Feeling the Impact at the 15 November San Diego march
(Video: Chris Morrow, iReport, via CNN)

Rather than go on and on about how much the events of yesterday meant to me personally, I’ve assembled a collection of words and pictures that let the people, who participated and demonstrated their courage, resolve and creativity, speak for themselves.

Yesterday’s events didn’t just happen in the US; they took place in many locations around the world from Amsterdam to Osaka. Andy at UK Gay News has two articles, Marriage Equality for Gay Men and Women Gets Worldwide Support and Gay Californian Newly-Wed Couple Among Prop 8 Protesters in Hawaii, that demonstrate the impact felt within and outside our borders.

Jeremy, at Good As You, has an amazing roundup of videos from coast to coast.

The human rainbow flag in San Diego (Photo: San Diego Union-Tribune)

“You just have to make your voice heard, that’s all. This is a terrible injustice. I’m 80, and I’m prepared to spend every Saturday for the rest of my life marching.”

— Marion Rothman, 80-year-old San Diego marcher
who recently married her partner

(All photos from here down: mine, fair use encouraged)

“Nobody told me the road would be easy. Are you tired? I am not. … If you are going to talk about immortality, talk about hunger. That is immoral. Talk about war. That is immoral. But do not tell me when two people love each other that’s immoral. It is right.”

— Ron Sims, King County Executive, speaking at the Seattle event

“Today is a national tipping point. History will look back on this day as the day that the national LGBT community rose up and said, ‘We are not going back.’”

— Molly McKay, spokesperson for Marriage Equality USA

“The challenge is to march by the thousands not just here, but in Olympia. Are you willing to do that? … Are you willing to doorbell in suburbia and rural Washington, and seek the friendship of African-American evangelicals and Catholics and Mormons? If you are willing to do that, you will achieve equality.”

— Ed Murray, Washington State Senator, speaking at the Seattle event

“Most of us grow up with the hope that we will find one person to build a life with. That level of love and commitment — in sickness and in health, whether you’re gay or straight — that’s what marriage is all about. Why should gay and lesbian people be excluded from that?”

— Brad Clark, Campaign Director for One Iowa,
speaking in Des Moines, Iowa

“In spite of some religious folk on our right that are in favor of discrimination, God is not in favor of discrimination. I am pleased to personally take a religious position that same-gender marriage is God’s will. God does not make mistakes. God makes all people to be equal.”

— Rev Eugene Dyszlewski of Riverside Congregational Church,
speaking in Providence, Rhode Island

“From Golden Gate Park to Loring Park, we will step together until this battle is won. We will not forget the tens of thousands of gay couples who had their loves erased in California.”

— Gary Schiff, Minneapolis City Council Member,
speaking at the Minneapolis event

“We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly. We need equal rights across the country.”

— Heather Baker, special education teacher addressing the Boston event

“I’ve been gay all my life and a lot of us, we were patiently waiting for people to get it, and now that you’re saying (we are) second-class citizens in the United States of America in the year 2008 is completely unacceptable.”

— Annie Loyd, community activist and a member of Be A Human and
Equal Rights Organizer, speaking in Phoenix

“Everyone today is queer! Even Arnold Schwarzenegger is a queen today! … It’s not about sex, boys and girls, it’s about love. … It’s not ‘Yes we can,’ It’s ‘Yes we will.’”

— Tom Ammiano, San Francisco Supervisor,
speaking at the San Francisco event

“One of the ways we can achieve equality is through visibility. In Michigan, we are a progressive state and we are a state that moves forward and we are a state that does not discriminate. … This is historic. This has never been done before.”

— Bashar Makhay of Ferndale-based Affirmations,
speaking in Detroit, Michigan

“You are loved, and no one can take that away.”

— Rev Penny Nixon, minister at the Congregational Church of San Mateo,
speaking in San Francisco

“This is the civil rights fight of our time.”

— State Senator Matt McCoy, speaking Des Moines, Iowa

“I’m Christian, and I don’t think Jesus discriminated, so why should we?”

— Amber Horst, 19-year-old whose two best friends are gay,
speaking in Grand Rapids, Michigan

“I’ve come here from the fires because I feel the wind at my back as well. It’s the wind of change that has swept the nation. It is the wind of optimism and hope.”

— Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles,
addressing the crowd in English and Spanish

“It’s really sad that this is even an issue at all. Love is something we all experience in our own way and it’s very unfortunate that certain people think there should be a right way and a wrong way to love.”

— Kendra Atkins, student activist speaking in Minneapolis

I had to laugh when we marched past this.
Don’t think so. We’re not turning back now.

Finally, a message of appreciation and hope from the folks behind Join the Impact:

Last week, some felt angry. Last week, some felt defeated. Last week, some felt hopeless.

Today we have shown the world that we will not be victims anymore! Today, our community has risen and shown our opponents that we are MUCH MORE THAN 1 MILLION STRONG! We brought the world’s attention to the outrage that is Proposition 8. We brought the conversation of equality into the living rooms of America and around the world! Today, we took a gigantic step into the next Civil Rights Movement. We have brought the conversation to a national stage. Now it’s time that we keep it going. Join us in a challenge over the next 10 months that will make an IMPACT. 10 months – 10 lives changed. Everyone in this movement must help keep the conversation going. We are asking each and every one of you to engage in 10 conversations with someone who does not understand our struggle and help them to see our point of view. We are not asking that you try to infringe on or disrespect their beliefs. Change can not occur with insult, it will only occur with respect. If all of us work hard to positively affect 10 lives, we can change this entire nation! To help keep the conversation going, we will work with you to launch (at least) 10 national demonstrations of equality outreach. We have already begun taking the steps toward our next big event: Day Without A Gay on December 10th. It is now time we work with our nation to help them see who we are: citizens of the USA who deserve equal protections under the law!

This community has impressed JoinTheImpact in ways that we can not explain! We asked you to volunteer, and you stepped up to the challenge. We asked you to start a conversation, and this nation is buzzing. We asked you to show your pride, support, and love – and today, you all went above and beyond! You are the future of this movement! On behalf of the JoinTheImpact team, I thank you! You are the IMPACT! THANK YOU THANK YOU and again… for your amazing turnout, initiative, and ambition…. THANK YOU! Our rights will be achieved and WE SHALL OVERCOME!

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. — Gandhi

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, Mormons, Prop 8, Queer Rights, San Diego, TheoFascism, Video

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 16th, 2008 at 3:28 pm and is filed under People, Places, Politics, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.