Hey, hey! What do you say?*
27 Comments Published November 16th, 2008 in On marriage and commitment.
Special open thread-ish Sunday edition of LD. Why? All kinds of stuff is happening!
I know some of you attended Join the Impact / marriage equality / LGBT civil rights rallies yesterday. (Running attendance totals here.) Accounts and photographs are proliferating hither and yon on the internets. But I’d love to hear from you all in particular (and I’d bet some of you all would like to hear from each other).
So: who went where? What was it like? Favorite signs? Feelings, before/ during/ after? And/or on a broader scale, whether or not you were able to or interested in attending: where do you place public assemblies like this, relative to other means of social communication and change work? How are you feeling about this whole marriage equality/LGBT family recognition/rights stuff, nation-wide? After AK, AZ, CA, and FL and their aftermaths?
If you’ve written about this in a blog post, hey, give us the link! Otherwise, hold forth here!
The handful of surveys I’ve run through this blog have all netted FASCINATING and DETAILED insights in a way that comments haven’t (non-registered people talk up, & those who don’t feel as inclined to write so directly in the glare of public attention). With a little more time (and a sense of whether this would scratch a useful itch) I can try to hook up a simple survey. I know I’d be interested.
Meanwhile: Hey, hey! What do you say?
_____________________________________________
* Had to bust in, just past lunch on Monday, to say:
“Brown urges state high court to hear anti-Prop. 8 suits,” writes Bob Egelko in the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Nov 2008.
“The profound importance of the issues raised by Proposition 8 warrants that this matter be reviewed and promptly resolved by the California Supreme Court,” Brown said in a statement accompanying a brief filed with the court.
Batter up!
Lesbian Dad is written by a parent who answers to the name "Baba" and works toward a world in which amor does indeed vincit omnia. 
I didn’t blog about the Oakland rally yesterday, but I do have a Flickr set up here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/inadvertentgardener/sets/72157609157150203/
And my new Oakland friend Rebecca and her girlfriend were there, also taking photos, and Rebecca blogged about it here:
http://oaklandliving.wordpress.com/2008/11/15/join-the-impact-oakland/
One of my good friends back in DC went to the rally on the Mall, and his Flickr set is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phearlez/sets/72157609140040452/
Unlike Oakland and SF, they had miserable weather, but his fiancee, who attended with them, tweeted about the fact that she was soaking wet but very glad she went. Cheers to that.
It was a really great and inspiring day. I planned to just attend part of it, and ended up sticking around for the whole thing, raising my fist and my voice in solidarity. There’s hope on the move…all over this land.
I had a really great and positive experience in Minneapolis. I think in the states without actual legislation against marriage rights the mood was more positive. I saw the rally as solidarity and also precedent for MN. I saw much more angry signs in the photos from SF and LA. And rightly so. Here is my flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/missemish/
I loved seeing all the posters people made. There were some really powerful ones. I also liked seeing families there.
I wanted to be positive and hopeful at this rally so my posters reflected that. I painted this one:
Alas, there were no protests for me on this gray and rainy (and sometimes snowy!) weekend, but I’m so proud to hear about all that’s going on.
You know what I think I need right now? A cute picture of those adorable kiddles
Ho, that’s all I need! A request. Will rummage and post after dinner.
Many thanks.
I cut off my poster link here it is http://www.flickr.com/photos/missemish/3033254495/
Boston: It rained, it poured, we went, we protested. ‘Twas inspiring, particularly so with the whole family. Pictures and a short account are on my blog.
Our rally was small, rainy, and rather understated: although it was billed as a “family friendly” event, the crowd was almost entirely adults, and the speakers (from our state marriage equality organization) had a puny microphone/bullhorn arrangement that was quite hard to hear. No chanting, very few signs–but lots of colorful umbrellas. It was kind of underwhelming, actually. Although it was nice to hear an update on the planned activity for the next legislative session, where there will be another push to expand rights here. So we’ll see. I think the rain definitely depressed turnout.
What was really moving, though, was the moment of silence at 2:00–the bells on the city hall pealed then, too. Thinking about all the other demonstrations taking place just at that moment, hearing the bell ring: somehow that moment felt really inspiring. That made up for the soggy, hard to hear speeches.
You can see a photo in my post from yesterday.
Not a good blog to go with it– to wiped out still. Milwaukee was COLD. But pictures are up here:
http://claresays.wordpress.com/2008/11/16/milwaukee-stands-for-lgbt-rights/
And, the only thought I would add is this: while I think that the protest was wonderfully organized, it wasn’t particularly visible. We were downtown, 1/2 the time surrounded by scaffolding, and people just don’t go downtown much on the weekend. I wish it could have been at a more busy corner– but I have no suggestions as to where. At least we made the news.
I too had a great time in Oakland. I wasn’t expecting to see hundreds and hundreds of people there, since it was organized only about 4-5 days ago! But folks really turned out. Among the highlights was Kobe, the 10-or-so year old boy who spoke so incredibly articulately about how “kids seem to understand and accept people’s differences more easily than adults do.” It was so inspiring and I really felt like we are at the beginning of a movement.
My own personal favorite moment of activism was crossing the street, on the way to my car, and passing the two anti-gay protesters with their big signs. I put my two hands into the shape of a heart on my chest and just beamed and beamed my love at them. Whether or not they saw me (which I think they did because they both started looking at their feet), it felt great to be a stand for love in the face of hate.
Dang, I love the East Bay!
Passing along one more link, one related to the Flickr-stream I posted above from my friend in DC. His fiancee just posted a blog post today about their attendance — it’s quite moving, and worth a read:
http://www.susanfussell.com/wedding/blog/2008/11/we-interupt-this-regularly-schedule.html
I thought Cincinnati had a good turn-out what with the rain and it being freezing cold and all. Somewhere from 300-500 is what’s being reported. I’d guess closer to 300. Lucky for us Margaret Cho was in town and came by, sang a protest song and led some chants!
I posted a few pictures on my site and two of them are also up at Towleroad.
I was at the Chicago rally. Blogged here.
Photos!
I really enjoy your site and I am fighting the good fight right there with you.
Here is the link to my flickr set from the Minneapolis rally. I went with my partner and our two kids (ages 7 and 3). The best part for me was seeing the number of straight allies – they really represented in Minneapolis (like you Emmy, jaded or not. ha ha)!
Shoot…forgot to post the link to the pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20227702@N00/sets/72157609251879745/
I haven’t blogged specifically about the rally in Fresno, though I do have some pictures and will be posting more of that rally and the one last week in Sacramento. I have been blogging about the whole Prop 8 mess though for (it seems like) forever. Feel free to take a peek at http://web.me.com/jenrink/Site/Consider_This…/Consider_This….html
I was in SF with our very own LD and other friends.
Aside from the freaky hot mid-Niovember weather, it was great – seemed very positive to me, and great energy.
A few flickr shots are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annz/sets/72157609230161142/
Doesn’t it feel like if there were another vote on Prop 8 tomorrow, the outcome would be really different?
Well, I just finished looking at EVERY flickr set mentioned in the comments above and I am so incredibly moved.
we were at the austin, tx protest on saturday. here’s a small story (albeit lazy, written by my sick self a minute ago) with photos forthcoming.
I blogged about the Atlanta event, http://lizawashere.com/2008/11/15/opposing-prop-8-and-supporting-glbt-families-in-georgia/, as did my buddy Dave. He has more pictures up on his site — http://www.certified.vvcradio.com/?p=68 — my camera pooped out after 2. Incidentally, in his pics you can see the fine, welcoming, and incredibly supportive Presbyterian church we attend in the background — a church that first came to civil rights renown when it opened doors and kitchens to serve hundreds of the mourners who came to Atlanta for Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral.
The biggest concern in Georgia is that we will be the target of an Arkansas like adoption ban. Our legislature is only in session Jan-March, so we should have Josie’s adoption fully settled before that could happen (knock wood/pray/hope) but it would be a terrible hit to the rest of our community.
I interrupt this really fantastic check-in with breaking news:
“Brown urges state high court to hear anti-Prop. 8 suits,” Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Nov 2008.
And that would be good breaking news.
Now back to the sharing, which has been really wonderful. (And SJnky, I’ve had my camera w/ me off & on throughout the day, laying in wait for a suitable burst of adorableness. Will post in the comments as soon as (a) suitable opportunity has afforded itself, and then (b) the time to post it does. Thanks for the encouragement.
)
Oh the tiny glimmers of hope!
Are you telling me that adorableness doesn’t occur 24/7 in the LD household?? I can’t believe it
Conservative San Diego, showing its activist side with 25,000 out on Saturday. We stretched a mile long! Pics at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32492830@N04/
I wrote about the Boston MA rally at http://www.thetotalfemme.com — it was a wonderful afternoon, despite a slight misunderstanding on my part about one of the chants….
It does feel like the energy is changing.
All I posted were some photos and they’re not even on flickr, not yet anyway. But we did attend the Houston rally. Here’s the link:
http://theothermother.typepad.com/blog/2008/11/no-2-h8-rally-in-houston.html
I haven’t gathered al the pics together yet but I rocked the LA march with some good friends. It was unbelievably hot. Unfortunately the wife had to work. A buddy and I were pulled out of the crowed and asked to say a few words for the Dr. Phill show.
There were so many great signs. We were a wee bit late so we were able to get signs from people who were leaving the rally. I got one from a man that said “the rainbow looses its magic when a color is missing” As soon as I get the pictures I will post my favorite signs.
And from oneofhismoms, who’s been locked out of commenting from WordPress:
http://oneofhismoms.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/family-with-a-capital-f/#comment-2180
[with my apologies]