As fires raged in the outlying suburbs of Los Angeles, over 20,000 supporters of equal marriage rights marched peacefully through downtown Los Angeles as part of a national day of protest against the passage of Proposition 8 which eliminated the right to marry, granted by the California Supreme Court earlier this year.
Thousands arrived by public transportation, and the Metro added extra trains to handle the crowd. The guys I rode with had never been on the Metro before, and my train car was full of excitement:
It’s not snakes on a plane–it’s gays on a train! This is the best ad for the Metro ever, look at all of us riding. This is so much fun!
And later during the march, some demonstrators ducked into pho shops for Vietnamese noodles, while others took advantage of Phillipe’s Original French Dip and Olvera Street’s Mexican restaurants. So yes, it was a civil rights march, but it was also a chance to explore downtown LA.
The demonstration began with speeches by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Pastor Eric P. Lee of the Los Angeles branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, actors Alec Mapa, Rikki Lake and Lucy Lawless, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, and Lorrie Jean from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. The 
crowd cheered and applauded, their signage focused on equal rights, civil rights and the separation of church and state.
And yes there were some counter-protesters holding those really big signs about how God does love you just the way you are, and Bible law isn’t bigotry, but the weirdest one was this one. 
HUH?
The march, which kicked off with cool alternative rock songs broadcasting and chants of "Yes we can!," was loooooong, all the way to Los Angeles Historic Park, which bears the unfortunate civic nickname of "the Cornfield," like in the Twilight Zone episode, you know the one where Billy Mumy wished people he didn’t like into the cornfield. Yeah, unfortunate choice namewise but there was a little difference, and everyone felt wanted: The city had arranged for food vendors and portapotties–and they also appear to be absorbing the cost of the street closures, LAPD officers, riot ponies and the helicopters.
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ZED!
Thanks, Lisa. Quite an impressive turnout.
Hey Pups Digg this post in Support of undoing California’s awful prop 8!
From SFGate:
This is just the beginning of the protests which will continue until this bigotry is ended!
Honestly, the only threat to national security is the Hate Mongers who hate everyone who isn’t a WHITE right wing religious freak like themselves.
More:
Hi Kay how are you doing back there in Maine?? Weather been getting crappy?
In a little over a week look at what happened all across the country. Make me think there’s a movement starting.
Roundup of Join The Impact reports from many cities, including videos and photo galleries, here
You will believe there is a movement going on!! MM!!
Crappy! Raining/drizzly for days now. Can I have some sun please? Anyone? *towel drying hair*
Thanks Teddy!! Now see what these bigots have gone and done /S
They made all these people take to the streets to call Bullshit Mormons and Catholics! You can not tells us how to live nor make rules to define things the way you want them to be!
YES ON 8 EQUALS HATE.
Yes I do believe it. I was out in Philly today living it.
YUP!
No one has the right to control someone else or tell them who they can or can’t marry…PERIOD!
Good for you MM, I wish I could have but…
On a related note, from the new Frank Rich column.
We have boycotted all things Utah and known Mormon businesses for decades.
Mormons have community directories which list Mormon owned businesses nationally for whom they are suppose to patronize, they actually think they are a nationality. Psychosis is a tenet of their cult.
A one stop website to check nationally if the business is Utah or Mormon should be created by a computer wizard and then boycotted if so.
Get in the habit of checking at the store, even a bottle of vitamins can have the Mormon brand like Nature’s Way.
The only thing that will check Mormon Bipolar Nazism is an empty wallet or an empty bank account. To them good Gods are rich!
When their tithes drop to pennies and they cannot openly steal they may just fossilize like the Dinosaurs they are.
Support comes in many forms, it’s the collective energy of like minded people that get things done.
Get With It, Kay!
Inspired by this:
I was there and it was Beyond Fabulous! HUGE crowd, mostly young gorgeous and above all FIERCE. These are kids who’ve never known the closet and they’re chomping at the bit to KICK MORMON ASS!!!!
Made me feel 40 years younger.
I would venture to say here at the Lake there are many LIKE minded folks!
The Mormons I know aren’t like that. I wish I could say the same for the Protestant wingnuts, the ones who hate all churches but their own.
I know it’s a great source of comfort to hang out here.
Great news, Lisa!
These protestors, standing (and marching) for justice, in this case, the simple recognition of the fundamental civil rights to which ALL of us are inherently entitled, as human beings, represent the best interests of everyone and deserve our continuing support and gratitude.
Has anyone yet gotten a clear handle on when the highest Califorina Court is going to review this unconscionable tyranny of a frightened, deliberately misinformed, AND manipulated ‘majority’, strike it down and unequivocally make plain that civil rights and the state Constitution are NOT subject to whimsical encroachment (which might prod other states and the federal government to, likewise, recognize the fundamental guiding PRINCIPLES of genuine democracy as was intended by the Founders, and is most necessary today, given the travesties of the past eight long, frustrating and societally destructive years)?
The politicians were local luminaries but why do these rallies let such D-listers speak? (Mapa, Lawless, Lake??) Really, that’s the best they could get? It feeds a perception of crumbs.
I am not sure what the point of having celebs at all, but if you must at least have more influential ones (Ellen, Neil P. Harris) and not this embarrassing roster than wouldn’t make it on “Celebrity Mole.”
This need to include celebs at all is something that continues to baffle.
Bah hahahahahahaha! I’ll have to sing that one in the shower tomorrow! LOL
“Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so…”
*cringe*
This is not the what the federalists had in mind.
A question I have for my more experienced legal brethren is, do we have any way of checking the out of state national PAC’s who come in to fund what are supposed to be individual states rights issues. Had it not been for out of state money, I don’t the think Florida, California or Arizona Propositions would have passed.
??
but…LUCY IS XENA!!11!
maybe i’m just an optimist, but…
the same way that the astonishing ineptitude of GWB was instrumental in paving the way for That One, i believe the outrageousness of p8 has similarly paved the way for an amendment to the US constitution explicitly preventing states from banning same sex marriage. our roe v. wade, if you will.
the mormons are almost a side issue, though it goes without saying that they’ve surrendered any claim to tax exemption by their actions here. seems more like a political party than a religion at this point.