Personal Accounts from Join the Impact

First off, some video footage from the rally in Mississippi — special thanks to ostinsfriend for sharing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiSj1YW_E8Q

A reader of Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish wrote:

I’m not gay. I don’t have gay friends or family. This isn’t about homosexuality. This is about civil rights.

I attended the rally in Portland, ME (no pictures, sorry) with my wife and 4 year old son. A lovely older gay woman in the crowd thanked me for coming, and I thanked her right back. I don’t support gay marriage as a favor to gays, and I’m not owned anything for fighting discrimination. We don’t–we shouldn’t–need to rely on gays, on friends and families of gays, to ensure equal rights for all Americans.

I’ve got no special affinity for the gay community, but I’m an American and a patriot: I’ve got a special affinity for my fellow Americans. I’ll be damned if I acquiesce to such shameful hate and discrimination.

There have been many stories in the media about the protests this weekend, but I’ve found the reports from protesters themselves to be far more intriguing. To that end, click on for links to photos, video, and personal accounts from all over the world.

Site news: Master protest list update (and more)

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a tab at the top of this page that links to a master list of protests. I update this from time to time with information from Queers United — many, many thanks to them for maintaining the list.

Today’s update included a large number of weekend protests outside of Join the Impact. Locations include UCLA, Saddleback Church, SF City Hall, NYC City Hall, Vanguard College, CNN in Hollywood, Tucson, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, Philadelphia, PA, and more. Click the tab to learn more!

I also wanted to draw attention to a couple of media events scheduled for today. A blast e-mail was just sent out regarding a press conference on behalf of Proposition 8 proponents. It will be held at 12pm at the Doubletree Santa Ana. Keep an eye out for any news or information that comes from this.

Also, for those interested: Tonight’s CNN’s Larry King Live will focus on the proposition — guests include Joy Behar, Cynthia Nixon, Gavin Newsom, and more. Should be an interesting discussion. Check your listings for times.

Finally, your comments are not being ignored. I’ve been reading what you all have to say, and I intend to respond shortly. At the moment, my goal is to facilitate the spread of all available protest and event information. I do not cherry-pick what I post; an appearance here is not necessarily an endorsement of the event.

After Join the Impact this weekend, I will be transitioning to provide more commentary that will both address the concerns you all have and lay out a strategy for the future. This will be in addition to the information on protests I’ve been providing.

In the meantime, I thank everyone for their patronage, and hope that it has helped the cause in some small way.

Saturday 11/15: Join the Impact *NATIONWIDE*

Date: Saturday, November 15
Time: 10:30AM Pacific / 11:30AM Mountain / 12:30PM Central / 1:30PM East Coast

Main site: http://www.jointheimpact.com/
Protest locations: Nationwide — see http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=45356108205&ref=mf
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JoinTheImpact

This is it, folks. On Saturday, the protests go national. Every state will have at least one protest location.

On the steps of your City Hall on November 15th at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out against Proposition 8 and all of the other pro-equality losses that we have faced in our lifetimes, in our parents’ lifetimes, and for many generations before us. WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE! WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need organizers in every major city to work with us and get out the protest! I know you’re all tired from all of the work you’ve done for this great election year, but I’m asking for one more push! Let the country hear our voices together. Let them see that we are a strong, adamant, and powerful community that deserves equal rights, and CAN’T BE DEFEATED!

Send this post to everyone! We have one week and must react to the pro-hate votes cast against us! Let’s help our LGBTQ friends, families, neighbors, and each other to IMPACT this country with a demand for our basic human rights! Join the cause, join the voice, and JOIN THE IMPACT!

Click on for Facebook event links to over thirty cities!

**CANCELED** Friday 11/14: Protest at SF Chronicle

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (See: Protest8)

Event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=33626752759
Date: Friday, November 14, 2008
Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Location: San Francisco Chronicle (901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA)

Friday 11/7: Protest Down Market St.

Facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=42679686319
Date: Friday, November 7, 2008
Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm

We need as many people as we can to come out and march down Market Street this Friday from 5:30pm starting on Market and Seventh (Civic Center).

In order for our voices to be heard we need as many people to join us as possible. Please tell everyone you know to join us as we protest this injustice.

The protest will end in Dolores Park. We will be going down Market from Seventh, continuing onto Castro and turning on 18th Street which will take us to the Park.

We don’t have money so you need to make your own signs. Make them flashy and creative!

We’ll see you there…