The LGBT community takes to the streets in protest of Prop 8.
The gay and lesbian community has been overwhelmed and filled with mixed feelings of great happiness for the victory of Barack Obama and deep sadness and disappointment for the ban of same-sex marriage in California, Arizona and Florida.
Today, in California, the No on 8 campaign—led by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Lesbian Rights—conceded defeat when Proposition 8 passed with over 52 percent.
Rallies have taken place in Los Angeles and San Diego, as people all over the state try to fight for our rights of privacy and equality, while arguing that a ballot proposition can’t be used to amend the state constitution. A candlelight vigil was held in San Francisco on Wednesday night and a protest march through the Castro is scheduled for tonight at 5:30 PST.
Same-sex marriage was voted down across the country. In Florida Proposition 2—a measure that defines marriage as a legal union solely between a man and a woman, and makes any other union not legally valid—passed with 62.1 percent support. Arizonans voted 56.5 percent for Proposition 102 that will amend the state’s Constitution to bar same-sex marriage.
Still, most courts and legal advisers have stated that the marriages that took place prior to the ban in California will most likely not be annulled.
Today, same-sex marriage is only recognized in two states—Massachusetts and Connecticut—although some states continue to recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships. But with heads up, gays and lesbians all over the country have shown the strength it takes to continue to fight for their fundamental rights.
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.” Words from Activist and writer Anne Lamott.
JD Disalvatore was there on Wednesday night when the protests went down in Los Angeles. Below, she shares the events. See this video on her hope site, The Smoking Cocktail.