October 28, 2008

Oakland: More Anti-Gay Violence from Yes On 8, This Time from Mormon Crowd. Time to Turn Out to Support, Protect Your Brothers & Sisters!

Re-posted (with the author’s blessing); author’s name redacted at my discretion:

Oakland No On 8 Report and A Plea

Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:11 am (PDT)

We were down at Grand Lake tonight for NO on 8 and things are heating up. … I don’t know that the posts [on this message list] are really painting a clear enough picture of the situation. Let’s just say that no one got spat on tonight and there were no beer bottles thrown, but we personally felt scared by up-close confrontation, and I’ve been doing peaceful demonstration for years.

My wife appeared with an “Ex-Mormon 4 Equality” sign and that fueled a personal attack that was verbal and in-your-face, literally 2-3 inches from her. It included prolonged screaming, taunting, name-calling and anti-gay hate speech including things like “you need to be f’d by a man.” That was one thing, but when they actually circled around her and began closing in physically (grabbing at her), she called for the police officer nearby.

There was so much noise that he didn’t immediately hear her. Tomorrow we will go with whistles. FYI, three blasts = SOS. She had come from work and they were very angry that she’d “dressed nice” and was trying to make “the church” look bad.

We spoke tonight with a woman who was in Hawaii during the election that determined their laws on same-sex marriage, and she relayed that the homophobia really escalated after same-sex marriage was defeated.

Evidentally, people didn’t feel so bad about keeping their comments to themselves anymore. Let’s not allow this to happen in CA.

I know that standing on the street corner is not a lot of fun, but we have 7 days left to go in the fight of our lives. This is about everyone’s civil rights and right now we don’t have enough people standing on the streets with us that they feel safe. Please take a couple of hours to come and join us this week! Don’t engage with the angry people, just stand peacefully and create a presence in the community. Voters need to see our faces, preferably lots of them!

What can I do?

Come to the Grand Lake Theatre. No on 8 folks will gather from approximately 5-7:30 each evening (through Friday). Feel free to come early or to stay late, just come. We were there until a little before 9PM. We will disperse to various street corners nearby, so you may choose one of your liking. Bring signs, smiles and waves to passers by, but most importantly, bring yourself. If you are able to dress up a little, please do.

Please give your time now so that we’re not sorry later, and help keep our streets safe for everyone. Many of us are stepping up to the plate but in order to win, we must ALL take that step. Don’t think that your presence doesn’t matter because during this next week, it’s VITAL. This is everyone’s fight.

We hope to see you tomorrow at Grand Lake Theatre.

Please feel free to post and/or forward this as you see fit.

Don’t let incidents like this, which appear to be increasing in frequency, scare you off. There is strength in numbers (and video cameras), and we cannot allow any of our brothers or sisters to face the frontlines on our behalf without standing with them.

I am more determined than ever to be on the street November 4th (in fact, I just heard back from No On 8 and firmed up my shift). I know there is a very real danger that some hate-crazed crackpot — maybe this time with a car, or a gun, instead of his fists — may try to silence us with violence. But I could not live with myself if I did not do everything within my power (and within the law) to stop this crusade against equality.

I’ll be armed with two cameras, a phone, and everything I ever learned about self-defense, but I know the danger is real.

And I don’t care.

We will not be silenced.

Do not be afraid. Do not succumb to cowardice — for it is cowardice that fuels hatred and violence.

Posted by: Sapphocrat

Permalink | |