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On November - 26 - 2008
71 Responses
I absolutely REFUSE to wear a “2nd class citizen” t-shirt. I understand the intent, but this does not work for me. I don’t fly first class because I can’t afford it. I won’t protest 2nd class because I can’t afford that either.
Posted on November 27th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
PLEASE DON’T LET OUR MOVEMENT SPLINTER!
Contact the heads of Join The Impact and Queers United (http://queersunited.blogspot.com/), as well as the other organizations listed below and encourage them to unify and coordinate under a single message regarding the dates and times of public demonstrations. CNN, FOX NEWS, MSNBC, NY Times, etc. will continue to cover our movement if we’re unified, organized, and show up in LARGE NUMBERS. Please send a quick note to the following organizations and encourage them to talk to each other. A fragmented movement will not generate the press we need, nor provide the motivation we all need to keep showing up.
JOIN THE IMPACT
QUEERS UNITED http://queersunited.blogspot.com/
CIVIL RIGHTS FRONT http://www.civilrightsfront.com/
COURAGE CAMPAIGN http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/repealprop8
EQUALITY CALIFORNIA http://www.eqca.org/site/pp.asp?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4026385
CALIFORNIANS AGAINST HATE http://www.californiansagainsthate.com/index.html
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN http://www.hrc.org/
MARRIAGE EQUALITY USA http://www.marriageequality.org/
EQUALITY ACTION NOW http://www.equalityactionnow.org/
OVERTURN PROP 8 http://overturnprop8.com/
Please add to this list and let’s make sure we’re all marching at the same time!
Posted on November 27th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Yes, it’s possible the “2nd Class Citizen” T-shirt idea will be poorly received, especially in Minnesota and elsewhere where late December requires a warm parka, heavy gloves and thermal underwear.
Most indoor shopping malls are private property. Mall owners could never allow groups of people with burning candles onto the property for fire safety reasons.
Therefore, dress appropriately for the weather, and show up with or without the T-shirt. Let your own sensibility and the weather be your guide.
.
Posted on November 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Coming from Cleveland Ohio, I know that nothing will stop me from wearing my Cleveland Browns t-shirt when I go to the stadium. Get a larger shirt than usual and wear it over a hoodie or thermal, or both. When indoors, obviously actual flames don’t work, that’s why we ask that you bring a battery operated candle (which are always on sale during the holiday season). Finally, standing outside the mall might be easiest, but if you agree to carol, then you’ll have a better chance of getting into the mall. We suggest you first search for an outdoor mall. Also, the 2nd Class Citizen T’s are a must. Feel free to make your own. We don’t want any signs or picketing, this is meant to be peaceful and in the spirit of the holidays. Let the shirt speak for you.
Posted on November 29th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hi David,
We have been in contact with most of these organizations and are working to form coalitions with them. All of our orgs are trying to find the best ways to move as one full unit. Thanks for helping encourage members to do the same!
Posted on November 29th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
one problem i’m noticing in central pa is that the inf. from rallys and such isnt being put onto the site causing us to think there is nothing happening or stay interested in the movement
Posted on November 29th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
OK. I found some inexpensive battery-operated candles at Menard’s. Menard’s is a Midwest big-box store with stores in Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota,Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. For those of you who live near a Menard’s, this is added for you: 1. Go to their Web site, Menards dot com and select “Promotions” from the top bar. 2. Then select “weekly ad” from the drop-down list. 3. Then scroll down and select the “Christmas Catelog” 4. Select “Christmas Lights” from the “browse by category” list on the left-hand side of the page. 5. Scroll down to “Flickering Candle or 9-inch Candolier.” The Candolier is the white one on the left. You should see “89 cents.” 6. Click on the “89 cents” for a bigger picture of that ad. They don’t come with the AA batteries, but you should be able to find fresh AA batteries on sale, too, because many Christmas toys use them.
Posted on November 30th, 2008 at 12:13 am
First off, i would like to give props to everyone — the nationwide protests and marches was a brilliant idea and well executed!
Now regarding the “2nd Class” t-shirt idea… hmmmm… I understand where the intent is coming from (i work in marketing) but i think we can come up with something a lot more impactful and effective. I’m not too crazy about wearing such a t-shirt.
In fact, I may be able to come out to support but I won’t be able to wear the shirt. I think that the community can come up with a better idea. Please have a different t-shirt theme.
Thanks!!
Posted on November 30th, 2008 at 3:02 am
I will put in 10 more additional votes for my friends who do not like not the “2nd Class” T-Shirt idea. 11 NO votes for this shirt.
PLEASE, PLEASE have a different T-Shirt. There’s soooo many better, clever and effective statements you can have us all wear in unity… PLEEEEEASE…
Posted on November 30th, 2008 at 3:07 am
Thanks Amy. Keep up the great work. We’ll be attending the “What’s Next” community forum in San Francisco on December 4th with JOIN THE IMPACT top of mind.
Posted on November 30th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I think the SECOND CLASS CITIZEN T shirt is GREAT and spot on strategy. It communicates clearly and effectively the result and implication of the Prop 8 majority vote. This campaign is not about how we feel about ourselves; it’s about influencing how others feel about us. The objective here is to associate the ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions with social discrimination and inequality. If we can shift the conversation from “man and woman” or “gay pride” to “second class citizenship” or “social segregation” we can foster and influence a more compatible conversation with our adversaries and the electorate. Thus advancing the topic of gay marriage to equal rights for all citizens…
Spot on.
Posted on November 30th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I also do not like the idea of wearing a shirt declaring myself a second class citizen. I may make my own shirt declaring that “I AM NOT A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN” on the front and ” STOP THE HATE, MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR EVERYONE, ANYTHING ELSE IS DISCRIMINATION” on the back in diminishing print. I am not a second class citizen and refuse to be treated like one, that is why I marched on the 15th and will come out on the 20th of December.
Posted on November 30th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Citizens. This issue is not about hate. It’s about a lot of decent people who truly believe that marriage is between and man and a woman. Prop 8 was not a vote to hate gay people in California. Imposing this argument on individuals who voted Yes on Prop 8 will further divide our community. It’s about shifting the legal focus and social mindset to guarantee equal civil rights to all citizens. Prop 8 was unfair and wrong. Not about “H8.” (Yes, there are people who hate us, but positioning a campaign based on this fact is strategically weak. I AM NOT A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN is brilliant. Strategically very strong.
Please remember, this campaign is not about us, or how we feel about ourselves. It’s about the people who voted Yes on 8 and how they feel about discrimination and equality under the laws of the United States.
Posted on December 1st, 2008 at 2:06 am
I agree that we should shift our focus, but I think the shift should be more radical. We underestimated the influence of religious authority in this campaign, and we were complacent. Not all Yes on 8 supporters “hate” the LGBT community, but we are perceived as a direct threat to the sanctification of Christians and we continue to be demonized. It is terribly naïve for anyone to believe that Prop 8 is merely about traditional marriage. The motives behind Prop 8 are far more insidious. For the ultra-religious, the core of this issue exceeds the limits of discrimination. There is an unbridled fear and hatred of sexuality in general. However, gays and lesbians are more visible targets than the sexuality that the ultra-religious deny in themselves. We are a highly visible threat.
True believers think that there is a direct link between homosexuality and the end of their America, and make no mistake, they believe that it is their America. If American true believers could enforce religious law, they would certainly do it. We must protect secular government from religious extremism. Take a look at fundamentalist Sharia law: Sharia law is religious law and is often subject to its most extreme interpretation. American faith-based initiatives are an attempt to enforce religious law, but the bible and the U.S. Constitution are NOT the same text. It is NOT GODernment, it is GOVernment.
The religious right has attempted to block legislation designed to protect LGBT Californians from physical harm, and discriminatory practices related to housing, employment and health care. This legislation was unrelated to the issue of marriage, but the religious right attempted to obstruct it regardless. They simply do not want to acknowledge our right to live under the protections of constitutional law, so they use the media to demonize us. Michael Savage is a prime example of what drives the ultra-religious to make LGBT people targets of hate, but at least his hood is off. Consider the untold number of religious conservatives across the nation who conceal their extremism for fear of being banished to the fringes of society with the other diehards, racists.
Mainstream Christianity has been tainted by extremist views, and I have serious doubts about whether or not these folks can be reasoned with. I personally know two people who believe that I should be “saved,” and if I cannot be saved then my “lifestyle” is going to usher in the collapse of the free world. Granted, this is an extremist view, but this view has been allowed to thrive in our nation for well over a decade. I am not a “second class citizen,” nor do I need to be saved by so-perceived first class citizens.
Equal protections are guaranteed, they are simply not enforced, but I do not believe that the Government should define marriage. Every American should have the right to enter into a civil union. The word “marriage” is inherently religious and should be rejected in a secular society, period. However, if after the government grants a couple a civil union certificate they wish to enter into a religious “marriage” in their place of worship, so be it. That said, no place of religious worship should be forced to “marry” anyone. I think our shift in strategy should mean fighting for civil unions for all people. After all, what reasonable argument could be made by religious people to stop civil unions if they were allowed to “marry” in their place of worship? The bottom line is that we need to fight harder to keep religion out of government on every issue, because inside every faith-based political agenda exists the potential to introduce religious law into government (see Prop 8). I see secular government and civil unions for ALL as our hope for equality nationwide, not religious “marriage.”
Posted on December 1st, 2008 at 10:36 pm
How about:
First Class Citizen
Second Class Rights
Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
How about:
These are all really great ideas and we should make bumper stickers too and donate them to JTI so they can sell them in their new store?!
I’m going to make my own shirts and if it’s ok with Corey, Martin, Greg, and Amy’s team, create a combination of words and messages that reflect all the smart thinking that has been expressed during this conversation.
Remember, the most important thing, regardless of what we wear, is to SHOW UP!
See you there.
Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I love Prop 8 the musical! I just posted it on my blog, check it out y’all:
http://muchbetterthanworking.blogspot.com
Posted on December 3rd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Maybe a t-shirt that says something like “Human” ( with the right to equality) or “Neighbor” ( as in love they neighbor) I don’t know .. . maybe this idea can be built upon. Neighbor sounds kind on Mr. Rogers-ish!!
Posted on December 4th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Just passing by the site when I noticed this discussion. I think a great T-shirt for those of us in California is: What a shame that we voted rights to our chickens and not to our Gays. Since I happen to be straight I would prefer to wear that to a “Second Class citizen T-shirt”.
Posted on December 4th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Corey, you ARE a Second Class Citizen. So am I. We are not considered to be equal to the rest of the population of the US. At first I balked on the concept of labeling myself a second class citizen but then I realized THAT is how it is. Any legal citizen in this country who is not afforded the same rights as everyone else IS second class.
Black people were treated this way by the federal government for the longest time. Now it’s our turn. Don’t let the concept of the specific lable keep you from standing up for ALL of our rights.
Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend the town hall meeting in L.A. However, I have a suggestion on campaigning to repeal prop 8, if we will need to do that.
We must go negative. We must expose the negative side of the religious forces that seek to eliminate our fundamental rights. The anti-gay prop 8 supporters will continue to lie and distort facts in a future effort to repeal prop 8. Their negative campaigning would undermine a potentially positive anti-prop 8 campaign. We must make make a decision, and be bold-faced about moving forward. We must frame the anti-gay religious zealots as the odd balls. We must win!
Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
So I have just read that NY’s state Senate will not vote on marriage equality this year because an anti-gay Democrat, Ruben Diaz Sr., and two other Senators looking out for more power for themselves, Carl Kruger and Pedro Espada, essentially threatened to give control to the Republicans (by not backing the Democratic Senate leader) unless the Democrats promised not to bring marriage legislation to the floor for a vote. The rest of the Democrats and their leader, Malcolm Smith, sold us out and agreed. You can read more about it here: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/12/details-of-a-leadership-deal.html.
This is exactly the sort of thing we can do something about with Join the Impact. We can organize an unprecedented fight to hold these politicians accountable and to get them to stop playing games with our rights. State Senators never get the sort of huge attention we could organize through this site. We could take these people to task before the whole world if we made it a priority and we could push another state into the marriage equality column. We need to make sure the Democrats don’t take us for granted and we need to bring the heat to Ruben Diaz and all those who are accomodating his bigotry. So, what can we do to force the NY Senate to vote for our rights? I really think we can accomplish something big here.
Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Hey guys can you show some support for same sex binational couples.
PLEASE VOTE
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/equal_immigration_rights_for_same_sex_binational_couples
Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
um. yeah..my partner and i dont necessarily aggree with the 2nd class citizen shirts as well.. and we are organizing the candlelight vigil in albuquerque, new mexico. we are simply asking people who are attending to make or buy shirts with statements they feel will convey the purpose of our light up the night. this also includes satements that were made into downloadable fliers on this site.. love not h8.. i am not a 2nd class citizen.. equality for all americans.. can we vote on your marriage? i think it would have the same impact if everyone were to wear shirts with statements of their preference.. doesnt necessarily have to be “2nd class citizen.” though this is not a protest and is a silent demonstration.. the shirts do the talking. the wider variety we have of shirts the better our purpose is portrayed.
Posted on December 6th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I love how this movement has evolved through discussion on the internet. I am now thinking of putting “I Am A First Class Citizen” on the front and “With Second Class Rights” on the back in large print and in small print put “give me equal rights, not separate rights” below that. I am thinking of a white shirt with black letters, or a black shirt with bright yellow letters and use an LED black light flashlight to illuminate the front. The black light will make the yellow fluoresce.
Posted on December 7th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Are people really hung up on the shirt? Puh-leeze! We have so many bigger problems! It’ll be too cold to see a shirt anyway, so wear whatever you want. Jeez, this is why we never get anything important accomplished…everyone gets stuck in some BS detail. The most important thing is to BE THERE and make ourselves heard.
Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Grand Rapids Michigan! if anybody out there is willing to organize, or knows some one who will, please organize for the Light Up the Night protest! I want to be a part of this so bad. please.
Posted on December 8th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Personally, I love the idea of the “Second Class Citizen” T-shirt; however, I think Martin’s “First Class Citizen with Second Class Rights” idea more effectively expresses the issue.
Being straight, however, I find the options a bit more limited than I would like. I cannot in good conscience wear a “Second Class Citizen” Tee when I am in fact not being discriminated against, and the “Light Up the Night for Equality” Tee does not carry with it the emotional impact that is being stroven for. (To be honest, that shirt seems like something you’d get at a concert.) I was thinking something along the lines of “Humans for Human Rights”(Front)/”JOINTHEIMPACT.COM”(Back) (Black arial text on bright yellow background) or “Love is Love”(Front)/”jointheimpact.com”(Back) (Pink cursive text on white background), something that really captures the emotional sentiment of the movement and is applicable to the straights that don’t personally know any LGBTQs while not segregating the movement by orientation. (Saying “Straights for Gay Marriage” or something similar implies separation, which really defeats the purpose.)
Posted on December 10th, 2008 at 12:43 am
DEMONSTRATION & CANDLELIGHT VIGIL AT FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S WEDDING
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Impact-Florida will hold a peaceful and respectful demonstration and candlelight vigil outside of Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Carole Rome’s wedding and reception.
Governor Crist first stated he believed in a “Live and Let Live” attitude when speaking about Amendment 2. However, he then became an outspoken proponent of Amendment 2, which passed by a margin of only 1.9%. The vague and ambiguous wording of this amendment could go much further than promised. It could adversely effect domestic partners benefits of both heterosexual and gay Floridians.
Impact-Florida spokesperson Lorna Bracewell said, “I truly believe our demonstration for marriage equality outside of Governor Crist’s wedding will serve to educate the Governor and all Floridian’s that the people injured by passage of Amendment 2 are real people. The more visible we in the GLBT community are, the better our chances will be for one day achieving full citizenship in this state and in this country.
DATE: December 12, 2008
PHASE #1: Demonstration Outside Wedding Ceremony
TIME: 6 P.M. (Although the Wedding is planned for 7 P.M. Participants are asked to arrive no latter than 6:00 P.M..)
LOCATION: Williams Park, 330 2nd Ave N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 (Between 3rd St. North and 4th St. N on 2nd Avenue
North. (Park is directly across 2nd Ave. N from the First United Methodist Church.)
Directions/Map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Saint+Petersburg&state=FL&address=330+2nd+Ave+N&zipcode=33701
Following Wedding Ceremony, participants will walk silently to second location.
PHASE #2: Candlelight Vigil Outside Reception
TIME: Candlelight Vigil Will Last One Hour
LOCATION: Arbor/Trellis North Straub Park 400 Bayshore Dr NE, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701. (Across from Vinoy Resort.)
DIRECTIONS/MAP: From Williams Park to North Straub Park: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Saint+Petersburg&state=FL&address=400+Bayshore+Drive+Northeast&zipcode=33701
Impact Florida is a grassroots organization formed in response to passage of Florida’s “Amendment 2.”. Our members are devoted to pursuing and attaining marriage equality for all of Florida’s citizens, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. For more information on Impact-Florida, visit our website at http://www.impact-florida.com
Posted on December 10th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
We should have a big protest outside the courthouse when the Supreme Court hearing on Prop 8 starts. The whole world will be watching, all the media will cover it. If we could get a million people demonstrating for equality outside the courthouse it would be big for our movement.
Posted on December 10th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I cant find the banner for the equality vigil on the 20th Ive seen graphics on videos but none that I can post to my blog help…..please! I dont want to just delete the banner for DWAG before I have something to put in its place.
Posted on December 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Hi, I have been observing DWAG all day although I am not volunteering and I did come to this gay site. I used to volunteer all the time in college, at my church, and just in general, but I am not sure what people are doing today. I didn’t feel like driving around in my car helping people or sitting at home reading a gay novel. Just a general comment about gay civil rights and the consequences of DWAG for some people who did it today. I don’t think anyone deserves to be singled out because they are gay. I do believe this happens in subtle ways and actions despite maybe not being overt. I am not sure why the straights feel the need or the uncontrollable urge to say or mutter things to us when they know we are gay and yet want to play off like they have no idea so latter they don’t have to admit they did anything wrong and make you look crazy. Clever. Anyway it doesn’t matter if you live in a state that has protections if you look at the limited protests going on in rural areas then you might agree something is not right here. I think as a group gay civil rights needs to banned together in order to solve this. I see this site has attempted to do this in a number of ways including supporting food shelters where many gay people end up just to help them get through tough times which I might add have been going on for quite a while not just for the last three months. For some of us it has been bad for a lot longer. I am not complaining simply saying that we need to support each other because we are one big family we are not fighting racism we are fighting to be ourselves and it is obvious to me that there are people with money out there who don’t want to let this happen. It is very frustrating for me to write this I spent last night thinking I want to post something but its impossible. There is no way to explain how important this is. Fifteen years ago we took it for granted that our loved ones all respected us and our decision only to find out they must still think its a phase something we will grow out of I guess or that we are just simply sick. So not trying to be negative but I hope everyone realizes that just because you live in a safe feeling spot you arent necessarily safe. We are all in this together. I think this site is a great thing just don’t want to get arrested for protesting lol. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Posted on December 10th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Some have addressed the idea of cold weather and the tee shirt plan. We are going to wear our long down coats, but we have “dressed” our tee shirts on foam core bolted to a wooden handle. The tee shirts will will ride above the crowd.
Posted on December 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Anybody interested in Huntington West Virginia? The food drive? Light up the night? Izs there any one who has organization skills? What about a food box in Stonewall? Help me pout on this!!
Posted on December 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Do NOT do a “March on Washington” as one of these events. Those marches are a massive waste of time and resources, and exclude a ton of people - they only serve the Washington, DC-based groups, which have done an extremely-poor job in most instances. Instead if you are going to do any sort of “mass march”, do a “We the People” event and have each state gather in their state capital cities to call for equality. This allows people in states that have protections (i.e. Mass, and Connecticut) to still get involved (they can discuss ways to expand equality to other states). If for some reason, you are still stuck on having everyone get together, at least have them gather in an area that deserves the revenue from the hotel rooms, etc. - for instance, gather in Boston as a way to say thank you. That way participants at least get to spend some time in a place that actually upholds their human rights, and that would be inspirational for many of them.
Posted on December 12th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
this is so important
Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
While I have no problem with the shirt, I will be wearing one I made previously because I don’t want to spend more money right now. It states: “I REFUSE TO BE INVISIBLE”. That pretty much sums it up for me anyway.
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Lauren: I think they said they don’t want signs. A silent vigil with candles.
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Has there been any attempt for JoinTheImpact to coordinate anything for January events like the one that’s being hosted by “Students for Equality” on Jan 27 called “EQUALITY ON CAMPUS DAY! NATIONWIDE STUDENT RALLY/FUNDRAISER”? I hope so.
And I’m looking forward to the candlelight vigil on the 20th of this month. I hope even more news can be given out to this event than the last one. And I hope that invites can be sent out via HRC.org or local, state organizations like Triangle Michigan. But hope it goes well. Thanks!
(And on a bright side note. I’m in a coffee shop in our small college town- Mt Pleasant, MI- with my boyfriend and Rufus Wainwright is being played ; )
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Hi Will,
I’ve been talking with Students 4 Equality and we are working on ways to join forces for initiatives like this.
Thanks!!
Amy
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Obama picks antigay pastor of Saddleback Church, the one who supported Prop 8 to give the invocation at the inauguration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8652
Obama is a homophobe!
Posted on December 17th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Obama has just asked extreme antigay bigot Rick Warren to speak at the inauguration. Tell him what you think: http://change.gov/page/s/civilrights
Posted on December 17th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Light Up the Night will be an awesome event…but we have got to get on the ball about the Rick Warren inaugural invocation debacle. This is a serious reason for protests, and a serious opportunity to educate the public. Warren hasn’t gotten as much attention — yet — as the Mormon Church relative to Prop 8, but he was definitely a factor in its success. I am *OUTRAGED* about the Rick Warren matter, and hope to find or generate a way to channel that outrage into an effective protest.
(How about a Rick Warren-themed protest armband?)
Posted on December 17th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Protests need to start up again! Today it was announced that Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback church in Lake Forest, CA will be giving the invocation prayer at Obama’s inauguration. The Obama camp says it wants this to be the most inclusive inauguration ever, but I think this is unacceptable and a complete slap in the face to those of us who worked so hard, gave our hard earned money and gave our vote to get Obama elected in the first place. The next administration cannot be allowed to follow in Clinton’s footsteps. It cannot preach equal rights for the GLTB community to get elected and then turn around and throw us under the bus again. There have also already been rumors that Obama wants to push back the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
So I say its time to take a stand… again. Before this even begins, and send a message that we will not accept anything less than complete equality. And that pandering to those that oppose us is not an option. The GLBT community has always been a solid part of the Democratic Base, and for too long we have been willing to take a back seat and play the scapegoat or the comic sidekick. No more!
I propose we have a major protest this weekend. It needs to be fast on the heels of this announcement. We need to be more organized. We need to show strength. We need to keep the focus. And we need to send a message.
I propose an “I’d like my vote back, please” protest. Against Rick Warren speaking at Obama’s inauguration. Against Obama thinking this is acceptable. Against the idea that gay marriage is the equivalent of siblings marrying each other, people marrying their pets or polygamy.
My original thought was to protest again at Saddleback Church. I realize however that Orange County is far for many people to travel, and that we have had greater success with numbers in Los Angeles. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Keep up the fight!
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 12:20 am
This is a huge slap in the face for those of us, including our families and friends, who stood in line to make sure our vote was placed for Obama. Not that the invocation should be happening anyway, but did he have to choose one of the largest homophobes in the ultra-influenced Evangelist Christian world?
Please watch this mini “documentary” about the reason behind the November 9 Saddleback Church Prop 8, and why it’s so important that we make sure that Obama knows he’s hurting his supporters with this move.
Hello friends and family!
Below is a link I would really appreciate you clicking on to watch and/or pass on to others. It’s a mini “documentary” of the Prop. 8 protest in front of Rick Warren’s Saddleback church in Lake Forest, CA on Sunday, November 9 2008. It shows the reason the protest was there, as well as the excitement of the movement. I feel it’s important for Americans to watch this not only to keep the momentum going for civil rights, but also because Rick Warren was just chosen by Obama to give the invocation before the inauguration. This is a slap in the face for gays and lesbians, along with their friends and families, most of whom stood in line for up to hours to make sure they could cast their vote for the positive change he promised to give Americans.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6179564105607515567&ei=xtdJSc3OMqa2qAPQm_2fCw&q=saddleback+protest&hl=en
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Way to go Obama! Way to put the homophobes who didn’t even vote for you ahead of those of us who did! Your poster is now GONE from my wall!
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Can we organize a collective”BOO” during Warren’s invocation?Those who are there can meet up as a group to join their voices. For those who can’t be there in the audience of the inauguration, we can yell out our doors, windows, cars, etc.. We can call it, “The Boo Heard Around The World.”
I wonder if anybody has ever been booed at a presidential inauguration? Would it be unlawful?
I know it may seem like a silly idea, but I’ve been thinking about it all day, and it would be something easy that anyone, anywhere can participate. It will certainly be news and broacasted.
Thoughts?
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Do you know how badly viewed “Booing” in an event of an almost Messianic figure like Barack Obama it will be. We might as well get use to Obama’s apathy and shenanigans in the name of unity and just remain silent because every time we confront him we will be the ones presented as the attackers and in a bad light, no matter if our protests are peaceful ones. He can come out tomorrow and say he’s going to criminalize homosexuality and if we dare to raise our voices we will be portrayed as the aggressors. Most of my gay friends who voted for him knew that they were voting for a rockstar with a worldwide cult following, these are the consequences that come after. Silence and obedience is our best ally right now and nothing else.
Posted on December 19th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Obama has chosen his allies. We are not one of them. His support is so strong that it will leave us in the dust. We won’t be able to get a foot hold on influencing him. Not many people stayed home on a day without gays. The light up the night, couldn’t compete with the Christmas lights. Our demonstrations earlier this month was a whimper in the wind. A million strong we are not. Hell, we couldn’t even get 100,000.
Posted on December 20th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Hi Wendy,
Are you referring to Day Without a Gay? That had a minimum of 500,000 confirmed participants (just on the Facebook side of things alone). You add that to the JoinTheImpact numbers and it exceeds 1 million. Today, Light Up the Night touched OVER 1 million people. It was an amazing success and I’m so proud of everyone who joined the cause.
Something that is really important to note here is that the vast majority of our country does not know what we are fighting for. They do not know that 30 states still allow employers to fire their LGBTQ employees. They do not know that 37 states have discrimination written into their constitutions. Hell, a majority of them don’t even know that we can’t legally fight for our country. And a gigantic amount of people think that since gay marriage is legal in MA and CT, that we can fly there, get married, and it will count across the country. Most married couples don’t even know that they receive state AND federal rights and that the states that do have gay marriage only provide 1/3 of the rights afforded to heterosexual citizens who get both state and federal marriage.
These events are about educating those people. These are people that do not hate the LGBTQ community. They simply do not understand our community and they believe the slanderous lies spread by the anti-gay minority. If we continue to let the anti-gay minority tell these people who we are… if we remain silent… then they WILL win and I’m not going to stand by and let that happen. We need to keep people talking about our struggle. We need people to know exactly what it is we are fighting for. We need to speak for ourselves and NOT let stereotypes and fear mongering speak for us. This is why ANY event we have will be successful. Because any and every event that we have spreads awareness, visibility, and knowledge. The only way to end hate is to educate. Light Up the Night educated over 1 million people tonight. That’s a great win. Even if 1% join our cause, that still gives us more allies then we had yesterday. And that 1% will talk to their friends, their friends will talk to other friends, and on and on.
It’s all about the conversation of equality. Day Without a Gay continued that conversation. Light Up the Night gave 1 million people that conversation. And on January 10th, the National DOMA protest WILL send that conversation to the White House.
-Amy
Posted on December 21st, 2008 at 3:12 am
Amy, why hasn’t the press verified these numbers? I don’t hear about this except our own people. I’ve learned to distrust the statistics from interested parties. People lie about certain facts. I think we shouldn’t put ourselves in that position without something more firm than someones blog on facebook. The LGBTQ has fudged on a few things in the past with prop 8 and I can’t see how that is going to win people over. Dishonesty is not our best offense. Nor have we been as tollerant as some may think. We protested in front of Rick Warrens church without incident. Some evangelicals were having a prayer vigil in Castro and were physically assaulted. The police had to escort them out. I know this because I saw the video. We need to clean up our own act before we sell ourselves as virtuous civil rights activist.
Posted on December 21st, 2008 at 7:01 am
When are we going to have a protest at Pepperdine?!?!?!? With all of those horrible attack ads during the election using one of their Professors as the spokesperson, and now Kenneth Starr the Dean of their law scool, getting involved in the legislation under the schools name, in my opinion this is WAY more invasive than the Mormon’s participation, and I think we need to let the students know that their tuition money is going towards paying the salaries of those who seek to take our rights away. Maybe we should organize a protest on the first day of the spring semester there? Thank you JTI for keeping us all organized and coordinated, we do show strength in numbers, and I’ll be happy to meet up at any event that you guys endorse here.
Posted on December 21st, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Jeff, are you saying that the school has no right to get involved. This is a legal issue and they are a law school. They have as much right to participate in the legal process as we do. The people of the Mormon religion also have a right to participate in the political process. I find it offensive when we always try to prevent other people from exercising their rights while at the same time playing the victim role.
Posted on December 21st, 2008 at 7:24 pm
No Wendy, I’m not saying that they don’t have a right to get involved, of course they do, freedom of speech on both sides makes our country great and keeps the conversation going, but I do think that the students of pepperdine need to know that their tuition money goes towards something that they might not necessarily know about and we obviously don’t agree with. The Dean of the Law school at Pepperdine has filed a brief to have my marriage annulled retrospectively, I would say that if it happens, I would be a victim of their tactics, no? I’m simply suggesting a protest at the school on January 5 (the first day of the spring semester) to convey to the students what the school is standing behind and our viewpoint.
Posted on December 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
yes we are so close to getting our rights.Its time to make a change.This change i personally think will help the society and their disrespect towards us and i think that if we do win that we will get or chances to just say ha ha to them because we got what we wanted.Our freedom and our rights toward this protest will benifit us and our nation.I have a friend that said to me one time.Why do they make you suffer?Why are we the bad people in this act? What are we doing wrong?I think that the new president will put his foot down and say that we will have or rights like he promised us.This act will benfit to the young and elderly to act out of our point of view.This act will make young people to relize who they really are if they are gay or straight.
Posted on January 1st, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Has the word Marriage become a branded word by the Conservatives?
“Marriage”- what does this word mean to most Americans and what image pops up in their minds when they think of this word? Have the conservatives been successful in branding this word to their particular ideas and political agenda?
With the tactics that were used to pass Prop 8, we were quick to learn that the conservatives wanted to brand the word Marriage to include fear, limitation and brutal misconceptions about the gay community. From their print ads and television commercials, conservatives injected an image that gay marriage would mean the tragic loss of their brand of “Marriage.” More than that, their message set out to convince voters that the loss of their definition of “Marriage” would surely lead to utter anarchy and ruin for our entire society.
What a HUGE statement!
In my opinion, the American conservative movement has absolutely been successful in convincing the general public that bringing equal marriage rights to the gay minority = the ruin of our nation.
Does the average LGBT citizen realize just how expansive a task lies ahead?
Realistically, how do we turn this around and instead brand our own vision of “Marriage” to the voting public, so as to avoid another Prop 8 or worse – the continuing ripple effect that Prop 8 could potentially create?
First and most important, our community must decide together on a simple and concise meaning for our definition of “Marriage.” We must focus on a clear image of the word that embodies our own political agenda: Equality. And truly, a greater degree of Equality in our nation will only serve to bring the exact opposite of anarchy… instead it will serve to bring a stronger foundation of freedom and happiness for all our people.
So how do we spread our message?
Here at Same Love, Same Rights our goal has always been to bring the community together for successful dialogue. We began Same Love, Same Rights three years ago to help bring the tools to our community so that we could indeed become more cohesive and rally around a central message. In fact, at that time we proposed a Gay Marriage Summit, inviting all the political and marriage rights organizations within the nation to join for one weekend to shape an effective and targeted campaign for equal rights in marriage, to find one cohesive voice to use not only to fight anti-gay amendments but to shape and brand our ideal (and non-threatening) meaning of “Marriage” to the public. This was three years ago, and I’m sad to report that not one LGBT equality organization replied to any of our invitations. Not one.
Their reasoning? We’re not sure. …They are too busy. They do not take us seriously, as our parent company is RainbowWeddingNetwork.com which has been in existence now nearly a decade but is a for-profit company and that fact, unfortunately, has been scoffed at by such equality organizations. (They are willing to accept sponsorships and cash donations from other, straight-owned, for-profit corporations, but unwilling to sit at a conference table proposed by us – a very small lesbian-owned company working daily on behalf of the gay community. Hmm.)
Or, more probably, there is another reason.
I invite you to ask why. In your own town, with your own voice, week after week… Pose your questions! And at the same time, make use of our Forum, visit one of our Wedding Expos or utilize our other resources to communicate with like minded LGBT citizens and advocates so that, at a grassroots level, we as individuals can decide the course of our journey to Equality.
It is, after all, our own individual responsibility. We must take the initiative and commit to promoting our own worth and our own human rights.
I look forward to reading your posts. Let us know your thoughts on the subject, as well as the actions you are planning to undertake in 2009 to move our cause forward.
Thank You.
Cindy Sproul, co-founder
http://www.SameLoveSameRights.com
http://www.RainbowWeddingNetwork.com
http://www.GayWeddings.us.com
http://www.RainbowWeddingNetworkMagazine.com
Posted on January 5th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Women will always be looked at as second class gay or not, so that’s easy for you to say.
Posted on January 5th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Hey Jeff - Students for Equality is actually sponsoring an event on January 27th where high school and college students across the country will wear the same shirt to school in order to raise visibility for LGBT rights. The proceeds from the shirt sales will be going to Lambda Legal to help in revoking Prop 8 in the courts. This might be a good thing to do at Pepperdine. What are your thoughts? You can learn more about the event by going to http://www.studentsforequality.com.
Posted on January 5th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
The Steering Committee of the California-Nevada Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) adopted a position last summer to go on record as opposing Prop 8. See also United Methodist Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr.’s letter of October 23, 2008 opposing Prop 8. http://cnconsole.brickriver.com/files/oFiles_Library_XZXLCZ/2008_10_23_WHB_statement_Prop_8_QCC5Z7MI.pdf
Posted on January 6th, 2009 at 4:28 am
Im 15 years old and even i and my friends are going to this protest! its going to be great! also in my history class we have to do a paper/oral presentation on something happening in current events and im doing mine on this, any way to spread the word!
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Not sure WHO runs this thing - my understanding that we ALL run this weekend’s protest. But I wanted to mention something — and hopefully this gets to the peopel that created the SIGNATURE PAGE used for collection of info … I am getting a LOT of people that are refusing or balking at adding their email address on the form. I am telling people that is OPTIONAL … I think there is a lot of concern about this information being used to start spamming people who sign the form …
I think that should be clearly marked OPTIONAL (which I did) — or totally removed from the signatures form.
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Hi Tim,
First of all, thanks for ALL your hard work in gathering signatures!!!! Second of all, you are correct that it is optional. I apologize for not marking that more clearly on the signature sheets. We will not spam anyone who adds their email to the sheet, this is merely another way to identify that the person is real. We want to make it clear to Obama that these people are as real as they come (that’s why we didn’t use an online petition)… it’s important that there is proof/validity to every signature. The least amount of info that should be taken is Printed Name, Signature, and Zip Code. Thanks again for all your hard work!!
Best,
Amy
Posted on January 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I recently saw a link to a video by a white gal, that rapped about equality…I can’t find it now for the life of me. Does anyone know her name, or the name of the song, or even a link to the video? Thanks bunches to anyone who can help!!!!
Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Oops…if you know the video info, you can e-mail me at dlphnlvr99a@netscape.net
Thanks again!
Posted on January 14th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I am unable to understand this post. But well some points are useful for me.
Posted on January 20th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
http://utahgaycommunityfreeequaldeserving.blogspot.com/
Who is Chrissi Buttars Gay Drag Queen of Buttar Palooza , is it an alter ego of Senator Chris Buttars from Utah ?
Oh Ho No You Don’t Senator Buttars!
Senator You Deserve At Least Three Drag Queen Bitch Slaps:
(1)The Ugly Black Baby comments were despicable no group of people should be Hated On That Way!
(2)The comments made about School Segregation are also unacceptable.
(3) There are many Muslims who are excellent model citizens which were offended by your remarks, As a Christian I was offended that you made it sound like they were all terrorists. As a gay tax paying citizen I was offended. You attempt to judge me without knowing me, based upon my sexual orientation. You fail to recognize my model citizen background, Westminster College degree, as well as having at least two major government related background checks, as well as being a Christian, and outspoken social advocate for change in our country and peace in our community. Who the ()/ell, do you think you are? You attempt to generalize all into one group by using outdated bigotry based stereotyping. When challenged on your hate, you give side stepped and meaningless apologies. You do not in your heart care for those that you have hurt. Your opinion is one thing; to be allowed to spout vile hate is another. I believe in Karma, what goes around comes around.
So some would ask why are the hate filled vile rants of these elected officials offending me? From those like (Eagle Forum leader Gayle Ruzicka, Chris Buttars and others in office) It is because we live in America, a country which prides itself on diversity. A place where as humans all have worked so long to all be treated equally. Where immigrants could come and make a better life. America has always been a place away from the wars of oppression elsewhere. We are famous for being the premier place for civil rights, and for treating citizens equally.
We as a nation stood together and said Slavery is not right, equal but separate is not right and we fought many wars to ensure the freedoms that life in the United States grants us. In the battlefields gay, straight, bisexual and transgender as well as many minorities fought side by side with Caucasians. My newly immigrant family fought in World War II because it was the right thing to do. We fought and eliminated Adolph Hitler and other dictators who suppress people.
We also do not as a nation condone HATRED. Hate is not acceptable in our society. Elected officials may not make threatening remarks about citizens; these elected officials may have personal opinions but are elected to govern for the people that are part of their districts.
The members of this minority group Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender People wish to have equality. We only want to be treated with equal respect and dignity, the same equal respect and dignity that are afforded to all nationalities, ethnicities of heterosexual people in this great country. We do not want to take away from the rights of heterosexual people to marry. We want to be allowed to show our love for one another and enter into a relationship which is legally binding under State and Federal Law.
Under these same denials of equality, straight couples living together also do not have any equality either in many instances. The Laws of the United States as well as most States say that you must be married as a man and woman by an elected official or by a religious leader and have a marriage license. Some States allow a few equality protections for straight couples who are now “common law married” due to time together.
We will attempt as a GLBT Community to show by actions and good deeds that we are decent and productive members of society. We will show thru our love for our fellow man that there are many struggles which face us as a great nation, which need to be overcome. We will show our Gay Community Love without lowering ourselves to the hateful racism and bigotry and insensitivity toward others thus shown by Senator Buttars. As an individual, I promise to work to bettering my community inclusive of all humanity, and the Country in which I live. Until I am god with a capital G, I cannot judge others.
May God Bless America and Utah when it someday starts acting like a part of it!
Tom & Darin 2nd Class Citizens
This past year in Utah, two 7 year old beautiful Innocent Angels were taken from us by evil in 2008. There were some of the unfortunate child murder Victims in our Family Values State. Thru Love and Taking Care of Our Fellow Man, Good Will Overpower Evil! We will be inspired by their memory to do good in this world! “I am but one man; united by friends I might be able to leave this world just slightly better than when I found it!” I believe in the power within all of us to do good.
From the website http://www.equalityutah.org/calendar/
Buttars-Palooza!
When: Sat, February 28, 1pm – 3pm
Where: Utah State capitol South Lawn (map)
Description: Utahans are fair and just people who strive for a better society. We believe “in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. We also believe in free speech. However, State Senator Chris Buttars crossed the line drawn by a fair and just people by stepping on a minority with offensive and demeaning language. Through his defense of the Senator from West Jordan, Senate President Michael Waddoups is equally complicit in this defense of the Senator. By their actions, Senators Buttars and Waddoups do not value or respect that sense of fairness and justice of the majority of Utahns. Senators Buttars and Waddoups did not just demean the LGBT community. They demeaned all Utahns striving for a fair and just society. By recently claiming the “the gays” as the “”biggest threat to America”, the Senator ignored climate change, economic disparity, racial inequity and xenophobia, and the other big challenges faced by America, Utah, and our cities and towns. All Utahns are invited to come the Capitol on Saturday, February 28th at 1pm to party for truth and justice. The event will be a lively and fun celebration of our diversity and inclusion of all in a fair and just society. The event will be MC’d by Troy Williams of KRCL and there will be great speakers, music, and other fun. Come celebrate with us!!!
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/national_world&id=6678311&rss=rss-wtvg-article-6678311
Posted on February 26th, 2009 at 2:45 am
what about doing a get together for as many of the gay and lesbian couples who married last year on June 15th, 2009? Show California and the world that we have not gone away?
Posted on March 7th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I would like to draw your attention to the Employee Free Choice Act. It was introduced in the senate yesterday and it needs our support. Please check out this Pride at Work resource guide to learn more: http://prideatwork.org/page.php?id=624
To summarize, the act will allow employees to unionize by a simple majority vote either blindly or publicly. Unions are good for all people, but are particularly good for the LGBT community. They support employment protection measures for LGBT citizens and domestic partnership benefits, to name two. It is time we show our support to the labor movement by calling your Senators today to urge them to vote for EFCA.
Thank you!
Posted on March 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
T-shirts - wear if you want. Don’t if you don’t want.
Here are the REAL things that matter: We’re going to run a political campaign to get Prop 8 repealed via referendum/proposition. IDEALLY not on the day of a general election.
We need to get ALL our friends & allies registered to vote in California ASAP!
We need to build lists (names, addresses, ph numbers, emails) of all of our supporters.
We need to get volunteers in every PRECINCT and Assembly District.
We need to organize and build a petition to get this on the ballot with signatures.
We need to build phone banks to get all our peeps to sign, and to get registered to vote.
And finally, we’ll need a massive, coordinated, professional Get Out The Vote campaign that is targeted and overwhelming.
Okay, now, let’s get started. I nominate http://www.eqca.org/ as the prime official organizer, with a massive nationwide coalition joining in to support the lead agency.
Posted on March 18th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Interesting site, but much advertisments on him. Shall read as subscription, rss.
Posted on May 26th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
So, when do we march to retain visibility and demand that Obama uphold his campaign promises? I can’t just sit by and let his lies fly. DOMA and DADT must be overturned. Where is the “fierce” advocate for GLBT rights we were promised during the campaign? As of today, the main difference between Bush and Obama’s stance on GLBT rights is that Bush was open and honest about his anti-gay position. The only way that we will win this fight is to not be silent, to always be seen, to always stand out. How do we go about organizing a march, a rally, a visibility act? I am more than motivated. What about a march on every state capital on the same day? We can’t just sit by and let this happen.
Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
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