I’ve spent a lot of time these past few weeks fighting against Prop 8 and it’s recent passage.  I’ve had a lot to say and made a number of points against Prop 8 and have even thrown out a, though light hearted, potential solution.  On November 10th Countdown’s Keith Olbermann made the following statement in regards to the passage of Prop 8 in California.  I found it moving and was happy to hear that he made a lot of similar points that I have made.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and I hope those of you who voted Yes on 8 or were on the fence about the issue find some value in this.

This issue is far from over and with as much support as the No side is getting after the election I am hoping things can change.  My only hope is that things can change in such a way that there is a compromise that will prevent this from going back on the ballot in 2012 if it gets overturned somehow.

Ever since Prop 8 passed here in California there has been a lot of anger, hurt, and outcry spread on the internet about the issue.  With that in mind I decided to write a bit of a more light hearted post on the subject that while not the most serious in nature, has what I feel is a valid proposition.

Following the passage of Prop 8 here in California the streets of Los Angeles became a breeding ground for angry No on 8 supporters.  The protests have raged on almost daily since the passage of Prop 8 and I have seen a lot of outcry from those on the Yes side of 8 calling the No on 8 supporters the haters.  So I’ve decided to throw something out the for both Yes and No supporters of Prop 8.

Obviously for 2008 this issue is dead.  We can fight it until we’re blue in the face, but we know that even if it does get overturned at some point it is going to be right back on the ballot.  To the Yes on 8 supporters who don’t understand WHY all of the gays and supporters in Los Angeles are angry I want you to consider this.  What would you do if your right to marry someone was taken from you simply because your lifestyle wasn’t the “norm”.  Wouldn’t that piss you off a bit?  Honestly…think about it.

For the No on 8 supporters, I feel ya’.  I was right there alongside you last Saturday at the No on 8 Protest in Corona, but unfortunately our efforts weren’t enough.  So what if WE are the ones who take action for the next election and get our measure put on the ballot.  What if we do it in such a way that it gives gays what they want in their unity of marriage, but we do it in a way that will either make the Christians look like liars and hate mongers or will hold them true to their words.

There are a lot of Christians out there right now that are claiming their Yes on 8 vote was not based on hate, instead they are claiming they did it based on the belief that the word “marriage” should only be used between a man and a woman.  So here is my proposition for the residents of California; if you don’t like the word marriage then why don’t we write a new proposition that will give homosexuals every bit of the same rights as a “traditional marriage”, but we come up with a cooler name for it…How about “rainbow connection”? (Again I am injecting humor here because I want people to start healing and start thinking about what can be done to better the situation)

If you’re Yes on Prop 8 because you don’t want homosexuals to be “married” then can they have a “rainbow connection”?  We’ll give them all the same rights the rest of us get, but we’ll call it a rainbow connection.  Then you can have your “marriage” and it won’t step on your Christian rites and terminology.

If something like this didn’t pass then clearly we could call the Christians, Mormons, and everyone else opposed to it hate mongers and be right.  I think it’s brilliant, but that’s just me.  And again I wrote this in a very light hearted fashion because I am tired of all the serious posts about this attacking each side for being wrong.  Stop arguing and start coming to a solution.  If the church is afraid of you using “marriage” then come up with something better than marriage, seriously.

Yesterday was the first political protest of any sort that I recall ever participating in.  If I have at any other point it would have been in high school and I’m sure it was on a much smaller scale.  My choice to do so however was not planned.  Though I belong to a number of various action and political groups online such as MoveOn.org and Defenders of Wildlife, I have never actually participated in much aside from petitions and the spreading of information.

Yesterday I had a few errands to run and on my way to Target I noticed a row of Yes on 8 protesters lined the street at the corner of Ontario and California here in Corona.  If you’re not familiar with Prop 8 here in California you can read my Prop 8 – Prop Hate post to get some more info and my opinion on the measure.  The sea of Prop 8 supporters was merely freckled by the No on 8 supporters and honestly seemed like an unfair representation of No on 8 support.  As I drove by I decided that after I finished my errands if the protesters were still out I would join them.

Sure enough on my way back from Target the protesters were still out there, thankfully by then there No on 8 support had grown, but it still was lacking in comparison to the Yes on 8 support, which now spanned all 4 corners.  So I took a quick detour to the Wal-Mart around the corner and bought some poster board and a giant marker, returned to my car made a “No on Hate, No on 8” sign and headed down to join them.

When I reached the spot where the majority of the No on 8 protestors were a few of them looked at me and smiled and then when I mentioned that I was driving by and thought they could use some help one of the guys I was talking to recognized me.  Turns out that one of the No on 8 protesters I had seen earlier was actually someone I went to high school with.  In fact he was the cousin of the lead guitarist in the band I was in that I used to spend quite a bit of time with; such a small world.

Overall yesterday was an incredible experience for me and I could break down the whole event based on the four hours I was there, but honestly there isn’t much to tell.  I got to meet some really cool people and I got to make a difference in my community.  But more than that I realized just how amazing of a country we live in and yet how scary of a country we live in.

Making A Difference Through Community

Throughout the day the Yes on 8 and No on 8 protestors protested side by side with little to no serious confrontation.  The confrontation that did come about was mild and mostly verbal and had a peaceful resolve that simply added in separation.

The sense of unity between all of the supporters even though many of us did not know each other was empowering.  We united for a common cause and built our bond on that alone.  The support for No on 8 was made up of both gay and straight protestors, men and women, and even a teacher/mother who’s argument was, “I’m old, I’m white, I’m a teacher and a mother and I’m voting No on 8”.

Though lines were clearly drawn between no and yes supporters, many of the opposing individuals sat and talked with their differences aside.  Conversations completely unrelated to the protest went on with the mindset that they could both have their opinion on an issue without it having an affect their ability to interact with one another on a totally separate level.

In addition we had a handful of people drive by and say things like, “I’m glad you guys are out here” or “I don’t agree with you, but I’m glad you’re exercising your right to do this as an American.”  Things like this show that there is still some love and tolerance in the world.

Ignorance Will Be Our Downfall

The sheer number of children that were brought to join in the Yes on 8 protest was discomforting.  To know that so many children, all seemingly under the age or 12 were being taught intolerance at such an early age; some looking as young as maybe 4 or 5.  Furthermore they were in full yellow garb and holding signs in support of something they probably had no real understanding of.  I wanted on more than one occasion to approach one of them and ask them what they thought Prop 8 was about, but I feared that the parents would get a bit defensive about that so I refrained.  To give you an idea of the mindset of some of these kids here are a few of the things I overheard kids saying, “Yes on 8 and yes on ice cream.”,  “I love my mommy and daddy vote Yes on 8.”, and “Vote Yes on 8 and get a free car wash.”.

The ignorance of the general public amazes me.  One of the Yes on 8 protestors was screaming at the top of her lungs that we were voting no on 8 because we wanted to stop procreation and destroy the human population. In another instance we had a truck full of meatheads drive up to a red light and ask what Prop 8 was.  When one of the girls, who happened to be a lesbian, told them there was some snickering from the car.  Then as the light turned green the truck sped off and the guy who asked the question screamed out the window, “Fuck you, you faggot ass bitches”.  This all in addition to the fact that myself and a number of the other guys had “Faggot” yelled at us as people drove by because they assumed that since I was No on 8 I was gay.  And of course there was also the random car that drove by the just screamed “Fuck you!” out the window and gave us all the finger.

Though the day was filled with some really good moments and really disturbing moments it was not short of some more light hearted moments.  Some of the highlights included a guy driving by and screaming, “I love cock!” and a car full of girls with No on 8 painted on their windows blasting Katy Perry’s song I Kissed A Girl and I Liked It.  It just goes to show that while hot issues are often serious there is still fun that can be had in this kind of political climate.

Ultimately I think the protest went well.  Thought the Yes on 8 protestors outnumbered us for a couple of hours because of the number of children they had involved they left long before the No on 8 protestors did, and for the last part of the night we controlled at least 2 of the 4 corners.  This was a really positive experience for me and I think a really good way for me to act upon my vow to live every day like it’s my last. I really hope in the future I have more opportunities to be involved in things like this.  Not always protests, but events or acts to better society and my community in relation to things I am passionate about.  There are a lot of great causes out there and a lot of great people who need help and support and I hope in the future I can be part of that.