First off: Prop 8 protests and activism. As much as I have posted and commented and linked here, I've made the decision to start doing less of it. There is, inspiringly, so MUCH out there now on the backlash and the protests and honest-to-God grassroots activism that I could not come close to giving it adequate coverage. And doing so in not in the IJS mission statement. Okay, IJS doesn't have a mission statement but that's not the point.
Other blogs are doing an excellent job of covering the renewed civil rights movement and I will be directing you here and there for full coverage, and even link to some more official web sites. In the mean time, I'll just be posting personal stories or links to particularly moving, informative or insightful articles. Like this one on the marches in LA, or this one about the bazillionare Jebus zealot whose stated goal is to remake the Constitution and US law into Biblical law.
Rants, of course, are likely to continue as time permits.
We now return to the blog already in progress.
Last Friday was one of the first of now to be many protests against Prop 8 and in favor of its repeal. Shilpa and I were eager to be a part of this one-- a massive protest march from Civic Center, down Market Street through the Castro, to Dolores Park. Typically, I find protesting/marching in San Francisco and particularly the Castro to be a waste of resources on the whole "preaching to the choir" notion. However, this was a remarkable, demonstrative act, and judging by the six helicopters and three satellite vans, it got the media attention the movement so desperately needs. (Even though the local paper is routinely downplaying and under-reporting the protests.)
I was very moved to be part of this march. This is what it looked like from inside.
And I wanted to get as many good photos of the march as I could.
However, in trying to get a backwards shot downhill towards the Ferry Building, I tripped and went down hard.
And landed on my camera.
As such, there are only limited shots of the march, and none of the rest of the weekend (save those taken with my iPhone).
During the march I alternated between tearfully moved and scathingly outraged. And also bolstered by the turnout--both in its numbers and its diversity. Shilpa was predominately upset by the injustice, but also really impressed by some of the clever signs.
Shilpa loaned me her camera to take more. I am considerably taller and able to get better photos of the crowd and signs. When she uploads those shots to flickr, I'll link to them. Also, she was taking a crowd pic when I fell and apparently has a Wilson Hits the Pavement Action Shot.
There was this woman I stopped to photograph. Looking at the photo now I see she had a double-sided sign (I was walking behind her when I stopped her.).
The other side of the Shame on You (for voting Yes on 8) was a similarly stylized portrait of Rosa Parks. Right on!
The march was impressive. We started towards the front, but stopped off several time. When we got to Castro and 18th, we pulled out completely. It took over hour for the rest of the march to pass. Wow.
There is a LOT of anti-H8 work going on out there and I can't cover it completely. But I am enjoying reading the blogs that are trying to.
I do not want to diminish the profound nature of Friday's march, but I do have a few observations which are rather flighty compared to the seriousness of our plight.
This was a pretty gay march.
(1) I saw so many people I knew in this march, from all circles of my life: coworkers, churchgoers, old friends, old lovers. Was the march in Selma social like this? With people seeing familiar faces and saying "hey!" and chatting or catching up?
(2) This was so much a gay protest march. And by that I mean for a crowd in the streets, it was exceptionally good looking.
(3) This was also a visibly gay protest march because so many of the homemade signs were funny, creative, bitchy or downright clever. You don't see this level of bitter biting wit in a "God Hates Fags" sign-carrying crowd. I do love the photo of a gay supporter standing next to a "God Hates Fags" group holding up his poster reading "God Hates Signs."
Other signs seen in the march include "Brigham Young had many wives! I just want one!", "Keep your religion out of my Constitution!", "Chickens 1; Gay Marriage:0", "You want 2 wives. I want 1 husband!" "Gay is the New Black!" and a bunch more I can't recall at the moment. I did love the giant pro-gay poster featuring Bert and Ernie.
My flickr set, pre-crash.
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