What it comes down to: If love is blind, it does not see gender, race or religion (All photos: mine, as always, fair use is encouraged)
Up and down the state of California, thousands of people filled the streets last night. They turned out for marches, they attended spirited rallies on the steps of local courthouses, and they stayed for vigils on the Eve of Justice, because today, 5 March 2009, the California Supreme Court will convene in San Francisco to hear oral arguments for and against the state’s Proposition 8, which, last November, eliminated marriage equality and put the marriages of 18,000 loving couples at risk.
On the steps of the Hall of Justice, in downtown San Diego, about 250 people listened to powerful arguments for equal justice and rights for all Californians. Again and again, speakers and activists reminded the constantly growing crowd that, should the Supreme Court decide in favor of Prop 8, the rights of any minority group could be taken away just as easily by a simple majority vote.
Following the rally, the crowd, by then estimated at 500 to a thousand, lit candles and marched through downtown briefly stopping traffic as motorists honked and waved.
The media was again out in full force last night, and they heard the message loud and clear, that, however the court decides, the struggle for full and unconditional equality will continue.
The Yes-on-8 crowd have again and again dismissed the lawsuits, marches and rallies since Election Day last November as evidence of desperation on the part of the proponents of marriage equality. They say we have no legal case, the people have spoken, end of discussion. But, as these rallies and marches continue to capture the attention of the media and the citizens of California, the fundamental rights at risk and the once-legal marriages now threatened with annulment have given these issues an undeniably human face.
Last night in San Francisco, Harvey Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, told the crowd that taking away civil rights is an act of violence. He added, “As Harvey would say, when you let the majority deprive the minority of their civil rights, you start a shopping list. Who is next?”
It’s obvious the author of that sentiment remains hopeful and resolute that equality for all Californians is on the way
Former San Diego City Council candidate Stephen Whitburn did a sensational job as emcee for the evening’s proceedings. That’s San Diego’s Republican Mayor, Jerry Sanders, behind Stephen
San Diego’s Mayor Jerry Sanders spoke movingly of the impact of Proposition 8 on his own family. His daughter, Lisa Sanders, and her partner, Meaghan Yaple, stood beside him as he announced their engagement. Let’s hope it’ll be a California wedding
A word to the Supreme Court: it’s about more than just marriage
Veteran reporter Rex Wockner was on the scene and filed a terrific, in-depth report at his blog
Former San Diego City Councilperson Toni Atkins (left) and her wife, Jennifer LeSar, spoke of the very real difference that being legally married last September has made in their life
It would take a video camera to keep up with activist and community organizer Sara Beth Brooks of the San Diego Equality Campaign
A reminder for the California Supreme Court
Initial estimates of the size of the crowd on the steps of the Hall of Justice varied, but the crowd continued to swell as people rushed downtown after work to proudly stand up for their rights
Some on the Yes-on-H8 side argue that we never had the right to marry and so no right was taken away, but if a couple can get married on Monday, and on Tuesday they can’t, then something has been taken. 18,000 couples in California are still at risk of having their marriages annulled by the court based on a slim majority vote. Whose rights will be taken away next?
Amen.
