Tonight was amazing. A viral invitation on Facebook to get into the streets drew "several thousand" people (according to the news--it definitely felt huge) at the spur of the moment. Many of us in SF were feeling a little cheated since there were no LDS temples to surround. But as we spilled into Market Street for the 1 mile walk to Dolores Park at rush hour, what was most amazing to me was the willingness of people to sit in horrendous traffic, honking their horns and waving or giving us all the thumbs up in solidarity. I figure I got a good glimpse of people who voted "yes"--they were the ones who would not look us in the face. I almost think some of them were ashamed of themselves.
This feels like something. And what is best about it was that it was not organized by any of the groups that raised zillions of dollars to put some milquetoast ads on TV when the Yes effort, funded by religious wingnuts and bigots of note, threw innuendos and lies about the law and about is into the public arena. I hope this keeps going. Everyone--those who were married, and those who weren't--all said some variation of "this feels personal." And it does. It is.
The thing that irks me most about the Yes forces is that so much of their money and power comes from outside this state, and preyed on the fact that California has a diverse population. The same fascists who want to build a fence on the Mexican border, rounding up and deporting undocumented aliens even if it means splitting up Latino families, the same people who felt so threatened by the swift, improbable rise of an African-American man to the presidency managed to put their racial hang-ups aside and appeal to the fear and intolerance of homosexuality that their religions hold in common. And now they tell us that our protests show that WE are intolerant of their beliefs, that WE are sore losers, and that now is the time for HEALING? Sorry, you freaking @$$hats, you put our rights up to a vote. This doesn't end until we get them back, and there's no healing until YOU beg OUR forgiveness.
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That Prop 8 passed on the same night that we got Barck Obama elected just fills me with dread. That a majority of LA County voted yes just fills me with dread. I am still not familiar enough with what is going on in the legal arena, but I am hoping that a court challenge will result in Prop 8 ultimately being rejected. I know that in electing Obama we were hoping to usher in an era of change, reconciliation, and yes, national healing. But forgiveness requires that those who have harmed you recognize the harm and atone for their actions.
Unfortunately, when a popular election strips you of your constitutional rights, I don't think forgiveness is possible. When they tell you you're being sore losers there is no understanding that you have been violated on a core level, and obviously there is no atonement for that violation. You have to seek justice in the courts. Sometimes, you just have to sue.
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