No to Hate. No to Prop 8. Yes to Love.
This is what I’ve been passionately involved in lately: fighting the haters behind Proposition 8, which would end marriage equality for gays and lesbians. Victor Hugo said, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” We fought for women’s rights, rights for African-Americans, rights for disabled people. Those fights continue. We must now rise up and fight for the right for gays and lesbians to marry their partners. Gays and lesbians have the same responsibilities for their families—they must have the same rights. Gay rights are human rights.
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
—Martin Niemoller, imprisoned by the Nazis, used this quote in post-World War II speeches to urge solidarity against all forms of repression.
If you live in California, PLEASE VOTE NO on PROP 8—gay rights are human rights.
These pics are from Weds, Oct. 22, from High St. and MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland. Things got a lot crazier. There ended up being about 200 people at this intersection. There were a dozen cop cars and the cops closed down High St., diverting people to Coolidge Ave. during rush hour! Most of the Yes on 8 people appear to be coming from the Samoan Morman church on High St., which is a very large church. It was especially sad to see so many beautiful Pacific Islanders, especially the children and teenagers, acting in a very un-Christian manner. At these protests, my friends and I were called faggots, spat upon, hit with signs, and told to "Die from AIDS!" I live in a bit of a bubble—having a group of friends and acquaintances who are liberal, open-minded, queer-friendly. To find out that there are so many haters who live near me has been a painful and eye-opening experience.
We did not respond with harsh words or actions. My hand-painted signs say, "Choose Love, not Hate—Vote No on Prop 8" and "Jesus didn’t teach hate. Please vote No on Prop 8." We are telling each other and ourselves to not respond in kind when people show us hatred—we are staying calm and as positive as we can be.
Last night I went to a Native American drum ceremony with 6 other women—it was organized and led by my friends Ruth and Diane, who own Paws and Claws Natural Dog Food and Bath Store. We met to drum and pray for peace and strength as we fight for human rights.
God bless us all. May peace prevail on earth.
I celebrated Obama’s victory with my pals Diane and Ruth at Velvet, the local lesbian bar. No, I am not outing myself here. I still like boys. But I worked with my good friends Diane and Ruth to (try to) defeat Proposition 8, and we hung out a few times at Velvet. I’ve been friends with Diane and Ruth for about 5 years. They are wonderful local activists and business owners (Paws and Claws, a natural pet food store,) and were married a couple months ago. It is for them and for my mom, who’s a lesbian, and for all my other queer friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens, on whose behalf I fought Proposition 8. Gay rights are human rights just as much as women’s rights, black rights, disabled people’s rights.
Love to all—despite the fact that Proposition 8 passed. This is a struggle—we will overcome.
