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Here was the scene last night at City Hall, where over 2,000 people protested Proposition 8's passing. The crowed chanted "Marriage, equality, U.S.A.," and marched throughout the streets of San Francisco, commiserating the win of California's new ban on gay marriage. The march was surprisingly peacefully, with no arrests. (Check out the scene in Los Angeles, which had its own Prop. 8 protest, right here.)
Videos from the scene below the photos.
Scene at Castro and 18th Street
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The more I think of this bullshit and the so-called "Sanctity of Marriage", I think that the gay folks, if they really want to stay true to their roots and be progressive should shun marriage and bone up on the Constitution.
It's a fucking joke and nobody bothers to read it anymore. How many gay lawyers do you know? Get them involved if they would dare to bother.
I've been married and divorced twice. I appreciate a good looking person - male of female - and I'm straight. And never forward.
First time was for love to an amazon Jewish girl whose mother hated me for not being wealthy enough and I suppose not willing to convert to Judaism. ((yes you Jennifer))
Second time was a handout to a cute gal whom I also loved and she needed health insurance because - GET THIS - as a straight couple I could not have her added to my health insurance under existing California laws. ((yes you Carolina))
I called around and tried to have her added but WE as straight people were discriminated against because we were not allowed in California to have her added to my health plan because we were not married.
Do I sit around all day and bitch or protest?
No.
Am I dating another, smarter, better informed woman?
Yes.
Do I honestly in my heart believe that two consenting adults should be allowed to co-exist, marry and have children.
Absolutely.
Check Sarah Palin's family if you need further proof as to what the people who want to prevent you from living your life want for you.
BULLSHIT!
You gay folks need to keep up the fight and the straight people like me will continue to back you.
I voted NO ON 8 and mooned some blacktavists who some supremely homophobic church decided to sign up for intimidating and creating shouting matches on random street corners all over the Bay Area.
What a bunch of hating losers.
Next time don't show up in Escalades and Navigators with spinning rims and I might take the lot of you seriously.
Seriously.
Yo SFist editors, why did you have to write "surprisingly" peaceful(ly)?
Just report what happens, eh? Did YOU anticipate violence? If so, tell us why. If not, don't imitate the cheap news channels - don't try to direct the news of the day, just deliver it.
Weepy candlelight vigils = lame.
Come on guys, buck up. There were lawsuits filed immediately after Prop 8 passed. The state Supreme Court is on your side. Instead of throwing a freaking vigil, like somebody just died, organize yourselves a massive protest down Market St.
One of those marches is coming tomorrow, apparently.
@ GefilteFish
Agreed. It was effective as a way to disseminate information, but the picture in today's Chronicle plays just as I knew it would: supporters of Prop 8 look weak. They look like victims.
That they then marched on the Castro could otherwise be described as a retreat.
Maybe some folks needed this, and if so, fine. But let's put the grieving process behind us and get the fight on.
Obviously I meant opponents of Prop 8 look weak, as portrayed in the Chronicle.
Maybe I'm just really pissed off, but I think the passage of Prop 8 warranted at least a couple of cars set on fire.
Then again, angry and in your face doesn't seem to be working too well for anyone right now.
Don't march to the Castro, march on the proponents. On Sunday.
To be specific, how about a multi thousand person picket of St Mary's Cathedral? It's kind of Act Up esque, but the Catholic Church was very explicit in its support of 8.
-Robin:
I don't know what you are talking about with health insurance, maybe this was a few years ago you had this problem, but I certainly can currently register a member of the opposite sex as a domestic partner and share health insurance and the like from doing so. One of us would have to pay federal income tax on the benefit but that is because federal law doesn't recognize any domestic partners, same or opposite sex.
Here's another idea.
Don't protest in SF. SF is where the enemies of freedom expect us to protest. Take it to their city streets, businesses, places of worship - do it peacefully, but do it there. I'm sure there are a lot of Central Valley mega-churches that could use a little bit of the "love" they claim to be sending our way.
I think Assemblyman-elect Ammiano and Assemblyman-elect Leno should start talking with their colleagues about outlawing out-of-state donations to these proposition campaigns. It seems so very wrong that the state of Utah and other devilish groups of people from other states should be able to wield so much influence on our Constitution. If they want to contribute, they should have an office in California and kick in some California taxes.
I meant State Senator-elect Leno ... anyway ...
mushmouth -
Are you over 62? Or how do you register as a domestic partner if not?
The family code for domestic partners is pretty clear - http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=fam&group=00001-01000&file=297-297.5
I'd love to know as I'm in a similar situation as Robin.
Where any of you who are critisizing this protest there last night?
I was. With my boyfriend, and with almost all of my closest friends in the City, gay and straight. All of us volunteered for the No on 8 campaign. For some, like me, this was our first time getting involved in any major campaign, let alone one so very personal.
We were all depressed and confused yesterday, so happy that President-elect Obama won, so sad that a right was stripped away by a narrow majority of fellow Californians. Everyone I've talked to that went to this vigil/protest has said that the tone and mood was an empowering and inspiring. Something you wouldn't gather if you are only judging from photos. The many speeches given were fired up, moving, and put things into perspective. The cheers were loud and forceful. This lifted our spirits, reaffirmed the bonds of community, and got us back up on our feet, ready to continue this fight for equality.
The media can spin it anyway they want, but if it had the same impact on my friends and I as it did on the other 2000 folks there, than it did it's job. And yes, now it's time to move on, and continue the fight.
Is there a protest at that monstrosity of a mormon temple in the oakland hills on sunday?
We got spanked, we're in disbelief, it's painful and we need to regroup.
It's been only a day. Please resist the temptation to pass judgment and criticize. That doesn't help us.
Either get busy helping to fix this or STFU.
Thank you.
why is it surprising that the protest was peaceful?
San Francisco County voted against 8 by a margin of 3 to 1. If you're protesting here you're preaching to the choir, so to speak.
At the same time, SF voter turnout was pretty low compared to what was happening in the rest of the country. So maybe the choir needs to stop sleeping through the sermon.
...and if there was no event in San Francisco last night, no sign of defiance against Prop 8, that would have screamed of apathy and resignment.
...and if there was no event in San Francisco last night, no sign of defiance against Prop 8, that would have screamed of apathy and resignment.
Or a decision to devote their energy where it could have an effect.
Candlelight vigils don't say "defiance." They say "mourning."
...not to mention "age-defying lighting."
Well, I suppose we could have ditched the candles and protested in the dark? Maybe glow sticks and disco balls would have been better.
There should have been a big glowing cock and balls, groaningly held aloft by a bevy of vigilants, being repeatedly forced toward the impenetrable inner sanctum via city hall's doors.
Why not screw the seat of power right back?
um, can we burn down a Mormon church? Just one?? PLEASE???
Oh excuse me, there's a knock at the door be right baaaaaack...
Better idea: Let's round up all of those wacky leather guys who piss on and blow each other in public during the Folsom St Partay and get them on a charter bus to Utah so they can practice their freedoms on public property in front of a few Mormon Temples of Worship and all that.
Seems fair enough to me anyhow.
Talk about pissing in the absolute wrong pool...
um, can we burn down a Mormon church? Just one?? PLEASE??? Oh excuse me, there's a knock at the door be right baaaaaack...
Careful, they may be Jehovah's Witnesses....
protest in LA right now
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-protest7-2008nov07,0,3827549.story
http://laist.com/2008/11/06/hundreds_of_prop_8_opponents_rally.php
here's a good one:
http://saddleback8protest.blogspot.com/
The woman down the hall from me said she lives near a mormon church and she can't go home because apparently there's a big protest and she's afraid she can't get through (I'm in LA).
I'm not familiar with LA, which is so much more sprawled out than SF, but there have been the sound of helicopters overhead for at least a couple of hours. Could that be the protest, or is that just par for the course here?
@ porkbun: ah yes, this is the one that is preventing her from leaving. Good for them.
Avoid all you want but at some point, you will have to address those black and hispanic voters. And "pushing" them will only enhance their resolve...trust me.
Also, the gay community might want to avoid further comparing gay rights struggles to the civil rights movement.
Believe it or not, many blacks find that highly insulting.
If my candidate had just won the most historic presidential election in our nation's history, I'd be celebrating instead of being Debbie Downers.
Blacks Americans have endured centuries of inequality before reaching this moment. You might do well to remember that by expressing a bit more appreciation for how far we've come rather than what we didn't get.
Other numbers paint an even grimmer picture. If exit polls are to be believed, some 70 percent of African-Americans voted Yes on 8, as did 52 percent of Latinos and 49 percent of Asians; each of these demographics went heavily for Obama, blacks by a 94-to-6 margin. Los Angeles County, heavily minority, went 50-50 on Prop 8. These results have shocked gay activists, who knew from earlier polls that black voters favored Prop 8, but they were seeing much smaller margins, closer to 50 percent."Avoid all you want but at some point, you will have to address those black and hispanic voters. And "pushing" them will only enhance their resolve...trust me.
Also, the gay community might want to avoid further comparing gay rights struggles to the civil rights movement.
Believe it or not, many blacks find that highly insulting.
If my candidate had just won the most historic presidential election in our nation's history, I'd be celebrating instead of being sore losers
Blacks Americans have endured centuries of inequality before reaching this moment. You might do well to remember that by expressing a bit more appreciation for how far you come rather than what you didn't get.