Join the Impact — Protest for LGBTQ Rights on Saturday
2008 November 13
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On Saturday, Nov. 15, at 1:30 p.m. EST/10:30 a.m. PST/12:30 p.m. CMT, there will be a nationwide protest against California’s Prop. 8 and the anti-gay initiatives passed in Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas last week. There are protests being planned in every state in the union, not to mention a few other countries.
For more background, check out Join the Impact and this awesome article on the woman who started it. I plan to be at the one in Chicago, and I hope Shapelings will make a strong showing all over the country.
Already planning to be at the one in Seattle.
I just send the link to this page to my local Gay/Straight Alliance leader so we can organize something here in Soo, Canada.
Yeah, I’ll be there, with my loud, angry, I’ve-had-a-shit-week-and-have-some-displaced-rage-to-add-to-the-correctly-placed-rage outside voice. I expect good times will ensue.
I’m going to be at the one in Long Beach. :)
I will be at the Rochester, NY protest, along with my gay sister – one of the loveliest people in my life – and her girlfriend.
I wish I could go to the one in Chicago, but I have to see patients that afternoon. I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen about it, though, so hopefully some of them will show up!
Trying to find a way to get to this in LA. I’m way excited.
Anyone going to the Ithaca, NY demonstration? If so, drop me a line – would love to meet local Shapelings!
I’ll be there, too! What the world needs now is love.
DC represent!
Please don’t take this as flaming, but .. what good are protests? Obviously there are a lot of people in favor of LGBT marriage. I’m one of them. But that doesn’t change the fact that either:
1) More people were against it, and in our government, the majority wins.
2) More people were for it, but not enough of them bothered to vote.
I’ll be at the Austin protest!
going to brave the rain to be at the toronto one!
I wish there was one in my city. I’ll be wearing something in support of my friends though, I have to do something.
I’ll be protesting with my husband and two kids in front of City Hall in Bozeman, Montana. Funny how our marriage has not yet collapsed in the face of the homasekshul agenda…
I hope to see you there, Kate!
Woooo, Columbus!
I think it’s supposed to rain from now through Saturday, but I’m planning on going to the one in Philly!
I love it when Tallahassee folks get it together. You’d think for Florida being such a dynamic political state there’d be a bigger activist vibe running through the town.
I’ll be at the one in OKC!
LilahCello: I’ll be there
I’m planning on going to the NYC one. :)
Please don’t take this as flaming, but .. what good are protests?
Erin, I’m not much of an activist, and I’m sure people who are will have better answers. For me, though, this particular protest is about visibility — with an eye to countering that “Well, more people wanted to ban it than didn’t” attitude. A nationwide protest that looks like it will be pretty damn huge is a terrific reminder of how many millions of people in this country are for marriage equality.
Please don’t take this as flaming, but .. what good are protests?
What Kate said.
My husband and I actually had an argument about that the other day. He’s not joining me at the protest because he thinks it’s pointless. To which I said, “Well, it can’t HURT anything.” But yeah, Kate said what I wish I had said.
I’ll be at the Chicago event, making lots of noise!
@Erin
Even if this one protest doesn’t end up overturning Prop 8, I think it’s important that the many people on the side of equality make their voices heard.
And more personally, I like the idea of getting out and doing something about this. The anti-gay legislation was the bug in an otherwise delicious glass of an election, and I’m still furious that a bunch of bigots could take some of the shine off an otherwise glorious event.
Right, I would usually have the feeling that protests don’t do anything, though I participate in them from time to time. But I feel that things are changing, and people are feeling their power and connection to the political process now, and I want to encourage it. I remember how awesome (in the literal sense) the giant immigrants’ demonstrations were a couple of years ago. (Giant demonstrations, not giant immigrants.)
(Giant demonstrations, not giant immigrants.
Why is it that we have closed our borders to Giant Country? I think this is a completely overlooked prejudice in America. What have we got against letting the Giants emigrate?
Also, I can now confirm that I am definitely going to the LA rally. YAY!
I agree with you 120%, Time-Machine. The extra 20% is for the extra-big immigrants.
But then again, if we let the giants become American citizens, then we’re redefining citizenship, aren’t we? Wait! I take it back! The giant immigrants are ruining my citizenship for me!!
P.S. LOL your absurd. ;-)
Atlanta in the house and ready to hit the streets!
@MMITH – Although I hear that they expect a LOT of people, you can find me with a brown-ish stroller combo and an older, long haired 8 year old son (who, as everyone says, looks like a girl. whatev – nothing wrong with looking like/being a girl we say!). I have a bob and nose ring (can’t think of any better way to describe myself).
I’m really excited to see the strong LGBTQ Ithaca community gathered together.
Sometimes you protest because you’ve just been pushed too far, and you’re not going to sit at home and write letters, or talk to people and make nice any more. Sometimes you get angry and need to be around a lot of other people who are angry too. There’s going to be a lot of publicity if millions of LBGT people and allies all over the US are protesting at their city halls and at the Capitol, saying we’re done with equal rights for everyone but us. Whether it has an effect on the people in power, it definitely has an effect on us to be with each other, channeling that anger instead of letting it keep eating us. I know I was depressed over Prop 8 for the first four or five days after the election. Now I feel energized and am very much looking forward to marching from the Capitol to the White House with my sweetie, lots of our friends who are married in their hearts but not according to the government, and thousands of others who are too or at least want that option open to all of us.
Obviously there are a lot of people in favor of LGBT marriage. I’m one of them. But that doesn’t change the fact that either:
1) More people were against it, and in our government, the majority wins.
2) More people were for it, but not enough of them bothered to vote.
How about because if a small group of committed citizens can change the world, imagine what large groups of committed citizens all over America can do? It’s the whole point of Obama’s acceptance speech, really — if you want this country to change you have to get out there and change it because one man, even in the White House, can’t do it for you. And the alternative is to sit back and say, “Yup, a substantial part of our country are homophobic bigots and we’re perfectly okay with that.” It’s that old that there are two kinds of evil: those who do evil, and those who see evil being done and say nothing, and America is apparently going to say something. I’m so excited for yous. Yeah changing the world.
Also, if you substitute e.g. “racial equality” for “LGBT marriage” it might be clearer what protests can do. Civil rights in America are very rarely granted by majority vote (the Civil Rights Act in 1964 is the only example I can think of). The founding fathers saw that one coming, which is why you have those evil activist judges with the power to mandate equality even when public opinion is still on the side of prejudice and bigotry. But getting people together in the meantime to protest against the prejudice and bigotry and make connections and find new ways to fight it is a good way to move the cause forward and try to change the world around you.
LilahCello, you’re in Ithaca? Awesome. I was there over the summer. It is definitely somethng special.
*old saying
I will be on an airplane during the big Prop 8 protest, but I’m going to the Prop 102 protest here in Tucson tonight.
Erin: 2) More people were for it, but not enough of them bothered to vote.
If that’s the case–and I think it very well may be–it’s ESSENTIAL that we protest, so that all of those people can see the consequences of apathy. Lots of people don’t vote because they don’t think their voices matter. If we behave as if our voices matter, others will be inspired to do the same.
Just got back from the rally in Chicago. Awesome speakers. Awesome crowd.