Growing LGBT Movement Against Proposition 8

Protestors Take to the Streets in NYC, LA, Other Cities

Nov 13, 2008

The passage of California's Prop 8, eliminating same-sex marriage in the state, has prompted organized protests from LGBT communities in many U.S. cities.

On Election Day 2008, Californians narrowly voted for Proposition 8, eliminating the right of gay couples to marry by a 52% to 48% margin. Many LGBT people and their straight allies all across the country were outraged by the decision, and an organized campaign of protests and rallies has emerged in cities like New York and Los Angeles. A nationwide protest is scheduled for November 15, 2008.

After November 4, many LGBT voters’ happiness in the election of Barack Obama to the presidency was dampened by the passage of Prop 8. Reaction from the LGBT community in Los Angeles was swift. On November 7, more than one thousand people mobilized at the rally for equality organized by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. The rally took place outside the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS, or the Mormon Church), which protestors blamed in part for Prop 8’s passage.

The Los Angeles Times reported that LDS leaders had urged its members to donate money to the “Yes on 8” campaign, resulting in a contribution of about $20 million. The funds were instrumental in getting the initiative passed, the paper said. Some LGBT protestors at the rally called the LDS’ role in the election a violation of church and state.

The LA Gay and Lesbian Center also unveiled a new campaign, InvalidateProp8.org, designed to raise money for the movement to have Prop 8 overturned by the courts.

New York City’s LGBT Community Out in Force

On November 13, several thousand New Yorkers amassed outside the LDS’ temple in Manhattan, across Broadway from Lincoln Center at West 66th Street. The Advocate estimated 15,000 attendees, while ABC News estimated “hundreds.” This eyewitness estimated about 4,000 New Yorkers in the march, a sizable amount for a protest organized and publicized entirely on Facebook, the online networking site.

Chanting “gay, straight, black, white—marriage is a civil right!” and “two, four, six, eight—separate the church and state!,” protestors marched down the breadth of Broadway to Columbus Circle, a distance of about seven blocks. Police officers blocked the streets for the action.

The crowd seemed to be in a positive but determined mood as thousands held homemade signs objecting to discrimination and the church’s role in the Prop 8 vote. Many signs poked fun at the Mormon Church’s history of polygamy, noting the irony of the LDS’ definition of “proper” marriage.

More Protests Planned

A nationwide equality rally is scheduled for Saturday, November 15, where attendees are asked to gather at their local city hall for a peaceful protest. The mega-rally kicks off at 1:30pm.

The copyright of the article Growing LGBT Movement Against Proposition 8 in Marital Gender Equality is owned by Kat Long. Permission to republish Growing LGBT Movement Against Proposition 8 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.