This picture, which I took at the New York City National Day of Protest in front of City Hall, is far and away my favorite picture from that day and it visually sums up exactly what I felt that day.

In the foreground is my friend, actor Paul Stovall, an African-American man. He is standing in front of a sign that reads "Separate Is Not Equal." The sign is being held by a white woman. A white woman using the same language today that a black woman would have used fifty years ago. Who would have thought then that a white person today would have reason to use the exact same language to call for her own equal rights? It's stunning. Beautiful. This should be a powerful image of unity for all people who have struggled to obtain civil rights - black people, female people, brown people, gay people. People who have struggled separately finally coming together to fight for the larger, truer principle -- equality for all. That should be what this image represents. But it's not.

Instead, this picture is bizarre. Bizarre because, during the protest, Paul turned to me and said, "Someone forgot to invite the black people." The crowd was overwhelmingly white. 90 percent white. There were a few black people and a few brown people scattered through the crowd. In New York City. I overheard someone next to me say, "This looks like a circuit party." Bizarre because, there we all were, demanding to be treated equal, demanding to be included, demanding our civil rights, using the language of other minorities who have fought the same fight before us while those people were nowhere in sight! Bizarre because something is very wrong when we demonstrate that we know we have all gone through the same struggle but then don't fight together.

Only one person of color gave a speech. The other speechmakers said the people of color who were scheduled to speak couldn't make it. Separate is not equal, and separate is not united. And separate won't win this fight.

The protest in NYC last Wednesday and the national protests on Saturday were exactly the same. Something is wrong here. I have one question: Why is this fight for civil rights, this fight in particular, such a white fight?

I went to the New York City National Day of Protest. I will be posting pics and my take next, but I wanted to get this up now. Above is a compilation video of some of the speakers. There were a lot of inspiring speakers, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, U.S. Rep. Anthony Wiener, Assembly member Danny O’Donnell, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Marriage Equality New York’s Kathy Marino Thomas, Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle, former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model” and out lesbian Kim Stoltz, poet Emanuel Xavier and others.

But, for my money, the best speaker was Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle. Yup, Miss America gave a smart, moving, exceptional speech that, in effect, reminded us to that reason and tolerance (and I do mean "tolerance" - meaning "you don't have to like it, but you do have to put up with it") are required on all sides of this battle and will go a long way in winning the war because, as she said, "This is no less than the greatest civil rights battle of our generation!" You can hear part of her speech above. The full audio can be heard here (about 4 minutes long).

On Friday night, a group of Christians preaching in the Castro had to be escorted out of the neighborhood by police in riot gear.

Via Joe.My.God.

KTVU reports:

SAN FRANCISCO -- In San Francisco's Castro District, people on both sides of the same-sex marriage controversy confronted each other on Friday night, as police tried to keep the peace. Proposition 8 passed in a close vote and eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Members of the gay community said that almost every Friday night, a Christian group meets at the corner of Castro and 18th Streets. They try to convert gays and lesbians into a straight lifestyle.

This Friday night, the message didn't go over well. Some gays and lesbians reacted by trying to chase the group out of the Castro.

"Their rights were respected," said Joe Schmitz, an opponent of Prop 8. "They got a chance to go ahead and pray on the sidewalk and I had the opportunity to express my freedom of speech which is telling them to get out of my neighborhood."

San Francisco Police officers in riot gear formed a line and escorted the religious group into a van to safely get them out of the area.

. . . Supporters of Prop 8 include the Mormon and Catholic churches. They say the passage of the measure was the will of the people and that they are being unfairly targeted.

Don Eaton, the public affairs representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints in the Bay Area said, "The church only encourages people to vote their conscience. The church also reminded us what our doctrine is with regards to marriage between a man and a woman." He also said that some members of the church gave money to the No on 8 campaign, and they weren't punished by the church.

A non-profit group called the Equal Justice Society joined the legal battle against Prop 8 on Friday. It and the NAACP, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and Mexican American Legal Defense jointly filed a lawsuit. They are asking the California Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 8, arguing that it takes away civil rights.

"People of color need to stand up for the LGBT community," said Eva Paterson of the Equal Justice Society. "We think civil rights groups that represent people of color say it's very dangerous for the California electorate to take away constitutionally guaranteed rights."

The Justice House of Prayer posted the above video on YouTube under their username "IntolerantPeople" with claims that gay men kicked and sexually assaulted them during the melee.

It was the first time we'd been back in the Castro to do our normal outreach since California Proposition 8, which defined marriage as "one man with one woman" was passed. We played the guitar and sang together and worshiped the Lord. After just singing and worshiping God for a while, Roger decided that we should all hold hands in a circle and continue singing. So we did. Someone (Actually a person who came up and hugged and kissed some of us who he knew from the past) convinced some people that we were there to protest against the no on 8 campaign.

More after the jump.

Then some guy who was dressed up like one of the sisters (The sisters of perpetual indulgence is a group of men who dress up like nuns and call themselves the spiritual authority of the Castro.) took a curtain-type thing (Which I think they use to curse people) and wrapped it around us. Then a crowd started gathering. We began to sing "Amazing Grace", and basically sang that song the whole night. (At some points we also sang "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" and "Oh the Blood of Jesus".)

At first, they just shouted at us, using crude, rude, and foul language and calling us names like "haters" and "bigots". Since it was a long night, I can't even begin to remember all of the things that were shouted and/or chanted at us. Then, they started throwing hot coffee, soda and alcohol on us and spitting (and maybe even peeing) on us. Then, a group of guys surrounded us with whistles, and blasted them inches away from our ears continually. Then, they started getting violent and started shoving us.

At one point a man tried to steal one of our Bibles. Chrisdene noticed, so she walked up to him and said "Hey, that's not yours, can you please give it back?". He responded by hitting her on the head with the Bible, shoving her to the ground, and kicking her. I called the cops, and when they got there, they pulled her out of the circle and asked her if she wanted to press charges. She said "No, tell him I forgive him." Afterwards, she didn't rejoin us in the circle, but she made friends with one of the people in the crowd, and really connected heart to heart.

Roger got death threats. As the leader of our group, people looked him in the eyes and said "I am going to kill you.", and they were serious. A cop heard one of them, and confronted him. (This part is kinda graphic, so you should skip the paragraph if you don't want to be offended.) It wasn't long before the violence turned to perversion. They were touching and grabbing me, and trying to shove things in my butt, and even trying to take off my pants - basically trying to molest me. I used one hand to hold my pants up, while I used the other arm to hold one of the girls. The guys huddled around all the girls, and protected them.

Soon after, the cops came and stood between us and the mob. When it was getting more heated, the cops were like "You guys should leave." and Roger said "We want to stay." Someone tried to steal my backpack, but I tapped a cop on the shoulder, and said "Hey, that's my bag." and he got it from him and gave it to me. Others weren't so lucky. Probably half our team got their jackets stolen.

Eventually, as the crowd was getting more and more uncontrollable, the cops were afraid for our lives, so they escorted us to our van. (The cops were very nice to us from start to finish.) Our van was parked pretty far because it was hard to find parking that day. As the cops escorted us, the mob followed us, until the cops formed a line, and held off the people so we could drive away. We took the long way home, just in case anyone tried to follow us.

When we got home, we prayed and sang more, and then prayed over each-other. Please know my heart. All of what we do is for the Love of Jesus Christ, and the love for those in the Castro. The Bible says to love God, and then love people. We can only love because He loved us first. We can't hate the people because they are just broken and blinded by the spirit of this age. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities and Powers. It's not a political thing, we just love the people.

Tomorrow is the National Day of Protest. There are a lot of questions about what's going on and, fortunately, there are also a lot of answers out there. Towleroad has the most extensive Prop 8 information online, including:

The State Supreme Court has asked Attorney General Jerry Brown to reply by Monday to lawsuits challenging the legality of Prop 8, suggesting the court is taking them very seriously: "The filing the court requested from Brown's office will not address the ballot measure's validity, but will focus instead on the initial questions of whether the justices should accept the suits for review - and, if so, whether they should suspend Prop. 8 while they decide the case, said the state's lawyer, Christopher Krueger, a senior assistant attorney general. Suspending Prop. 8 would allow same-sex marriages to resume."

USA Today: After passage of Prop 8, support for same-sex marriage grows.

L.A. Times: Boycott talk spreads...

And go to Join the Impact for any questions you have about protests in your city -- times, locations, etc. You'll also find pdfs of all kinds of signs and banners that you can download and print out, like the one at the top of this post, created by Shepard Fairey, the designer of the iconic Obama posters.

For a complete update on all things Prop 8, check out Towleroad's Prop 8 super post.

I'm listening to Whoopi on The View right now, and she is talking about the protest last night. (Isn't it amazing that so many of us are turning to her right now to see what she says? She has become one of our voices -- more on that later.) Whoopi is saying, "If you don't know how you feel about gay marriage, go out and meet the families, go out and see what it is they really want." Amen.

Last night's protest was bracing. In a lot of ways.

It started at 6:30 (although I hear quite a few people arrive earlier), and I got there around 6:45. A thick river of bundled-up people marched down from the Mormon Temple, bent to file across 61st, and pool in Columbus Circle.

I moved in and out of the marchers, from the street to the curb and back. It was cool out, not yet cold, and serious out. There were alot of people, almost like a parade, but minus, for the most part, the abandon at a parade of a fesitival. Pockets of different chants dotted the route that wound beneath the enormous red CNN sign and headquarter. We were being seen. One of the protest marshalls kept shouting, "We're at 12,000 people! 12,000! Head down 61st! 12,000!"

More after the jump.

When I was deposited in Columbus Circle, I searched for a place to park myself and protest. I moved around, trying to see where the speakers were (I'd heard that Whoopi was going to be speaking), trying to find a place to focus my attention. Almost everyone else was doing the same. Most of the quieter protestors gathered around the more vocal ones, and groups of the chanters and listeners marked each corner of Columbus Circle.

As I roamed from corner to corner, I noticed that there was no real center, no focal point to direct the justified anger and the buzzing energy of the crowd. We had no leader. We have no leader.

Let me say now that I think what Michelangelo Signorile and Corey Johnson, Ann Northrop, and all of the other organizers did was remarkable. And I think the results of what they did have pointed us in a new direction. And that new direction is highlighting the areas we need to work on, as a community.

We are walking through a perfect storm of religion, race, and sexuality. Has this ever happened? And has it ever happened at a moment that has proven that fighting the good fight pays off? We have elected Obama. We know we can make things better. But where do we start?

I think we need to focus on the perfect storm itself. Homosexuality has not inoculated the gay community against the treatable diseases of the larger culture we inhabit. Last night was a very white, very male experience. Why? Why were there so few people of color? Why were there so few women? Why were we focused on what the Mormons did when there are so many other churches equally responsible? (I'm not the only to have noticed this - Andy Humm of The Gay City News noted these issues last night as well.) We don't do anyone any favors by pretending that the gay community is flawless and the rest of the world is evil. We need to address our problems head on so we can figure out how to solve them. And show them how it's done.

Andy Humm also wrote: "No speeches. No leaders. But lots of anger." I think the lack of leadership is what allows for a blurring of our message. The failures of the No on Prop 8 campaign came as much from a fractured gay leadership as it did from plain old bigotry. More from Humm:

Mark Monford, columnist at the Chronicle, called the response of the No side to the attack ads by the Yes people "utterly limp," writing, "As one of my politically savvy Chronicle colleagues put it, 'No on 8 was a bad campaign. Bad, bad, bad. Inept, amateurish, incompetent, and, above all, guilty of committing the first and worst sin of politics: taking the voters for granted."

And Dan Savage, bless his heart, has become a default voice, and he's doing as much harm as help. His "Black Homophobia" post was a bad idea, and his appearance last night on CNN made us look hysterical and unfocused.

We need to keep protesting, keep fighting, and become even more focused.Obama told us to get our own leader. So let's begin that search by leading by example. Let's use the enormous success of last night's protest to give us the energy we will need to make our community what it's always promised to be - a safe place for everyone.

boy culture has an extensive picto-history from last night's NYC Prop 8 protest.

The Village Voice blog has more pics and a breakdown

Boy in Bushwick came out and marched

Joe.My.God. was there as well.

Michelangelo Signorile sums up the evening:

Corey Johnson did a phenomenal job organizing the protest, doing all the legwork and working nonstop for several days. Don't forget that we came up with the idea for this protest -- Corey and lesbian activist Ann Northop and I -- on instant message and on telephone late on Saturday night. We put it up on Facebook and then it just blew up. Ten years ago we'd work in ACT UP for six months to get maybe two thousand people to demonstration. With this one, within five days 10,000 to 15,000 , as most reports seem to concur, were inspired to show up and voice their concerns at the Mormon Church for its having raised 20 million dollars to pass Prop 8. Enormous thanks to ACT UP veterans who saw this thing growing, realized it could be a big success or a big disaster if not properly executed, and jumped in to help with logistics, police negotiations, marshall training and media relations: Brian Zabcik, Jay Blotcher, John Voelker, Drew Beaver and Ron Goldberg.

After expressing our outrage at the Mormon leadership at the temple, we marched down Broadway to Columbus Circle, with those at the front carrying a 70-foot banner created by rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker. Looking back you could see the crowd going back for blocks.

I was absolutely blown away by the turnout and so excited to see so many new, young faces. I think Prop 8 has galvanized a generation, spawning new activists in a way nothing else has.

1) Whoopi Goldberg at the NYC Prop 8 Protest (via boyculture)(6:31)
2) Dan Savage and Tony Perkins on Anderson Cooper (8:53)
3) Protestor video from inside the march headed to Columbus Circle (6:50)
4) Protestor Video of the Mormon Temple (3:14)

I was there last night as well. I'll be posting about what I saw and heard as soon as I can.

I just heard on Michelangelo Signorile's Air America radio show that Whoopi Goldberg is going to be speaking at the protest tonight once the march reaches Columbus Circle. Whoopi has maintained an admirably clear head in all of this.

I've said this before - an African-American woman speaking about gay civil rights is a powerful and poignant instrument of civil rights.

This got me thinking about Jasmyne Cannick, an African-American woman who writes for The Daily Voice: Black America's Daily News Source. Jasmyne has a post today that suggests African-Americans were not correctly targeted in the No on Prop 8 ads: "So let's recap, no Black people for the No on 8 campaign ads (using Samuel Jackson's voice doesn't count) and Black people in the Yes on 8 campaign ads. And Black people made up 69 percent of the Yes vote you say?" Cannick writes in an article in the SF Chronicle:

I am a perfect example of why the fight against Proposition 8, which amends California's Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, failed to win black support. I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn't inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.

The blame for the failure lies with all of us. The No on Prop 8 committee failed in its approach to get the right information to the right people. The LA Times asks, "Where were the gay leaders? It's hard to imagine the civil rights movement of the 1960s succeeding without Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X, or to imagine the women's suffrage movement without the likes of Susan B. Anthony."

Below, is the video accompanying Jasmyne Cannick's post. It shows how the idea of gay marriage as a component of civil rights was twisted and re-shaped into something almost unrecognizable. Let me be clear - I am not saying in any way that African-Americans are to blame for the passing of Prop 8. This video is an indication of how some of those who favored it viewed its relation to civil rights. Imagine if there had been a similar ad that was AGAINST Prop 8?

I feel a little sick to my stomach even thinking about it, but Bill O'Reilly has a point. Now, obviously, I don't believe gays should be targeting black churches, but by that same logic, I don't believe that we should be specifically targeting Mormon churches, either. Let's stand in front of Catholic churches, Mormon churches, black churches, and Latino churches and make a broader, less bullying statement.

As yet, there is no consensus about who is to blame for Prop 8's passing, which probably means that the blame should be spread around to every voter who voted in favor of Prop 8.

Bill Marriott, the Mormon CEO of Marriott hotels, has issued a statement:

As many of you may know I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some might conclude given my family's membership in the Mormon Church that our company supported the recent ballot initiative to ban same sex marriage in California. This is simply untrue. Marriott International is a public company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and is not controlled by any one individual or family. Neither I, nor the company, contributed to the campaign to pass Proposition 8.

This is an opportunity for us, the gay community, to demonstrate that our hard-fought wins and losses have made us sensitive to the struggles of ALL minorities. Right now, the Mormons are an easy target for our rage, but that does not mean that an easy target should be the only target.

The full statement after the jump.

The Bible that I love teaches me about honesty, integrity and unconditional love for all people. But beyond that, I am very careful about separating my personal faith and beliefs from how we run our business.

I am personally motivated to speak now because Marriott was built on the basic principles of respect and inclusion. My father, who founded this company along with my mother, told everyone who would listen: "Take care of your employees, and they'll take care of your customers, who will come back again and again."

For more than 80 years, our company has grown and changed, but that basic principle still holds up. We embrace all people as our customers, associates, owners and franchisees regardless of race, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Our principle is backed up with a formal diversity program, which we established more than 20 years ago. Our Board of Directors has also focused on this priority and helped us be a leader and a better company. We were among the first in our industry to offer domestic partner benefits, and we've earned a perfect 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index for two years in a row. Many of our hotels have hosted LGBT community functions and events for years.

I am very proud of all of our associates at Marriott. And I want all our associates and guests, whom we welcome into our hotels, to know that we embrace your talents and thank you for your many contributions and your business.

This is the tactic I was hoping for. The protest is morphing from an anti-Mormon firing squad into a more general protest for equal rights.

Andy Towle of Towleroad writes:

Last night I attended a meeting of NYC protest organizers and marshals in preparation for tonight's peaceful demonstration which begins at Manhattan's Mormon Temple at 6:30 pm. The protest was organized in response to the passage in California of Proposition 8 and has taken on the more general demand for equal rights and marriage equality for LGBT citizens across the nation . . . it will begin at the Manhattan Mormon Temple location, and at some point, as the location reaches capacity, slowly march down Broadway toward Columbus Circle.

Michelangelo Signorile writes:

Let's not be anti-religious bigots and, as you've heard me many times talk about on the show, let's not engage in this divisive race-blaming game. And it should also go without saying -- but sadly, must be said again and again --- no ugly racist rhetoric.

And Mark Oshiro, who was arrested at the LA Mormon Temple protest, has a few tips as well:

Don't be anti-religious bigots, for one. Protest a church's involvement in an election and protest their contribution to passing Prop 8. But don't turn it into a free-for-all on that church's tenets or members. One, it makes absolutely no sense to do that. Why protest the Mormon church's practice of polygamy, which was outlawed AGES AGO? It's no longer relevant. Why protest anything else they believe in? Protest what they did, not who they are.

Don't be racist. While I don't agree with the number of "70%" when it comes to how many people in the black community voted for Prop 8, there's no denying the rampant homophobia that runs through that community. But holy fuck, please do not turn this into a racist tirade against black people. Not only is it not the point of the protest, but you're perpetrating the same hatred and ignorance you're charging them with. Grow up and be mature about your charges against them. Again, protest what they did, not who they are. [Via Queerty]

Stephen Colbert gives a great overview of the Prop 8 conflict. Colbert says it's "gays versus blacks, blacks versus gays, and black gays versus themselves." Dan Savage backpedals a bit from his original stance (the link to his article "Black Homophobia" is no longer working - Rod 2.0 blasts Savage for this) and, in a nod to Nate Silver, says it's old people who are really to blame. Savage says it's now Gay Survivor because we are going to "outlive, outlast, and outsmart the bigots."

Yes, Mormons played their part, but if it's now old people who are to blame, why are we not organizing protests outside of nursing homes?

Nate Silver, the polling superhero of FiveThirtyEight.com, dispels some of the myths about why Prop 8 passed:

Now, it's true that if new voters had voted against Prop 8 at the same rates that they voted for Obama, the measure probably would have failed. But that does not mean that the new voters were harmful on balance -- they were helpful on balance. If California's electorate had been the same as it was in 2004, Prop 8 would have passed by a wider margin . . . At the end of the day, Prop 8's passage was more a generational matter than a racial one. If nobody over the age of 65 had voted, Prop 8 would have failed by a point or two. It appears that the generational splits may be larger within minority communities than among whites, although the data on this is sketchy.

The good news for supporters of marriage equity is that -- and there's no polite way to put this -- the older voters aren't going to be around for all that much longer, and they'll gradually be cycled out and replaced by younger voters who grew up in a more tolerant era. Everyone knew going in that Prop 8 was going to be a photo finish -- California might be just progressive enough and 2008 might be just soon enough for the voters to affirm marriage equity. Or, it might fall just short, which is what happened. But two or four or six or eight years from now, it will get across the finish line.

This is pretty much in line with what Michelangelo Signorile has been saying. We are, relatively speaking, a young movement, and we need to be patient, and we need to keep fighting.

And as we keep fighting, especially as the protests continue, is that these are supposed to be peaceful protests. Via Joe.My.God, here is footage of a protest rally in Palm Springs. A Prop 8 proponent, an elderly woman carrying a large cross, is surrounded by a group of gay men who try to interrupt her interview. The cross is ripped from her hands, thrown to the ground, and stomped on.

CNN Late Edition Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Prop 8. Some hope - Schwarzenegger says the Supreme Court justices could overturn Prop 8. "I learned that you should never, ever give up." (Via Wockner)

The turnout for the weekend's Prop 8 protests was massive. From Salt Lake City and up and down California, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Prop 8. Between this turnout and the statement by Gov. Schwarzenegger above, there is reason to hope.

San Francisco
The San Francisco march saw one of the largest Prop 8 protests to date. Crowd estimates run as high as 25,000. (Via Joe.My.God) "We're not going to do nothing, we're going to start with a march tonight but we're not going to stop until we have equality again!"

Pink News reports:

In excess of 15,000 people are marching through San Francisco to protest at the passing of Proposition 8, the voter initiative in California that effectively bans gay marriage have admitted defeat. Organisers said: "We are protesting tonight in San Francisco because it was in San Francisco that the California Supreme Court gave equality to all Californians, and many people who helped us get to that point are based in San Francisco."

Los Angeles
Wockner writes: "Some 13,000 protesters took to the streets of Los Angeles' Silver Lake district Saturday evening, as large demonstrations continued across the state against Proposition 8 . . . "

365Gay.com writes:

We marched up to Wilshire Boulevard, and sat down again. It was getting toward rush hour in Los Angeles, and we were essentially an unscheduled parade on a major traffic artery. It was sort of like walking up to O’Hare airport on Thanksgiving and mentioning that we’d be taking over a couple of runways for the weekend. Were we really going to do this? Yup.

San Diego
More from Wockner: In San Diego, between at least 7,000 (police estimate) and 10,000 people marched against Proposition 8 today in San Diego, from Hillcrest, the primary gayborhood, to North Park, the secondary gayborhood -- a distance of about two miles.


Salt Lake City
The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Opponents of a measure that banned gay marriage in California took their outrage to the spiritual hub of Mormonism on Friday.
More than 3,000 people swarmed downtown Salt Lake City to march past the LDS temple and church headquarters, protesting Mormon involvement in the campaign for California's Proposition 8. The measure, which defined marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, passed this week.
A sea of signs in City Creek Park, where the march began, screamed out messages including, "I didn't vote on your marriage," "Mormons once persecuted . . . Now persecutors," and "Jesus said love everyone." Others read, "Proud of my two moms" and "Protect traditional marriage. Ban divorce."

New York City
The Prop 8 NYC Protest Facebook page has more info on the upcoming NYC protest:

Tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters are in the streets in California and Salt Lake City and around the country protesting the votes banning same-sex marriage in California. Join them! Make your voices heard right here in New York City. We will tell the Mormon Church how we feel about its relentless campaign to condemn and control our lives. Join us in speaking out against hate and discrimination! Stop them taking away your rights!

I was afraid this would happen. This is awful. Rod 2.0 is reporting that during the recent protest in front of the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Westwood, some white anti-Prop 8 protestors began using the N-word against the people of color also at the protest:

The recent passage of California's Proposition 8 has exposed some of the latent racism of many within the LGBT community . . . Unfortunately the "blame the blacks" meme is being commonly accepted by some so-called "progressive" gay activists. A number of Rod 2.0 and Jasmyne Cannick readers report being subjected to taunts, threats and racist abuse at last night's marriage equality rally in Los Angeles.

Geoffrey, a student at UCLA and regular Rod 2.0 reader, joined the massive protest outside the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Westwood. Geoffrey was called the n-word at least twice. "It was like being at a klan rally except the klansmen were wearing Abercrombie polos and Birkenstocks. YOU NIGGER, one man shouted at men. If your people want to call me a FAGGOT, I will call you a nigger. Someone else said same thing to me on the next block near the temple...me and my friend were walking, he is also gay but Korean, and a young WeHo clone said after last night the niggers better not come to West Hollywood if they knew what was BEST for them."

More after the jump.

Los Angeles resident and Rod 2.0 reader A. Ronald says he and his boyfriend, who are both black, were carrying NO ON PROP 8signs and still subjected to racial abuse. "Three older men accosted my friend and shouted, 'Black people did this, I hope you people are happy!' A young lesbian couple with mohawks and Obama buttons joined the shouting and said there were 'very disappointed with black people' and 'how could we' after the Obama victory. This was stupid for them to single us out because we were carrying those blue NO ON PROP 8 signs! I pointed that out and the one of the older men said it didn't matter because 'most black people hated gays and he was 'wrong' to think we had compassion. That was the most insulting thing I had ever heard. I guess he never thought we were gay.'

. . . There is more than enough blame to go around—the homophobia of the black church, lack of outreach by mainstream LGBT organizations, reluctance by the Obama campaign, many blacks gays and lesbians in the closet, deep pockets of the social conservatives, take your pick . . . . "

Read the entire article over at Rod 2.0. Something needs to be done about this and quick. I'll update this post as new information comes in.

Via No on H8 -- A list of upcoming Prop 8 protests:

FRIDAY
No On Prop 8 Peaceful Protest & Candlelight Vigil - Palm Springs, Friday 11/7 5pm Palm Springs City Hall, 3200 Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs

No On Prop 8 Protest March - San Francisco, Friday 11/7 5:30pm
From Civic Center, Market & 7th Streets, San Francisco, March will continue to Delores Park.

No On Prop 8 Candlelight Vigil - Merced, Friday 11/7 6pm
Veterans Park On M Street, Merced, contact: Leslie or Eileen, PLFLAG Merced 209-725-1140

No On Prop 8 Protest Rally - Long Beach, Friday 11/7 7pm
Starts at E. Redondo Avenue & Broadway, Long Beach, Continues to Junipero & Broadway by 7:30, ending at Broadway & Alimitos (Hamburger Mary's).

No On Prop 8 Protest Rally - San Diego, Friday 11/7 9pm
Balboa Park, San Diego, Marching to City Hall

SATURDAY
Inland Empire NO on Prop 8 After Rally - Rancho Cucamonga, Saturday 11/8 11am Heritage Park, 5546 Beryl Street, Rancho Cucamonga
Please bring a chair with you! Contact: Patrick Milliner, NO on Prop 8: patrickmilliner@yahoo.com

No On Prop 8 Protest - San Diego/Hillcrest, Saturday 11/8 12noon
1st & University, San Diego. Marching to 30th in North Park.

No On Prop 8 Protest Rally - Huntington Beach, Saturday 11/8 2pm
Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach

No On Prop 8 Protest March & Vigil - Laguna Beach, Saturday 11/8 5:30pm City Hall 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach. Marching to Main Beach

No On Prop 8 Protest Rally - Los Angeles/Silverlake, Saturday, 11/8 6pm. Gather at Sunset Junction, corner of Sunset & Santa Monica Blvds., Silver Lake

SUNDAY
No On Prop 8 Protest Rally - Sacramento, Sunday 11/9 1-4pm
Capitol Building (west steps), Sacramento, West Steps of the State Capitol. Rally. Speakers. Show up and be proud. Bring Signs, Wear Protest Shirts. People from SF will be showing up at the West Steps to show support with us.

No On Prop 8 Candlelight Vigil - Rancho Santa Margarita, Sunday 11/9 5-8pm Lake Santa Margarita, Santa Margarita Pkwy, Rancho Santa Margarita, Contact: teenageanthem@gmail.com

LATER THIS MONTH
No On Prop 8 Protest - Irvine, Thursday 11/13 4:30pm
Corner of Campus & Culver Drive, Irvine, Marching to Culver & Alton.

No On Prop 8 Peaceful Protest & Candlelight Vigil - Long Beach, Saturday 11/29 7pm, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

Got a "No On Prop 8" event you want to publicize? Need more info?
Go to No on H8.

Via the AP:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- . . . The ballot measure passed Tuesday, which was sponsored by a coalition of religious and social conservative groups, amends the California Constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual act. It overides a state Supreme Court ruling that briefly gave same-sex couples the right to wed.

The protest came amid questions about whether attempts to overturn the prohibition can succeed and whether the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in California over the past four months are in any danger.

For Cody Krebs, 27, four months was not enough time to fulfill his "intense hope" to marry one day; he and his boyfriend have been together for little more than a year, so they aren't ready to wed.

On Thursday, Krebs dodged eggs hurled at protesters from an apartment building. He said he'd seen worse growing up in Salt Lake City.

"It's important to come out like this because it gets the gay community into the public eye," Krebs said. "I feel like this has started a lot of conversations that had to get started."

The demonstration began outside the temple in the Westwood section of Los Angeles and noisily spilled through the western side of the city, with chants of "Separate church and state" and "What do we want? Equal rights." Some protesters waved signs saying "No on H8" or "I didn't vote against your marriage," and many equated the issue with the civil rights struggle.

Two people were arrested after a confrontation between the crowd and an occupant of a pickup truck that had a banner supporting Proposition 8. One demonstrator ended up with a bloody nose in the fracas. Seven arrests occurred during Los Angeles-area street marches late Wednesday.