Protesters urge Calif. lawmakers to oppose same-sex marriage bill (Los Angeles rally!)

LOS ANGELES - About 200 people opposing same-sex marriages held a rally Tuesday, urging state lawmakers to vote against a proposed bill that would allow gay unions in California.

The gathering at Pershing Square came one day after Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriages, and rally organizers that included several religious and community groups worried California would be next.

"The message we want to send is this - yesterday in Massachusetts same-sex marriages began. However, in California same-sex marriage ends today," said Luis Galdamez, spokesman for the Campaign for California Families. "And we need to take it to the politicians. ... What we want is marriage between one man and one woman."

Protesters shouted "no homosexual marriage" and waved signs, including one that read, "Let's not legalize immorality." Children, accompanied by their parents, also protested.

A girl held a sign addressed to the Assembly speaker. It read, "Fabian Nunez: Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 22. Uphold the will of the people."

PICS...

Ammie Graves of San Francisco protests the issue of same-sex marriage during an anti-gay marriage demonstration at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, Tuesday, May 18, 2004. About 200 people opposing same-sex marriages urged state lawmakers to vote against a proposed bill that would allow gay unions in California. The gathering at Pershing Square came one day after Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriages. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Children and adults join in a protest against the issue of same-sex marriages during an anti-gay marriage demonstration at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, Tuesday, May 18, 2004. About 200 people opposing same-sex marriages urged state lawmakers to vote against a proposed bill that would allow gay unions in California. The gathering at Pershing Square came one day after Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriages, and rally organizers that included several religious and community groups worried California would be next.
Yvonne Gallardo holds her granddaughter, Makayla, during an anti-gay marriage demonstration at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, Tuesday, May 18, 2004. About 200 people opposing same-sex marriages urged state lawmakers to vote against a proposed bill that would allow gay unions in California. The gathering at Pershing Square came one day after Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriages, and rally organizers that included several religious and community groups worried California would be next. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

I was there today. The Mercury News article is accurate,
but slightly misleading. The reporter or editor chose
inflammatory comments for two of the three quotes from speakers.

These were not representative of what was said by those who spoke. I saw very few signs that were either highly fundamentalist or anti-gay in nature. Nor did I hear anti-gay comments from the protesters. This was a well-behaved, decent crowd. In addition, it was good to see that participants seemed comfortable speaking to the media -- who struck me as professional, not hostile.

Especially encouraging: That there were many teens and (as the story notes) children present. That the crowd had large numbers of "minorities" -- whites may well have been a minority. There was a very large Hispanic representation.
The second part of our rally was in front of one of Speaker Nunez's offices two blocks away. For this, we were on both sides of a heavily trafficked street. Many, many people -- mostly people "of color" -- truck drivers, cabbies, and other motorists -- honked and gave thumbs-up. I always find this especially encouraging.

However, Freepers should take note of the weaknesses of this rally: Too many signs didn't have large enough lettering to be read easily by drivers (fortunately it
was a narrow street and traffic was slow enough that people eventually "got" what we were protesting after looking at a few signs). NEXT TIME, EVERY SIGN NEEDS LARGE LETTERING.
Also, short, punchy messages are needed. Sentence-length messages rarely work on signs. Nor do obscure messages like "No on AB 1967."

Finally, I would offer two other pieces of advice to organizers of future rallies against gay marriage. "No Homosexual Marriage" is not an easy chant. The word in the middle is long and awkward, and doesn't reflect the terms most people use in ordinary conversation. Let's swallow our pride and just say: "No Gay Marriage." Better yet, "No Same-Sex Marriage." Easier to chant, and we don't sound like we're attacking gays. Also, loud, good-quality megaphones are a must. Ours didn't work well enough.

Still, considering that we're in California, it was a nice start. Lots of fun!!!

Thanks for the compliment.

Actually, I've been at three other demonstrations in
the city of Los Angeles in the last couple of years:
Two in support of Bill Simon and one, right in
the 'hood, against Jesse Jackson.

One of these days, LA-area conservatives will manage
to hold a really impressive demonstration. I don't know
how or when. But if the Dems and liberals really keep up
their craziness, I have to think it will happen ...

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