seattle indymedia center

 

SOME OF THE SPEAKERS

 

 

Anna Schecht organized the rally and acted as the M.C. She told the rally that it is not a coincidence that many good laws are passed when people are out. She said that the Washington legislative approach is "to slowly build on rights." This strategy will not end marriage inequality very soon.

Reiko Callner, the former Chair of the Washington State Human Rights Commission, reminded the audience that when Barack Obama was born there were anti-miscegenation laws in many states. These laws would have blocked his parents from marrying because they were different races. She said that Prop 8 and other laws that promote marriage inequality are the latest incarnation of those anti-miscegenation. Reiko called on the audience to use joy and love to fight against Prop 8 because these emotions are the polar opposites of the negative, hateful energy used to convince citizens to vote for Prop 8.

Patrick Chapman teaches Anthropology at South Puget Sound Community College. He is the author of the book Thou Shalt Not Love. He described his book as a manual to educate anti-gay Christians. He said that most anti-gay Christians have a superficial knowledge of the bible, and they don't realize that they are misinterpreting the Christian scriptures to promote bigotry. Theologians believe that human beings are the visible image of what was in the mind of God, and that they are, therefore, the image of God. In his book he argues that any public policy that takes away human dignity or places relative worth on anyone violates the image of God in them and, thus, goes contrary to the intention of God.

Kristian Leech works with Stonewall Youth. She cautioned members of the rally to not blame any particular group as the cause of the passage of Prop 8. She reminded the audience that there is no specific demographic for homophobia. Homophobia exists in all communities. She told the rally that the movement for marriage equality isn't separate from the struggle for the safety and self-determination of all people. She stressed that all relationships should be valued. She told the rally, "All people should be able to marry as many times as they want to marry.

Molly Sterns spoke about the experience of adopting foster children into a lesbian family. She said that state officials were very supportive and made the process very smooth. She said that Olympia is a safe bubble compared to other parts of the U.S.

Gery Gerst taught history at Olympia High School for 30 years. During that time he worked with gay, lesbian, and transgender youth. As a teacher, he created safe areas for vulnerable youth. He said that discrimination of any kind “makes a mockery of the U.S. constitution. It’s time for America to step up and face its own bigotries.” He called upon straights to step forward and to actively support the marriage equality movement. He ended his speech with a frustrated shout out, "Let's just get it done!"

Ariel Goldberger is an artist and a faculty member at the Evergreen State College. He described his personal journey toward marriage equality. He married his partner in Canada and in California, but neither marriage is legally recognized in Washington state. When Olympia's Domestic Partnership law was passed, he and his partner were excited, and they immediately rushed own to City Hall to apply. They filled out the entire application, and then were crushed to read the final words "This certificate doesn't entire you to any rights." He said that he found it ironic that the party that most wants government out of people's lives is the one most interested in meddling with his life. He had one message for opponents of marriage equality: "Get out of my fucking bedroom."

Charmagne Freeman and her partner Barb were married on October 11th in California. They are waiting to marry in Washington. Charmagne said that domestic partners have 178 rights in Washington, but married people have over 3,000 rights. Domestic partners, for example, have no right to social security survivor benefits. She told the rally that 178 wasn't enough. "Keep up the fight!" she said, "Let's go to work!"

Brandon Felver said that there is "more work to do and more lives to change." He told the rally to think beyond a single issue, "We don't need gay marriage, we need to be treated like humans....Think beyond gay marriage to everyone who is experiencing oppression." Brandon also said that it is time to change the culture, not just one single issue. "Things can change," he said, "And they will."