Commentary: Love is a [legal] battlefield.

“Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival . . . To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State’s citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.”

The above excerpt is from the U.S. Supreme Court (Warren) unanimous opinion on Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 landmark case that abolished the ban on interracial marriage. Over four decades later, we find ourselves fighting once again for the rights that are so “fundamental to our very existence and survival.”

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.

In photos: Join the Impact – San Jose

Flickr photo set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pin/sets/72157609151275104/

In sum: Amazing. We can choose to look back and wonder what might have been if this sort of positive spirit and energy was present prior to the election, but it doesn’t matter now. This was what the movement needed. This was what got myself — a straight male in college — to push my peers to stand up and rally alongside the LGBT community. They might have won a sentence last week, but we ended up winning so much more.

This isn’t just California’s fight, anymore. This is for everyone that supports civil rights, and you all came out in astounding numbers. It might not seem like it now, but we’re that much closer to achieving marriage equality for all. A very special thank you to everyone that took part.

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 *INTERNATIONAL*

Date: Saturday, November 15
Time: Unknown — contact your local organizer
Location: Varies — see support page
Support page: http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/page/International

As of today, the Join the Impact protests are now international events. Areas listed so far include the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia, The Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong, and Belgium.

Note that information is limited at this time, and is subject to drastic changes over the next 24-48 hours. For the most updated news on the international protests, please visit the support page.

Saturday 11/15: Reno Protest at 5:30PM

For more information, please visit yourgayreno.com.

(Note: This is technically part of the “Join the Impact” national protest, but I’ve made an effort to separate it due to the differing start time.)

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!

Media coverage: FiveThirtyEight weighs in

FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver, one of the premier polling analysts this election season, takes on the Proposition 8 myths:

Certainly, the No on 8 folks might have done a better job of outreach to California’s black and Latino communities. But the notion that Prop 8 passed because of the Obama turnout surge is silly. Exit polls suggest that first-time voters — the vast majority of whom were driven to turn out by Obama (he won 83 percent [!] of their votes) — voted against Prop 8 by a 62-38 margin. More experienced voters voted for the measure 56-44, however, providing for its passage . . . At the end of the day, Prop 8’s passage was more a generational matter than a racial one. If nobody over the age of 65 had voted, Prop 8 would have failed by a point or two. It appears that the generational splits may be larger within minority communities than among whites, although the data on this is sketchy.

On that note, I have a small anecdote to share. I have a sister who is just finishing up elementary school. When the topic of marriage equality came up, I was surprised to hear her chime in. She wanted us to vote against Proposition 8.

“But do you even know what it’s about?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s when a boy and a boy gets married,” she replied.

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

“No. All my friends don’t want it to pass, either.”

This is why all the concern about same-sex marriage being taught to children is a non-starter. These kids are far more intelligent than we give them credit for. I’m a straight male, so my sister didn’t discover homosexuality from observing my lifestyle. Instead, those her age learn about the basic aspects from their surroundings — and frankly, they don’t see it as a big deal.

I can only hope we learn to be as tolerant.

Wednesday 11/12: NYC Temple Protest

Event link: http://tinyurl.com/44ywjn
Date: November 12th
Time: 6:30PM
Location: The Mormon Temple in New York City (125 Columbus Ave at 65th Street)

This Wednesday, New Yorkers will be gathering in Manhattan to Protest the failed Prop. 8 from California past ballot.

Bring signs, candles, friends! However, please be respectful. Protesters are not there to protest the Mormon faith.

Media coverage: Olbermann speaks out

What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don’t you, as human beings, have to embrace… that love? The world is barren enough.

It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do? (MSNBC Transcript)

I understand that Olbermann can be a divisive media figure, and that his tendency to be smug can turn even his core audience off — but I ask that you view this video with an open mind. This movement goes beyond politics, and he recognizes that by making one of the most eloquent cases for marriage equality. Pass this along.