I did more than March for Marriage on the day the California state Supreme Court issued its Prop 8 ruling: I got arrested for it.
Right after the lopsided ruling was announced, I went up to a Yes on 8 church group. A boy of no more than 15 was holding up an anti-gay sign that would have been worthy of Nazi Germany. I asked him if he was aware that the kind of negativity his signage promoted was driving people to suicide. “Do you even care?” I asked.
“No,” was the reply.
I asked him about things the church had supported in the past, like the Salem witch trials, slavery, and the slaughter of Native Americans. “Do you have any remorse about those things?” I asked.
He laughed.
Only 15 years old, and already his church had taught him to hate. And so, I went out into the middle of Van Ness Avenue, in front of the San Francisco Opera House, where hundreds were already seated, blocking traffic.
“Room for one more?” I asked, as I sat down. A lesbian rabbi, two lesbian pastors, and a Buddhist monk all welcomed me.
Two police officers, one a lesbian, the other a gay man, told us they agreed with our action. Volunteers brought coffee, water, bagels & donuts to the protesters.
As each of us was handcuffed and taken away, the crowds cheered.
I spent about a hour in a wagon with six other guys. We chatted casually. At 850 Bryant (police headquarters) we were processed in the parking lot, and released without bail. On June 26th, at 8 a.m., I will appear in court to answer to misdemeanor charges of blocking traffic and disturbing the peace. The officer who handed me my summons shook my hand.
“Just don’t get arrested again tonight,” he said, referring to that evening’s upcoming protest.
“I won’t,” I promised. “But I might on Saturday.”
A friend from New York called me to tell me of the huge protest that was going on in Sheridan Square, right across the street from the original Stonewall Bar. I boasted of my new status as a jailbird, immensely proud of what I had just done.
Before leaving 850 Bryant, I signed up with Marriage Equality USA to canvass neighborhoods, knocking on doors so as to educate people about our cause. “Can you work in Daly City this Sunday?” I was asked. Daly City is the town next to San Francisco. It’s largely straight and leans toward the conservative.
“Yes,” I said.
I also chatted briefly with Molly McKay, the out lesbian who founded Marriage Equality USA.
“We need more LGBT unity,” I said. “Prop 8 passed because we didn’t work together. We don’t support each other. Half of us won’t even speak to each other.”
Molly, a grand marshal of the upcoming SF Pride Parade, smiled. “Be the change you want to be,” she said.
This coming Saturday, May 30th, thousands will gather in Fresno (in the middle of the State) for the Meet in the Middle rally to overturn Prop 8. More info can be found at: www.MeetintheMiddle4Equality.com
To continue the fight beyond that date, please visit the Equality California site.
It’s only a matter of time until Prop 8, and similar propositions around the country are overturned. This movement isn’t going away, it’s growing.
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Thanks for getting arrested. ;)
Comment by Emproph — May 27, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
You continue to surpass yourself as a writer and commentator.A thought: The opposition would be getting all the ink now if we’d won.
This way, there will be a FAR greater majority for us registering in the polls, on the charts, and at the ballot box next time. It’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be more than fine. There are so many much larger problems about to make themselves sorely felt. Energies will focus there. Even a year more is going to reduce the mature majority by it’s usual toll. And more young folks who have more flexible minds will reach voting age. If I sound complacent, be warned. I am. And that’s a sin. I’m gonna go back and hit the links you so kindly provided.
Love is so much stronger than any howling void of hate, there’s no WAY we’re not gonna win eventually.
Comment by Georgina Spelvin — May 27, 2009 @ 9:22 pm
Georgina is right – love is stronger than hate – though looking on – it might seem that hate is – but I think that is just because those who hate tend to shout the loudest.
Maybe it’s time for the rest of us to start shouting too?
I am a Christian and one thing that I believe as a main principal is that God is love. Jesus taught us to love all.
Jesus also taught us to respect authority – but only if it is right – if not then we fight against it – so there is nothing wrong with being arrested for violating a law which is wrong.
I don’t understand those who claim to be Christians and yet practice and preach hate. I don’d know where they get that from.
In the end love will win because it survives all, while hate will slowly(though maybe very slowly) wilt away.
Comment by Nigel — May 28, 2009 @ 3:09 am
Good for you! If there was anything worth getting arrested for, it’s human rights. More than 100 clergy and private citizens were arrested in San Francisco. We got some lovely photos of the protest as well as the crowd prior to the announcement.
We will win, ultimately.
Comment by Buffy — May 28, 2009 @ 3:36 am
MSNBC reports that celebs Drew Barrymore, Kathy Griffin, George Takei (with husband) Debbie Gibson & others took part in the Los Angeles protests.
Comment by David Alex Nahmod — May 28, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
[...] of people who got arrested at yesterday’s Prop 8 protests in San Francisco: – Will Scott – David Nahmod – David somebody. If you blogged about getting arrested or being at the demonstrations in San [...]
Pingback by Accounts from yesterday’s gay marriage-related rallies | San Francisco Metblogs — May 28, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
It appears your safe for now, David; I guess the reason this post is still up is because they’re all waiting for Porno Pete to exploit the matter first before they lock the doors and shade the windows at your expense.
Comment by Nelson G. — May 28, 2009 @ 7:23 pm
While instilling a satisfying feeling of solidarity, it is hard to see how demonstrations of this kind will have any effect on marriage equality in California. Marriage INequality is now part of the California Constitution, by plebiscite. It can only be overturned by another plebiscite or by US Supreme Court action. If the legislature tries to legalize it, the CA Supreme Court will overturn the legalization based on Prop.8.
The only possibility that I can see of California legalizing gay marriage is if the make-up of the CA Supreme Court is changed by retirement. That will take decades, at least. There is also that problem that, whereas a Justice might be in favor of gay marriage, he still would believe that the citizens had a constitutional right to make it illegal. Ergo, a favorable outcome based on CA Supreme Court action might never come at all.
Does anybody have a different perspective? Does anybody have a vision of how to make gay marriage legal in California?
What I see happening is a general disobedience to civil law, with de facto legalizing of gay marriage, as the population becomes more knowledgeable. But I can’t see a time when it will actually become legal, no matter what we might do.
I am, however, eager to be enlightened.
Comment by Conrad — May 28, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
Irrational politics appear to have overtaken the state. I support David’s action — it’s better than doing nothing — but true change won’t come to the state until fundamental changes occur.
1. The state’s taxpayers must start paying property taxes and living within their means, like the rest of America. Prop 13 must surely be among the most fiscally irresponsible voter actions ever undertaken anywhere in the United States.
2. When the state’s billionaire conservatives are forced to pay their fair share of taxes, they’ll have far less money to throw into pro-bigotry movements both in California and in other states where California conservatives have no business meddling.
3. Civil disobedience must be conducted by gay people of faith and gay couples outside conservative churches — and not just on a symbolic one-time basis, but every week. So long as gay couples are denied peace and equality, then bigot churches must be denied the same.
4. Folks like Nelson G. must get over their self-pity and persecution complexes, and start behaving constructively.
Comment by Michael Airhart — May 28, 2009 @ 11:02 pm
Hmmmm, I think Nelson was just being humorous, and meant no harm.
To respond to Conrad:
Here’s one thing I forgot to include in my story: all those who got arrested signed promises to be non-violent & peaceful.
And we were.
We were friendly to the police, and they treated us quite well.
Non-violent civil disobedience has a storied history: it certainly served Ghandi & King well. It will do the same for us.
(-:
I don’t have a scanner here, so tomorrow or Sat I’m going to scan my Summons at a friend’s computer & post it here and at my own blog.
I’m proud of my rap sheet~~I think I’ll do it again!!
And if I may suggest, please click the link in comment #6, and read the lovely blog post from Will Scott~~openly gay Pastor Will at Grace Cathedral here in SF.
I met him at Police Headquarters when we
were being processed.
Lovely, intensely spiritual guy.
I’d love to interview him for TWO.
Comment by David Alex Nahmod — May 29, 2009 @ 12:50 am
Actually, I was being cryptic and sarcastic. Persecution is for jesus freaks.
Comment by Nelson G. — May 29, 2009 @ 9:51 pm
Doesn’t sound like you got “busted for marriage.” Sounds like you got busted for obstructing traffic on a major roadway. That is a major difference.
I really don’t see how making a nuisance out of yourself is going to advance your issue. Why not try logical debate instead of childish antics. And don’t get me wrong, I am not saying I disagree with your viewpoint. I just disagree with the way you are going about trying to draw attention to your viewpoint. Acting like a spoiled, pouty child is not nearly as effective or beneficial as intelligent discussion.
You will get where you want to be much faster when you start acting like an adult.
Comment by Herman — May 30, 2009 @ 8:14 pm
At that location where many people got arrested for protesting the decision, many of the cops that arrested them were gay themselves. I at least solute them for their dignity in able to perform their job, despit the fact that they must have wanted to join in the protests. That took a lot of courage and integrity.
Comment by James — May 30, 2009 @ 8:27 pm
Herman, we tried.
Many times.
They don’t care.
They dont want to discuss it.
Comment by David Alex Nahmod — May 30, 2009 @ 9:21 pm
Then just keep trying. It takes time. Understand that you don’t change the viewpoint of the older people (by and large). You need to change the viewpoint of the young. Then when the older ones who have the bigoted viewpoint begin to die off and the younger ones take the lead, that is when things change. Do you think minorities got where they are today thanks to people with narrow viewpoints changing their minds? No. We simply had a new generation grow up who were around minorities enough to realize that the fears being spread were not accurate.
America got to where it is today thanks to logic, reason and sound ideas. And it will continue to evolve for the better over time thanks to logic, reason and sound ideas. But you must have patience. It takes time.
Comment by Herman — May 30, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
55% of voters approved of gay marriage when Prop. 8 was announced. I imagine that they did so because they had met lots of gays, liked them generally, and wanted them to be happy.
Continuing to educate voters by example of the quality of gay citizens would seem to be the best way to prevent that majority from being eroded again when the next proposition, FOR gay marriage, is voted upon.
Comment by Conrad — May 31, 2009 @ 2:08 am
Yes Conrad,
Like I always said, if Proposition 8 was presented as what it was – a ban on gay marriage, it wouldn’t have passed. But because the “Yes on 8″ campaign had to create so much lies about gay marriage, I believe this convinced the majority to vote against it.
Comment by James — May 31, 2009 @ 9:03 am
David, you make me feel proud to be an American again. Thank you for standing up for what is right.
Comment by Kate — June 5, 2009 @ 7:16 pm