Hope Wins Out
I just returned from a spontaneous Marriage Equality March/Prop 8 Protest (they’re saying there were 1000 people, but it seemed like a lot more…)
I was napping and drifting in and out of awareness around 5:30pm when the helicopters started buzzing outside my window. Frustrated that I don’t have a police scanner to hear what’s going on (I’m serious), I went to a local TV news website and saw that there was this protest.
Melton & I were off…
We walked a block to Market Street and saw a sea of people with No on 8 signs–there were whistles and chants and bears, oh my. SO many young people–SO “enheartening” for me to see–were SO energized and positive. The statement of common purpose was clearly to protest the passage of Prop 8, but the mood was incredibly positive.
As Melton and I walked out the door, I thought how incredible it would be to see a couple I had performed a ceremony for. We skipped across the intersection & down the block to Market and the first person I laid eyes on in the march was Vince–his was the first legal same-sex ceremony I performed in June. I love those moments.
Giddy, swarming, filling the whole of Market Street and surrounding cars, the mass moved on through Church & Market to Castro & Market to Dolores Park. Amazingly enough, all the cars who were held hostage by the march were beeping and people in the cars were chanting w/ the marchers E-QUAL RIGHTS!! E-QUAL RIGHTS!! I’ve only been in a similar take-over-the-street-situation during critical mass on a bicycle and let me just say that I’ve never seen such generous drivers. Thank you, Drivers of San Francisco!
As I was walking down Castro Street and looking at the marquis which is advertising the movie Milk, cars were beeping (taxis were beeping in support of the march), straight couples were marching with their kids in strollers and holding them in slings, people were coming out of the bars to join the march and I felt it again: we’ll win.
Vince wrote me an eloquent email earlier today:
“I agree that we are on the winning side of history and it is only a matter of time. I believe this for several reasons. The rights of any minority have never been given by the majority. Rights, in this country, have been gained by fighting discrimination in the courts. And those who accused the judge who abolished laws against mixed-race marriages back in the ’60s are seen for what they were, bigots. In my experience bigotry is caused by fear based on ignorance. As all of us step forward, gay and straight, and tell our life stories, ignorance will recede. I am hopeful.”
AS I WRITE THIS, I HEAR THE VOICES ON MARKET STREET AGAIN. We walked to Dolores, where everyone assembled (about 45 minutes ago). There was a little talking & then a DJ started. We walked home. Now it seems that everyone is on the move again, the beeping is ongoing & the cheers are loud. THE MARCH GOES ON AND I AM LEAVING TO JOIN IT AGAIN…
I can’t wait to see the celebration when this gets overturned…
