NoH8 Rally in West Hollywood, 05/26/2009
The day the CA Supreme Court decided to uphold Prop 8 and strip same sex couples of their right to marry, those on the side of equality took to the streets of California and in many cities all over the US.
We began in West Hollywood, an area known for its prominent LGBT community.
The rally moved swiftly eastward along Santa Monica Boulevard, then up to Hollywood and Highland (the heart of Hollywood) for a brief gathering with demonstrations. I suggest watching the videos linked below for one great video of men dresses as psychedelic nuns giving a rousing and moving speech. EDIT: baycxhiippo has informed me the psychedelic nuns are part of an outreach and activism group called Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Please follow the link to learn more, it's a fascinating organization.
A few Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (aka the aforementioned psychedelic nuns).
Sidewalk chalk was passed out when we got to Hollywood and Highland and everyone knelt down to write how they felt.
I wrote "love conquers all."
JoAnn believes in <3.
Rabbi Denise Eger, a prominent Jewish figure in Los Angeles and an activist for LGBT and AIDS patients' rights (thank you baycxhiippo for the info). There were leaders of nearly every faith marching that night, it was so important to have them there.
And because I dislike the way Flickr embeds video, here's a link to the video set from the rally:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21393663@N06/sets/72157619563068521/
BIG THANKS to the cities of West Hollywood and Hollywood as well as their respective police departments for their help and cooperation, as well as those businesses we passed who voiced their support for the march.
In the words of the English band, Elbow: "I think we dropped the baton like the 60's didn't happen."
EDIT: Special thanks to baycxhiippo for filling in my knowledge gaps regarding some of the important figures in these photos.