a united protest

i was pretty sure that things were going to start moving forward. i was under the impression that we could all be treated as equals. im not trying to say that i was turning into some sort of spirited summer camp counselor or anything, but i was starting to feel like democracy was going to work for the better.

florida bans same sex marriage
arizona bans same sex marriage
arkansas bancs same sex couples from adopting children

and california, a trend-setter state, banned gay marriage with 52% of the vote.

on friday, san francisco citizens, civil rights activists and families of all kinds shut down the biggest street in the downtown area and marched in protest.






once we made it to delores park, myself and others stopped traffic some more by launching a sit in. it felt good.








im not even a particular viewer of his commentary, but have a look



our protest along with others throughout the state made all of the national news media (fox news was brief). now, on saturday, is the big one.

Below is a list of the cities that will be participating in this national protest. it's the biggest. it's the loudest. it's history in the making.



PROP 8 PROTEST - NOVEMBER 15th 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST FIND YOUR LOCATION BELOW!


Alabama - Birmingham | Mobile | Dothan
Alaska - Sullivan Arena | Fairbanks City Hall
Arizona - Phoenix
Arkansas - Little Rock
California - San Diego | Los Angeles | Bakersfield | Sacramento | San Francisco | San Jose | Moreno Valley
Colorado - Denver
Connecticut - Hartford
Delaware - Dover
Washington D.C.
Florida - Jacksonville | Miami | Orlando
Georgia - Atlanta
Hawaii - Honolulu
Idaho - Boise
Illinois - Chicago
Indiana - Indianapolis
Iowa - Des Moines | Iowa City
Kansas - Kansas City | Wichita
Kentucky - Louisville | Lexington
Louisiana - New Orleans
Maine - Portland
Maryland - Baltimore
Massachusetts - Boston | Northampton
Michigan - Detroit
Minnesota - Minneapolis/St. Paul
Mississippi - Jackson
Missouri - Kansas City | St. Louis
Montana - Billings | Missoula
Nebraska - Omaha
Nevada - Las Vegas | Reno
New Hampshire - Manchester
New Jersey - Newark
New Mexico - Albuquerque
New York - Syracuse | Albany | New York City
North Carolina - Charlotte | Raleigh
North Dakota - Grand Forks
Ohio - Cleveland | Columbus | Cincinnati
Oklahoma - Oklahoma City
Oregon - Eugene | Portland
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia | Pittsburgh
Rhode Island - Providence
South Carolina - Charleston
South Dakota - Sioux Falls | Rapid City
Tennessee - Memphis | Nashville
Texas - Houston | Austin | Dallas
Utah - Salt Lake City
Vermont - Montpelier | Burlington
Virginia - Richmond
Washington - Spokane | Seattle
West Virginia - Charleston
Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Wyoming - Cody | Laramie

to all of my new jersey readers, city hall in newark is 920 Broad Street and is the place to go if you would like to take part in this historic protest against discrimination.

to all of my new york city readers, 260 Broadway between Chambers and Warren

to all of my san francisco readers, i will see you at city hall.

it would mean a lot to me and millions more.



love and loyalty

a way to consciously understand how "bittersweet" feels

i witnessed history, celebrated on the streets with hundreds of supporters, but had to learn that discrimination is still ripe and fruitful.

upon learning of obama's victory, i left for market street and awoke my family back east. people at every street corner were banging pots and pans, dancing, hanging up signs on their balconies, hugging and crying.






when i made it to castro street, people were congratulating one another and drinking in the street. the police then fenced off both ends of the popular street and the people came pouring in. i stood in line at a bodega for a cheap bottle of wine when the television announced obama's speech was about to begin. i left the line because it was too long, too loud and i was desperate to hear obama's speech. i walked over to a small crowd of eight or nine people to discover a girl on a mailbox with a stereo on her lap. there, amongst a crowd of people reveling in victory, i heard barack obama's acceptance speech.



afterwards, the stage was set up, the djs fixed their equipment, and the celebration began. people were dancing, drinking and waving their flags and signs in victory





i met up with my friends and took the party to a nightclub where i drank obama pops and danced to american themed music until i made it home later that morning.



when i woke up the next morning, i couldn't help but post my frustrations on yes on 8's victory.

"Don't be bitter. The people have spoken. In case you didn't know we live in a democracy. That means majority rules. Marriage was NEVER intended to be between two people of the same sex...cuz, well... it doesn't make sense. It is unnatural. Make up your own type of union between same sex partners, just don't try to twist the institution of marriage to try and add a sense of normalcy to your unnatural lifestyle... Another thing, you think divorce harms children more than gays flaunting their lifestyle in public and raising children? Give me a break, you sick and twisted freak! A child whose parents are divorcing is going to have a tuff time making sense of the situation. A child attempting to understand which one of their parents are their mommy and daddy when both of them are men is hopelessly insane. Talk about emotional baggage. Use some common sense here you fool. It amazes me how people on your side of the argument try and twist the beliefs of your average American and attempt to make them look like the pervert that you are. While homosexuality is a lifestyle that should not be persecuted, it should not be promoted or legitimized in anyway. Gays should not be allowed to marry or raise children, period. The people have spoken so get over it!!!"

- an anonymous response to my shared protest on banning same-sex marriage and adoption

the mood has been pretty much the same throughout san francisco. one woman two nights ago noticed i was looking sad and asked me what was wrong.

"i feel like a second class citizen, a percentage of the American population just got a punch in the stomach reminding them that we've got a long way before we have equal rights."

her response was priceless:

"REALLY? don't you think you're taking this too far? i mean, there's always canada."

today i'll be marching from the civic center to delores park in protest of the recent support of proposition 8. los angeles' protest entailed arrests and altercations. hopefully, my temper will relax today and i wont do anything irrational. although judging by the recent discrimination and bigotry, irrationality is the new tolerance.

i'll keep you updated, or call you if i need someone to post bail.

love and loyalty - and equality

a weekend in the city

i highly recommend a halloween in san francisco. it's a very different experience from the new york city, 6th avenue parade. it's a little less tourism and a lot more creative costuming. i was pleasantly surprised by a lot of the costumes i encountered at my friends' house party. i saw a couple of broke investment bankers, a suri cruise, a flock of escaped boy scouts from their evil scoutmaster and some very naughty flight attendants. the costume show-off came to a climax once lucas and i walked into the joint.





there's nothing like a dead nazi and a "real american" walking down the street carrying a flag with "drill baby drill" and "im a real american" written on it. there were some pictures taken by some onlookers. i was quite pleased. i'd like to thank san francisco for not burning me at the cross for being politically adorable and not getting all pissed off. many thanks.



the real highlight (or lowlight, depending on how you look at it) was when jonny and jimmy brought me to the lookout to see how halloween lovers truly partied. i was surrounded by the most impressive costumes ive seen in years. my moment of glory came when i was not only stopped by a few sarah palins, but when barack obama himself came to honor me with a photograph. i was too shy and nervous so i bowed in his presence... the nazi, however, didn't seem to mind.





unfortunately, a man in bridal wear offered me some "homegrown" entertainment from a crack pipe so i fell out of the halloween spirit and went home.

on saturday, lucas and i woke up to discover that the raining season had officially begun, summer had ended and we had successfully avoided any hangovers. with last evening still on our brains, we walked to the castro to develop lucas' disposable camera. while walking down the street, we found ourselves walking into paparazzi and video cameras without warning. thoroughly freaked out, lucas pointed out the one and only mayor of san francisco, gavin newsom, campaigning for no on prop 8. what a guy.

after we dropped off the photos for development, we started to make our way for some necessary brunching. the casual walk came to a climax when i curiously glanced into a wine shop, and who was at the register finishing a transaction? mr. gavin newsom. it gets better. he turned, looked at me and smiled. get a look at this powerful figure and understand why i was weak in the knees for a bit.



so much power. one day, michael. one day.

disregard his wife. i think that's what the majority of san francisco likes to do when thinking about gavin newsom. what a political heartthrob.

after an intense brunch session, lucas again started singing songs from his beloved disney films. i had had enough. below, i offer you the documentary i used in my freshman year undergraduate presentation on the disney corporation as a major media influence in our country:











ever since i looked into the disney corporation and its potential effects it had on my youth, i've been able to justify a lot of concerns i've had about raising children under the mouse ears. don't get me wrong, i was raised with the films myself and i was just as excited as any other kid to see goofy in person at disneyworld back in the second grade. however, i didn't really fit into their ideal male image as a youth and didn't see it in my future, so i had always longed for the more emotionally developed, sincere male figure. i was detached, confused and later frustrated as more and more films came out with the same messages. perhaps that is why i never played by their rules with their products and created my own little play world. there was one character that i first read about in a book my parents gave me by tim burton that later turned into "the nightmare before christmas." disney finally did something right. jack skellington was their anti-hero, offering a different kind of male protagonist. he was the one character i was drawn to. of course, it wasn't their character in the first place. it makes a lot of sense now.

i'd be more than happy to talk it out with anybody interested.

i had officially ruined lucas' childhood and sent him on his way when out of the blue, an old friend from my freshman year at montclair let me know that she was visiting san francisco. i put on my finest pair of suspenders and showed her a good night.



somehow i managed to wake up with enough time to go back to the san francisco academy of sciences for another round of:

swampland,



penguin habitat,





aquariums,

















indoor living rain forest,















planetarium and tourists with melissa, the bed giver.



today, i went to city hall to vote early so i can focus on volunteering for no on 8 tomorrow.




i wasn't the only one thinking about getting it done a little early. i had to wait two and half hours. on the plus side, it was a great walking tour of city hall.



if you know me, you know how i voted on two major issues, but just because i am so proud of those particular votes, i offer them to the internet for the world to see.







as a californian, i also voted on around 30 other issues, but these two were pretty exciting.

tomorrow, ill be on castro street to watch as california counts the results for prop 8. it should be pretty exciting. as always, ill be sure to document it.

ill keep you all posted!

by the way... for all of you keeping track - ill be back in new jersey from december 15 through january 14. better start making your reservations now, dear east coast friends.

love and loyalty

vote tomorrow!