“Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” – Dr. M. L. King

Make no mistake, I’m a believer. A believer in what, you ask? Why, a higher power of course. But I’m not talking about your typical run-of-the-mill God-fearing Bible-belt-thumpin’ type of believer. That’s not really my style. I’m more of a dabbler in the religions of the world. I like elements of many religions – Christianity, Buddhism, Native American, even Islamic. Why? Because I certainly don’t agree with all aspects of any of them. And I have extreme distaste for anyone who uses their religion to persecute others. I prefer to see things from the perspective of human rights and equality, and that all men and women are created equal no matter what their sexual orientation, race, color, creed, country of origin, or age (among others.) It’s about justice. It’s about being tolerant of others and their opinions. It’s about natural rights. I prefer to envision Jesus as a man who taught us that everyone is loved equally (prostitutes and lepers ain’t no thang!) And yeah, I agree with Buddha that the purpose of life is to end suffering. I even agree with the Mormons about sharing resources for the betterment of the community (but that’s about it.)

So why of all this talk of religion? Because it’s a never-ending topic that arises whenever anyone speaks of equal rights – especially gay equal rights. Last weekend, Seattle held an equal rights march against the recently passed California Proposition 8. It was one of many equal rights marches across the state and across the country in response to gay marriage bans. More than 6,000 people marched in protest of Prop 8 in Seattle and I can proudly say, as a believer, I was one of them.

The rally began around 11:30am at Volunteer Park and lasted until about 1:00pm. Speakers included openly gay Senator Ed Murray (who was recently appointed as the Senate Democratic Caucus Chair – a step in the right direction for gay rights), Senator Joe McDermott, King County Executive Ron Sims (who gave the most powerful speech of the day), and Mayor Greg Nickels. As the crowd listened and cheered during the speeches, I couldn’t help but notice the clever signs folks made and the way that everyone was so supportive of each other.

At the stroke of 1:00pm the march began. At first, it was slow going. But no one seemed to mind. There was no road rage present on this path, only laughter and the knowledge that so many people across the nation were marching with us. (300 cities participated, including New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, and Las Vegas). As we came down Broadway, we saw folks standing alongside the road and cars parked in the middle of side streets. I have to admit that at first I thought they were anti-protest religious-right. Turns out they were supporters – many of them waving signs and some honking their car horns.

We ended at Westlake Center around 3:00pm. Once there, Representative Jamie Pedersen, City Councilwoman Sally Clark, Executive Director of Equal Rights Washington Connie Watts, and Pastor David Strong all spoke. While Pastor Strong was speaking to the zealous crowd about acceptance, I noticed another Pastor was perched across the way and oh-so-eloquently screaming “burn in hell!” while holding a Bible. Sure, that man has a first amendment right to be there as much as the next guy, but when I went to give him a hug – he really needed one! – I was nearly killed by a Bible swatting the air furiously and the police force that surrounded him. Really? Really?

I know some people will say “so what?” But you’d be surprised how many people refuse to recognize gay civil rights as equal to other civil rights causes. People are allowed to have their own personal opinions – even the Mormons, who financed more than 70% of the Prop 8 campaign – but when they affect others’ rights and lives, they have gone too far. And to those who say that protesting is something that just gives a warm fuzzy feeling without accomplishing anything, I say to them: Roe v. Wade didn’t just happen because a majority of Supreme Court justices decided women have the right to choose. The Civil Rights Movement didn’t happen because a few people decided that blacks and whites should be equal. No, it was after a mass movement worked hard for many years to make those movements politically possible. And to those religious believers who say that I’m a sinner for supporting gay marriage, I say to them: Jesus, God, Mohammed, Buddha, and Coyote are all different, and all the same. But what is most important is that if any of these higher powers truly exist, and they are as judgmental as their religious peons on earth, then I’m buying a first class ticket to hell.

If you weren’t able to make this momentous event and you’re just itching for more images, no worries, you can also see a video montage of it here on the Melon.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 11:49 am and is filed under Local News, Seattle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.