MACT Philadelphia Protests Proposition 8
By Regis D'Angiolini, MACT Philadelphia
Members of MACT Philadelphia joined 5,000 others Nov. 15 in a massive yet peaceful protest of California's recent passage of a law banning gay marriage.
Organized by the "Philly 8," the demonstration was part of simultaneous protests in cities across the country in objection to Proposition 8, which voters in California passed on Election Day making gay marriages illegal in that state. The Philadelphia demonstration included speeches by local activists as well as two marches around Philadelphia's City Hall.
MACT Philadelphia played a critical role in the demonstration as one of its co-sponsors along with such groups as Act Up Philadelphia, GALAEI, Independent Catholic Church, Metropolitan Community Church, the Reformed Catholic Church, the Philadelphia chapter of PFLAG, Queer Philadelphia Asians, the Philadelphia Gay News and the William Way LGBT Community Center.
Speakers included the mayor's liaison to the LGBT community, Gloria Casarez, local Metropolitan Community Church minister Jeffrey Jordan and local activist Brandi Fitzgerald. The event featured a moment of silence in honor of those who lost their right to marry.
"To see that many people show up spontaneously made it all come together," said rally participant and MACT Philadelphia member John Speer. "We were hoping we would get 100, maybe 500, but we got 5,000."
Signs at the demonstration displayed such statements as "14th Amendment: No state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws," "Str8 Against H8," "Your Rights Are Next" "Equal Rights for All" and "No More Mr. Nice Gay."
Despite the large number of people present and the appearance of a small handful of antigay protestors from Repent America, all remained peaceful and no arrests were made during the two-hour demonstration.
"We formed a barrier to create an isle about 10 feet wide so the police could usher the people from Repent America off the premises," Speer said. "It was pretty dramatic."
With adoption of Proposition 8, more than 40 states now have bans on gay marriage. Only Massachusetts and Connecticut permit gay marriage, with Vermont offering civil unions, which include a majority of the legal benefits of marriage.
Regis D'Angiolini is a member of MACT Philadelphia and the 2009 Convention Planning Committee. He is also a former corresponding secretary for NABWMT and a past editor of The Quarterly.
Our Freedoms, Prop-8, and the Obama Administration
-Editorial staff, with thanks to Kirk Reid
A recent Princeton survey looked at "gay" issues and how Americans perceive them. The survey shows significant improvement over the years, especially among younger citizens. The survey indicated that:
- 66% of Americans favor gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.
- 86% favor hospital visitation rights for partners
- 73% believe in extending health and employee benefits for gay and lesbian domestic partners
- 87% believe in equal employment opportunities for us (only 56% believed so in 1977)
- 62% approve our being hired as Elementary teachers and 69% as High School teachers
- 53% would extend adoption rights to gays
- 31% favor marriage rights, 32% favor civil unions, and
- 30% favor no recognition
While this is cause for some celebration, there is a darker side to the story. The recent "Prop-8" victory has some troubling statistics. Records from the California Secretary of State show that three hundred and sixty corporations from 10 states contributed over 3.5 million dollars to its defeat. These ranged from $100 to $1,195,000, averaging $9,700. Because of the fact that these were, in part, deductable contributions to tax exempt organizations, they are, in some sense, your dollars and mine. Personal contributions from corporate executives were not part of these statistics.
The Obama Administration reflects the changing attitude of the country regarding these issues. However, without our individual support and the support of organizations like NABWMT these promises are likely to fail.
Posted: modified by:Del Korte Modify date:2009-03-21 19:01:34