Last Entry for the '08

Hi.

San Diego Gay Rights Rally

It has been a month since Barack Obama has gone from Senator to President-Elect. A little less than two weeks after, Gay rights activists organized a nation-wide rally on November 15 in response to the passing of Arizona's Prop 102 and Florida's Prop 2 gay marriage bans and Arkansas's Prop 1 gay adoption ban. However, the center of the whole rally was based on California's Prop 8 succession of defining marriage between a man and a woman, bringing in an estimated 20,000 activists, the largest of all the rallies held that day.

With the idea, "If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything" lingering in my mind, I decided to attend the rally. Though I did not begin the protest at Hillcrest, I was still able to enter three-quarters into the march when it reached Broadway. On the way there, a woman in a car next to us panicked in disgust saying, "Oh my god. My children are going to see this!" Well woman, I do not understand why you are trying to censor your kids of something that is happening in front of their naked eyes. Let us be. This is what you call a democracy.

I was too busy enjoying the adrenaline of the support we were getting from all the passing cars honking. I wasn't even chanting along because I was trying to capture it all on my camera.

Some of the highlights include a young girl leading the chant,

"WHAT DO WANT?"
"EQUAL RIGHTS!"
"WHEN DO WE WANT IT?"
"NOW!"

Another, a young boy holding the sign, "Don't discriminate against my dads." Yet another young girl was marching next to me. Her two mothers asked, "Are you sure you aren't tired? Do you want to stop? Just tell us when you want to quit." She replied, "I don't want to quit Mom. I'm going to march until the end."

One of the striking statements was from a woman clothed only in her undergarments with "STRIPPED OF HUMAN RIGHTS" across her chest. Lastly, a human rainbow made of thousands of colored paper held by protesters in front of the County Administration Building.

For the first time in my life I was beginning to learn and accept who I was, am and will be. I was going to defy any opposition that deprived me of my rights and my identity. I wish not to hide any longer. This is not politics, it is Human Rights. Speak out and you will be heard.

Anyway, here are some shots from my crappy digicam. Credits to wparson's flickr for the really nice looking shots. Hahah.

Happy 19th Birthday Nicole Estanol.