This site and most others focus mainly on the marriage equality fight in America, but most counties in the world have the same discrimination’s to overcome. Of course I knew this but it usually takes a big event for people, myself included, to remember this fact.
The fight against hate came to a forefront in the mainstream media in England this week after a 62-year-old man was beaten to death because he was gay. The BBC reports about his vigil turning into a rallie on equality. The man, Ian Baynham, was murdered in Trafalgar Square on September 25th. Participants spoke about rights of all people and spelled out NO TO HATE in candles on the ground.
Despite the sadness of the event it once again shows that no matter where you are hate shouldn’t exist.
Some beautiful photo’s of the event can be found on this Flickr site.
Most causes have ribbons that signify support, AIDS is a red ribbon, supporting the troops is yellow. The white knot is same-sex marriages ribbon. The site started as an instruction on making the ribbons and where to get them but has become a community for people to share their stories. Check it out!
NOH8 is a site that protests the ban on gay marriage using photos. Everyone from stars to real people have been photographed with NOH8 painted on their face and duct tape over their mouth. The photos signify a silent protest for gay-marriage, and the photographs are really beautiful.
Two weekends ago went to the Marriage Equality March in Washington DC. I had an amazing time and really got inspired by all the love and most of all hope that I saw on display.
This was the first Coming Out Day march I have ever attended so I don’t know if they usually run smooth but I thought this one was run really well and went really smoothly. The march started in one location and then we marched to the front of the Capitol building. Once we were there they had a bunch of speakers. Everyone from Matthew Shepard’s mother to Cynthia Nixon from Sex and the City.
Of all the speeches that were given I was defiantly moved the most by Lt. Dan Choi’s. Lt. Choi was discharged from the military earlier this year after starting an outreach group for LGBT graduates of West Point, where he attended. He spoke in Arabic, quoted President Kennedy, and talked about how love was worth it. It was a really moving speech.
CSPAN covered the whole march so those who weren’t able to attend could still watch from home.
Here is Lt. Choi’s speech:
Another speech I really enjoyed was given by Lady GaGa who started her speech by saying that it was the single most important moment of her career.
The key-note speech was delivered by Julian Bond, the chairman of the NAACP. Mr. Bond started his speech by saying that he had seen a lot of big crowds in his day but never one as good looking as that day. He also quoted the late wife of Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King saying,
“Homophobia is like racism, in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity, and their personhood. Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial religious gender or ethnic discrimination.”
I had an amazing time at the march and was very grateful to be able to attend it. It gave me hope for the future of same-sex marriage and equal rights for all people.
If you weren’t able to attend and want to see more you can check out the rest of CSPAN’s coverage of the march at their website
Yes it is a Boston, MA centered site but Massachusetts was the original proponent of same-sex marriage. The state has allowed all citizen to marry since 2004. The site has great incite and great information, so check it out!
Now since I ended with a video last week I think I’ll try to find a good one every week so here is this weeks.
National coming out week started with National Coming out Day, which is October 11th. The day was founded in 1988 after the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
The aim of coming out week is to get people in the world involved and aware of issues in the LGBT community. This year’s the day will be celebrated with a march on Washington for Marriage Equality.
A lot of colleges around the country use this week to have LGBT specific activities or talks. For example, Penn State has a whole week of activities planned such as rallies to get the message out, keynote speakers, and even a drag queen show to end the week.
Think before you speak is a great site that helps people tackle the issue of talking to their peers and friends about not saying “that’s so gay”. They allow users to post their stories about standing up to people. They also have great PSA’s with celebrities, like this one from Wanda Sykes, encouraging people to stand up for what they believe in.
Marriage for All 