Just Say No (on 8)

There are a lot of words to describe me, but “activist” isn't one of them. I don't even like to sign petitions.

But I was so outraged by the November 4th Yes vote on Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage in California, (not to mention frustrated because I wasn't able to vote myself) that today I did something I've never done before—I attended a protest rally!

It started downtown at the San Jose Museum of Art, where maybe 100 or so people had gathered around 10:00 a.m.

We then walked about 1/2 a mile to City Hall... I even chanted along occasionally (SO not me!). My favourite one was, “Two, Four, Six, Eight... Teach your children not to hate!”

When we arrived at City Hall, there were several hundred more people already assembled, and more still coming. (I read later in the San Jose Mercury News that there were about 2,000 people in total—not quite the 7,500 that apparently showed up in San Francisco, but not too shabby.)

The rally was completely peaceful and incident-free—I didn't see a single person protesting from the other side. I didn't carry a sign, but lots of people did. Here are some of my favourite ones:

And here's a brief video of the event:

The rally was part of a nationwide effort. I'm looking forward to hearing how many people turned out altogether. It felt really good to take a public stand for something I truly believe in. I'm not suggesting I'm suddenly going to turn into a 60s-style radical or anything, but it's a start...

And next time, I'll be able to take the most effective stand of all... by voting!