On Wednesday, March 25, a sizable crowd of LGBT activists began a five-day walk they’ll never forget. As the California State Supreme Court prepares to rule on the validity of Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, these hearty souls are marching from San Francisco City Hall to Sacramento in support of marriage equality. Their goal is to raise public awareness as to why our relationships should be legally recognized.
Heather Tompkins, 24, and Richard Aviles, 18, represent a new, energized generation of LGBT activists. Heather explained why she was marching: “It’s outrageous to the younger generation that we don’t have equal rights.”
Adds Aviles, a high school senior: “We are the future, creating the pillars for society.”
Jazzie, who did not give a last name, had another agenda: transphobia.
“In this city (San Francisco) transgenders face 67% unemployment. It’s higher elsewhere.”
Jazzie, a black male-to-female transgender person, spoke eloquently of the hatred she had seen growing up in the South. It was not something she could live with any longer.
John Lewis, who, along with husband Stuart Gaffney (both pictured), had fought for the right to marry in court, understands why Prop 8 passed, but is confident that Prop 8 will be overturned in the 2010 election.
“In the past decade, there has been a great change in public opinion,” said Lewis. “Everybody involved, leaders or not, need to pay attention to what their intentions are. In a fight like this there can be multiple intentions. We need to dig down into our hearts for our basic intentions to bring about justice for the entire LGBT community.”
There was a definite spirit of unity throughout the crowd: a desire among everyone to come together as one people. As the crowd gathered, I struck up a conversation with Martin, a handsome young man who sported a “Made in Palestine” T-shirt. For a few minutes he and I discussed the Israeli/Palestinian conflict: my revealing that I’m part Israeli did not diminish the courtesy we accorded each other.
Speakers included Names Project founder Cleve Jones (pictured), who pointed out that LGBT San Franciscans needed to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters in “Stockton, Lodi and Fresno, where putting out a sign can result in your house being burned down.”
The March to Repeal Prop 8 will take about 5 days, with marchers stopping for meals and rest at friendly churches along the way.
On the Saturday immediately following the Prop 8 ruling, their will be a large rally in downtown Fresno, regardless of which way the Court rules.
Fresno was chosen because it’s in the very middle of California, and because it’s a conservative area whose citizens voted overwhelmingly for Prop 8.
To get more information on this rally, please
visit: www.MeetintheMiddle4Equality.org and www.DayofDecision.org.
Photos by Brian Cybok, www.cybok.net.
David Alex Nahmod lives in San Francisco. Visit him at: DavidsOpenForum.Blogspot.com.
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