Sara and I decided to join the Prop 8 Protest Rally at Philadelphia’s City Hall today. What a blast! There’s nothing like stopping traffic with a few thousand like-minded activists chanting, hollering, and generally feeling the love. When we first showed up around 1 PM, the crowd was only a few hundred; however, when we left the radio said that the protest was getting bigger by the hour. One of the organizers said that over 5,000 people were there! [Edited: I had thought Brandi said 12,600 people were there, but what she actually said was that 12,600 people had seen the Facebook page. See her comment below for details]. Whatever the count, it felt great to support our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in their fight for equality.
Here some pics! That’s Sara getting interviewed by KYW News! People loved our signs and I expect lots of great photos in the news and online as all the major TV stations and several bloggers covered the event. Oh, a shoutout to Vangie from Dyke Drama who took a second to say hello and introduce herself; she loved our signs. Check ‘em out! (Full disclosure: We got the ideas from earlier protests.)
The spontaneous march around City Hall was my favorite part, and the police were awesome in keeping everyone safe. We expected Pro-Prop 8 demonstrators, but none materialized. The only sour note was a single downturned thumb by a lone driver. Most drivers honked in solidarity! Frankly, Philadelphia is amazing, and I’m proud of my city taking part in this nationwide event and the way that we supported human rights in California and throughout the US today!
To learn more, check out the Facebook Group, the Join The Impact website, and the Courage Campaign website.
Thank you for being there today. I did want to clarify that I mentioned that 12,600 people saw the event on facebook…I don’t want any exagerated numbers to go flying…I also wanted to let you know that the official police estimate for today’s protest was 5,000!!!! How amazing. If you could email me a copy of this blog, I would like to keep it for future reference and keep you in the loop on future stuff!!! Thanks again for coming!
Brandi Fitzgerald
The U.S. government crossed a VERY serious line with PROP 8.
This “proposition” threatened children’s sense of safety and belongingness in California. Children’s safety.
Regardless of THIS particular fight, there are way too many fights on way too many fronts for us to conquer piecemeal. The Time is Now – DRAW A NEW LINE in the sand and demand from President Obama and our representatives FULL EQUALITY.
Equality Is Simple When You Simply Include Everybody.
What? Not detailed enough for the lawyers?
OK, we can list repealing DOMA, repealing DADT, include transgender in the ENDA Bill, allow adoption of abandoned children, equality in immigration
issues, recognize our hate crimes as such, equal family/children rights……….whew! See what I mean?
We are EQUAL SOULS in HUMAN BODIES. Could we please STOP discriminating due to the genitalia attached? Plumbing will determine each civil right?! Any separation from the pack is ultimately due to gender (and/or gender roles & stereotyping), and that is SEXISM. I cannot marry Bob
because I am the “wrong” gender; if I were a woman I could marry Bob. SEXISM.
And I cannot stress ENOUGH how my own suffering from Marriage Inequality is NOT the reason for wanting or needing equality. I am not something to focus on. But my story, and the stories of countless other Americans desperately need to be addressed in this civil rights struggle. Marriage laws
were put in place many years ago in order to PROTECT individuals and their FAMILIES; if they were NOT necessary they would not exist (for heterosexuals). When these laws are NOT in place for ALL OF US, horrible, horrible suffering occurs. My WEBSITE has many examples.
So Americans want to continue denying us what they have already deemed as essential. And many people want us to WAIT…2….5……10…….20……..30 YEARS, depending on the “civil right”, for what WAS and IS our birthright.
I personally have a HUGE problem with that. I cannot wait. I will not wait.
Will you join me on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009, and help me inform the government that WE are eager to be included in the federal tax base as
soon as THEY include us in society’s laws? My 5-year-old students could understand this concept: EQUAL = EQUAL
As Americans can’t we agree that there are MANY other important issues to address (like the Economy, Education, Health Care, Poverty & Homelessness, Iraq/Afghanistan…all of these are related), and solving THOSE problems is more urgent than having “Equality Issues” TIE UP THE
COURTS for another 30+ years? We will NOT go away.
You keep procreating; we keep popping out. Sorry.
Our representatives have spent years inventing 4-letter words (DOMA, DADT) to restrict us, deny us, demoralize us, and harm our beloved families and children. Enough is enough.
NO MORE. NO MORE.
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The National Equality Tax Protest
– Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 –
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