Prop 8 Protest on Saturday
November 13, 2008 11:20 pmProtest Against Propostion 8
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
10:30am
Portland State University
South Park Blocks Near the Farmers Market
(corner of SW Broadway and Mill)
An organization called Join the Impact has concentrated nationwide frustration against anti-gay measures passed in California, Arkansas, Arizona, and Florida. Protests been planned in most major cities to be staged at the same from coast to coast, and even includes an early morning demonstration in Hawaii.
I’m sure there are others who are like me and hesitant to be so faithless to the democratic wishes of the people. But when it comes to civil liberties, not everything can be left up to the will of the masses. Sometimes change must come from the top, if the majority does not wish to step outside their own comfort level and examine their prejudices. In this case, the protestors are demanding a repeal of the measures, especially Prop 8. Within our country’s history of racism and sexism, the government and the courts have had to intervene and declare all people equal, when Amercians have been too frightened to love their neighbors. Eventually, the shock settles. In the study of history, it becomes a wonder how we could have justified treating others or stood being treated as second-class citizens. As it has been with minority rights and women’s rights, so it must be with gay rights.
Furthermore, much of the funding to pass Prop 8 did not come from the people of California, but from the Mormon Church and other out-of-state big-money conservatives. This Prop 8 could be less a problem of misguided democracy and more of an example of democracy perverted.
The civil rights movement isn’t over yet. Come downtown this Saturday.
Photo by Fritz Liess
One Response to “Prop 8 Protest on Saturday”
Thanks for using my photo. We’ll be protesting at historic Colton Hall in Monterey, California on Saturday. It is where the first constitutional convention was held in California in 1849.
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