On Saturday, November 15 over 80 cities across the country participated in peaceful protests against the passage of Prop 8. Join The Impact, the grass-roots movement formed by ordinary gay citizens via social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace were able to turn out thousands of marriage equality supporters and straight allies as we took to the streets to defend our civil rights.
The Atlanta protest also drew a considerably large crowd of enthusiastic LGBT Atlanta residents. Although the state of Georgia passed an amendment in 2004 banning gay marriage, Georgians understand that Prop 8 affects the entire community.
Spirits were high and the energy and determination of the crowd couldn't be swayed despite the freezing temperature.
"Gay, straight, black, white, marriage is a civil right"! This particular chant has become the overarching theme during recent protests and everyone from the participants to those driving by who honked their horns in support seem to react to the truth within.
Monica Holmes of Transgender Veterans Association, Atlanta gay rights activist Duncan Teague, and children's author and straight ally Evelyn Coleman gave rousing speeches on the steps of the state capital. It also felt good to see the diversity in the crowd of those who care about marriage equality, debunking the idea that gay marriage only matters to white gays and lesbians( well I never believed that to begin with..I'm just saying).
Experience the Atlanta Prop 8 protest in the video below and get the latest Mega Prop 8 Update via Towleroad.
5 Comments:
Thanks for the pictures! Too Shy to Stop photographer Shaun Bell attended the protest too. You can view the photo essay here.
November 17, 2008 7:22 PM
I felt that sista...Prop 8 is stupid!
November 17, 2008 7:57 PM
Thanks Atlanta for your support from here in Los Angeles. Saturday was an awesome event across the nation and world. Together we can make a difference and gain equal rights nationally. Keep up the fight.
November 17, 2008 7:57 PM
He is right. This thing will take time. I suggest all folks in the LGBT community honker down and strap in. It will definitely be a bumpy ride. I wish you all the very best. But I will say that the tension between the Black community and the gay commuinty is so unnecessary. While I do know many Black folks that would be in favor of prop 8, this is in NO WAy a Black thing. Hmph ... I ain't going for that one. This is a people thing. This is not the fault of the Black community.
November 17, 2008 7:57 PM
It was great to see you out there and representing as proudly and fiercely as ever :) It was a great feel-good moment, and now we have to figure out how do we mobilize this kind of energy BEFORE we've already been defeated. If we can do that, we might surprise ourselves with our strength :)
November 18, 2008 10:01 AM
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