No on 8!!!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

My handful of readers are probably tired of hearing me say this, since I assume you all agree with me:
Vote NO on Proposition 8!!

Do what you can: give money, volunteer, put up a sign, tell your friends!

I had an interesting interchange with the watch repair guy at Longs yesterday. When he gave me back my watch, after replacing the battery, he looked at the "No on 8" button that's pinned to the strap of my bag.
"Why?" He asked (with a really heavy Russian accent)
"Why what?"
"Why vote no on 8?"
"Because it's about rights. Voting "no" is about treating everyone equally under the law. Like the constitution says." I responded. He didn't look convinced.

He went on to tell me about his drive through Sacramento the other day. There was a block where all the houses had "yes on 8" signs except one, which had a "no" sign.
I told him they must have interesting conversations with their neighbors....

Congratulations to that one person or family for stating their position despite what all their neighbors think.

Anyway, keep working for change, everyone!

Phone Banking

Friday, October 17, 2008

Last night I headed up to the Presbyterian church up the road, which was hosting the Equality for All Campaign's "No on 8" phone bank.

I was nervous, because I'm generally pretty phone-phobic, most especially when I have to call people I don't know. Since a couple of us were new, there was a training session, with objectives (get people to vote no! get them to give money!), some time to practice the script, and then bang! Here's a 3 page list of phone numbers in the 916 area code. Get to it!

It was indeed pretty terrifying. Then it got better, because I realized that only about 1 in 10 calls would yield a conversation, and most of those conversations were "Oh, So-and-So doesn't live here anymore."

By the end of the night, I had spoken with about 5 people who promised to vote no, two who declined to state, and two who said "Actually, I support that initiative."

Pretty good stats, I'd say. We were told not to engage in debates or arguments with likely "yes" voters. We were just to wish them a good night and get off the phone as quickly as possible. You could tell that this was super hard for one guy in the room. I think he was having to physically restrain himself from berating any "yes" voters that he encountered.

When it was "friends and family" time, I got my mom and my bestest friend to donate some money, too, which was great.

In all, it was a really positive experience. I really felt like I participated in a cause that I believe in, and I hope that all of our efforts will successfully block the bill (please, please, please!!!!)

If you're an Oakland/Berkeley person, come phone bank with me next week! Thursdays from 6:30-9:30, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave, Berkeley. There might be pizza.

I'm so agitated right now

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I'm agitated only partly because I'm taking a short break from practicing the hardest, fastest piece of music that I've ever had to cram into my head at the last minute.

The main reason is the bad news on the Prop. 8 front. According to today's Oakland Tribune, the Mormon church has been calling on people and instructing them to donate huge amounts of their income to the "yes on 8" fund. On top of that, my mom drove past the Mormon temple today (she lives right below it) and saw a group of cute, clean cut, ever so trustworthy looking girls holding "yes on 8" signs. LDS folks have raised huge amounts of money (something like $20 million) for that cause.

I simply cannot wrap my head around this. It's making me so angry that I now have a giant pit in my stomach.

I know that some of my Mormon relatives read this blog, and to you I say this:
1. It's not about you. It's not about your traditional lifestyle. Your life will not change if same sex civil marriages continue. You are under no threat whatsoever.
2. It is about rights. It's about the rights of others and their protection under the law.
3. It's not about God. Or religion at all. Or the Church. It's about rights. It's about the rights of others and their protection under the law.

To you, I also say:
Please, please, please have the courage and strength to stand up and say "NO."
Have the strength to determine for yourself what is right and wrong.
Have the courage to confidently live your life according to how you see fit, and let all others do the same.
Realize that there is no way in which same sex civil marriage can be denied on a purely civic argument. The opposition to it (by which I mean the support of proposition 8) is basing all of the arguments on religion.
Have the guts to actually live the separation of church and state that the constitution ensures.

Huzzah!!!!!

Friday, May 16, 2008

I am so proud to be from California right now. The CA Supreme Court has overturned the ban on lesbian/gay marriage! Whoo hoo!

I was driving around in circles yesterday, trying to find a place to park (which was insanely difficult, and I was really frustrated), already late for work because there was no parking, when Michael Krasny (on NPR) interrupted himself to announce the ruling. I "whoo hooed" in the car.

Here's some history: The first election that I voted in was the spring 2000 CA election (and presidential primary? maybe, can't remember). My friends and I were outraged when Proposition 22 passed, decreeing that marriage was between one man and one woman. We were so insensed, in that really righteous way that only teenagers can be. We simply could not understand how so many people could be so illogical and hateful. Skip to 2004. My college friends and I cheered when Gavin Newsom took it into his own hands to try to undo prop 22. We really cheered when Del and Phyllis, a lesbian couple who are positively famous in San Francisco, and who have been together since 1954 (!!) were the first in line to get married at CityHall.

Well, we cheered yesterday as well. The conservative groups are "vowing to fight this," so the celebration shouldn't get too wild, but hopefully people will realize that marriage rights for a new group of people don't infringe on the rights of the others. Our illustrious governor, about whom I'm usually just embarrassed, said beforehand that he would uphold the court's ruling, and repeated that after the result was announced. Cool.

What's not cool is the weather. How's that for a transition?? It was nearly 100 degrees f yesterday, and it's supposed to be about 90-95 again today. This is northern California, people! We're not equipped for this! No one has air-conditioning at home or anything! I think I was most comfortable while in Safeway, cuz that was the coolest building around. Oh yeah, and the air conditioning at work is broken. The kids are positively roasting.


Speaking of work, it's 7:20 and I must go get ready for said drudgery.
Go California!!!