At least when it is to your face, there is no doubt about who the person is. I believe that is true of you "Do What Is Right."
You want to call us the metaphorical f-word behind our back by denying our rights, but you do so by using your children, if you really have any, as political props. If we had a rule safeguarding your children, you would vote for us? Yeah, right. Whatever, like I said, children are now the Christianist right props. Like Sarah Palin tossing her baby around to gain support during the election.
I don't know if there is a God or a Heaven, but I suspect someone like you will never see either. My great-grandmother also used to say that God don't like ugly. Own your hatred. Don't blame "protecting children" for what you are. You are a bigot. Own it.