It's All The Same

For anyone that tries to tell us persecution and violence are different from not allowing us to marry and have equal rights, all those feelings come from the same place.

Don't Divorce Me

It Sucks that I have to even ask.


"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Did Your Neighbors Fiscally Support Prop 8?

This handy little Google Maps Website will tell you. Also shows some local businesses that contributed. Good idea?

Jon Stewart and Mike Huckabee on Gay Marriage

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

More of the same from Mike Huckabee. Says to Jon Stewart, "You might be using logic and reasoning, but I have religion to fall back on."

If We Behave, They'll Give us our Rights

I was reading through the comments section at the LA Times regarding that Prop 8 musical, and I read a sentiment I seem to be hearing a lot lately. (By the way I avoid comments sections like the plague, they are just filled with venom so much of the time.)

There seems to be a faction of people saying we need to treat this as a PR campaign, and we need to not mock the religiously conservative voters that helped to pass this amendment. Instead we should be clamoring for their acceptance, and showing them that we are just normal folk. That way we can pass an amendment of our own in two or four years.

Bullshit.

The idea that I should have to beg the permission of these people to be married is ridiculous. Lets think of other places where we can apply this logic:

* If slaves work a little bit harder, then maybe their masters will take pity and pride in them and set them free.

* If a woman is in an abusive relationship, then maybe she just needs to be a little more patient, a little more loving, and just try to be a better wife. Then her husband wouldn't have a reason to hit her.

* If you had been a better son or daughter, your parents would not have gotten divorced.

We should not have to beg for our rights, and our best bet to receive our rights is to take it to the courts. Public opinion is not on our side, and it will not be on our side until people are forced to accept us and see us in a new light, and that won't happen until they see the results of our marriages years from now.

Prop 8 The Musical

This cheered me up a lot today. Just in case you haven't seen it somewhere else first.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Off Being Civically Responsible

The long arm of jury duty caught up with me this week, sorry for the lack of posts! But to tide you over, I will give you these pictures from this past Saturday's protest at Los Angeles City Hall. They are not very good, and they don't give a sense of how big the crowd was, but I was afraid to try and make my way out into the middle of the crowd! (I get a little claustrophobic in seas of people)

A big thanks to my sis for coming out to protest with me, and also for taking most of the pics!

Back with a vengeance after lady justice is satisfied.

National Day of Protest November 15th

There's a link on the upper tight hand corner of my blog or click here.

A Protest Every Day Since Wednesday

I took Thursday off, and I forgot my camera on Friday. I think the pictures tell the story better than I could.

The Aftermath of Prop 8

This is a post that needed to be written, but I wasn't ready to write the days after prop 8 passed. I spent those first few days crying at random intervals, and I wasn't ready to say thank you to all the people who are out there supporting our cause. Brides like Meg and Carly who are out there taking a stand for what is right.

A little more obvious, but still definitely worth mentioning are the efforts of the lgbt bloggers on my blogroll. Especially supportive have been Christina and N. I feel like we've all really leaned on each other through this really tough time.

So, what next?

I don't know. I never thought I would say this, but there have been some very good things that have come from this proposition passing. People are mad, really mad, and we demand action and satisfaction. I mean right out of the 60's, outrage against the establishment, I don't care if you turn the hoses on me, by any means necessary mad. I feel like we are watching history being made.

I went to a big protest in West Hollywood on Wednesday. I went to a big protest in Long Beach on Friday. I went to a huge protest in Los Angeles and Hollywood on Saturday. Today I will go to what promises to be a big protest at the cathedral in Downtown Los Angeles.

There was a time in my life when I was much more political, but I burned out on politics. I was always trying to join a protest or a school walkout, but I burned out on them. This is different.

I don't think I've ever seen this many people at so many protests in such a short span of time. This is not going to fizzle out. We are not going to stay at home and cry anymore. We are going to take back what we had, even if we only had it for a short time.

That is the big difference between California and all the other states where constitutional amendments have been passed. Those other amendments were just hurtful. They said to people "you don't have the right to get married, but just in case you get any crazy ideas." People were disappointed, but they had not lost anything, it was just reiterated to them they are second-class citizens.

Here in California, we had the right to get married, and we should have fought harder to keep it. We got too complacent. We underestimated the lengths and lies the Mormon church and so many other conservatives would go to to take this away from us, and they succeeded. They used fear as their tool, and we were too slow to counter with reason.

But they have made us mad. And we have taken to the street. And we will have our rights.

It Didn't Change Anything

But it made me feel better to be sad and angry with lots of other sad and angry people.

I was hoping for a riot, but my friend said the best we could hope for was an impromptu fashion show.

Congratulations to Everyone Who Got Hope in Yesterday's Election

Gays and lesbians in Florida, Arizona, and probably California have considerably less to be grateful for.

We will continue with our regularly scheduled blog after a short break.

You Must Vote

You should vote for marriage equality.
You should vote against religious control in a civic institution.
You should vote against Prop 8 in California.
You should vote for marriage equality wherever you live.
You must vote.

More Lies from Yes on 8

The Yes on 8 campaign sent out a blatant lie of a flier, the Saturday before the election, telling voters Barack Obabama and Joe Biden supported banning gay marriage in California.

I am not an Obama cheerleader. In fact I am downright pissed at the Democratic party for feeding the country the standard I believe marriage is between a man and a woman line, but to fake endorsements is low. To fake them four days before an election with so little time to counter-act the lies is even lower.

We received one of the fliers in the mail yesterday, and I was furious. Have no doubt in your mind. This proposition is not about protecting children or protecting marriage, it's about homophobia and discriminating against me, my husband, gays, lesbians, and anybody who is different.

Samuel Jackson Says no to Prop 8

And is Samuel Jackson the type of guy you want to argue with?

And oh my God . . . Are those actual gay people in the ad? Those two guys in the picture are sitting a little close to each other, aren't they?

Frankly, I just want this election to be over. Tuesday cannot come fast enough for me.

¡En Español!

Mothers against prop 8. Latinos tend to be conservative (think Catholic church dominance of a continent).

I never thought I would think of this as a good thing, but fortunately Latinos aren't the best at getting out to the polls.

Another Reason Only Marriage Will Do

Christina over at Steady Happy posted this and I am borrowing a piece of it because I think it clearly illustrates a large reason marriage is so important to us.

the last time i got the welcome packet, patty & i were merely domestic partners. i tried to add her to my health care benefits. here's what we had to provide:

- our certificate of domestic partnership

- proof that we have a shared bank account for at least one year

- proof that we share some sort of living arrangement (a lease or mortgage that is signed by BOTH of us)

- an affidavit that all the above is true that has been notarized

when i tried to add her, we didn't have the joint lease (patty was on it but i wasn't) so i couldn't add her to my health care. this time, now that we are MARRIED, here's what i had to provide:

- a marriage license

that's it. nothing else. just one copy. we didn't have to prove anything. so i made the copy & sent it off in the mail. done.

please don't tell me that domestic partners and marriage are the same.

People have had to try and argue with ambulance drivers over what a domestic partner is because they wouldn't let them get into the ambulance with their spouse. No one has to explain what the term husband or wife means.

Why Won't Anyone Say Gay

I am noticing a disturbing trend in all of these ads. Here Diane Feinstein is talking about discrimination and how prop 8 is discriminating. Against whom? Gays and lesbians. Not once does she say the "G" word.

In fact gay people are nowhere to be found on these ads. Why? Because we would lose the election?

I am tired.

I am tired of lots of things. I'm tired that this is an issue. I am tired that we will not call a spade a spade. I am gay. Barack Obama is black. Yet no one seems to mention these things.

Lets call it what it really is. This is discriminating against me. It's taken a long time to come to the conclusion that it is ok to be gay, and I still don't feel that way a lot of time when I am out in the world. I don't need this campaign to bring that shame back.

Lets put a face on the issue. Look me in the eye when you discriminate against me.

I promise that after the election I will stop being all political. How soon after the election depends on how things go on Tuesday.

Apple Says No on 8

I was so happy to read this on the Apple website today:

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

I know it's a few days old, but it's news to me.

Mr. Jobs, I have already bought an imac, two ipods, an ipod shuffle, and an iphone from you, so I don't know how much more I can do for you now, but thank you for doing the right thing.

Ok everyone, do what Steve Jobs did and donate to no on 8 today.

Ok, lets see where the teams stand. On my side: Steve Jobs, Brad Pitt, Mr. Spielberg, Google, California Teachers Union, and every major newspaper in California.

On Their side: Mormons, Southern Baptists, Catholics. And they say this isn't about religion? Right.

Stay out of my life churches. You've done enough damage to my psyche. There is nothing wrong with me. You don't know how to separate the sinner from the sin, you can't separate me from what you consider sin because it is a part of me.

Am I Out of Touch

Should I know who Tim Gunn is? In my own defense I don't have cable and don't watch much television. I know I like him, because he's against prop 8!