Outrage and anguish over the passage of Proposition 8 has spurred massive street protests throughout California, and leaders of the gay and lesbian community believe the backlash could spark an unprecedented nationwide push for gay rights.I had planned on heading downtown for the protest, but will instead join the locals in front of City Hall at 11:30 am.
Today, same-sex marriage supporters have planned simultaneous protests throughout California and in all 50 states, as well as cities in Canada, England and Australia.
It's a never-before-seen response, surpassing in size and scope even the 1969 Stonewall riots, which started the modern gay rights movement after New York City police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar.
If it's true that this vote has activated a new civil rights movement across the nation, then maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe it leads to the repeal of DOMA and a Supreme Court decision that protects the Constitutional rights of every family, every couple.
We can hope.
1 comment:
I wonder if there's not going to be some economic impact on California as a result of this. Pending the outcome of any court challenges to Prop 8, Massachusetts and Connecticut are now the only two states which allow gay couples to legally marry. (Side note: I'm proud to say that our UU church was one of the first churches in MA to announce that they were happy to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples.)
You think these two states aren't going to get some tourism dollars from gay couples coming here to tie the knot that would have otherwise been spent in California? I know at least one gay couple in CA who traveled all the way to MA to get married, although this was a couple years ago. Those dollars are not going to be spent in CA at a time of great economic upheaval in the state.
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