Iowa City Participants in National Prop 8 Protest
November 15th, 2008 by Todd~~~
My son and I stopped by the Prop 8 protest at city hall today, on our way to lunch, and I took a few snapshots. I sent one to Andrew Sullivan, at The Daily Dish, and he included it in his review of the nation-wide protest. Obviously, the Iowa City group wasn’t as big as in many larger cities, but it was a very energetic bunch, and I got a strong positive vibe. Sullivan thinks this battle will certainly be won, and I have to agree. I could just feel the activism working.:)
Posted in Community, Events, Miscellaneous |
November 17th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Todd, Thanks for being there with your son.
I’m on the State of Iowa’s Artists Roster.
I’m sending a memo/report to the Arts Council about GLBTQIA issues (and other initialed identities).
Do you have any thoughts on Queer I could include?
Or any of your rally images?
Great Site - Thanks,
Mark McCusker
November 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Mark,
To be honest, I am not all that familiar with GLBTQIA culture, or even very educated on recent legislative issues surrounding gay marriage. It was just obvious to me that Prop 8 is ridiculous, and I was looking for something interesting to photograph for a daily photo blog I recently started. As a regular reader of Andrew Sullivan’s blog, I knew the rally was on, and decided to attend. I was most struck by how positive everyone was. I guess I wouldn’t have been surprised to find a mob of angry, screaming people. But in retrospect, I wonder if Prop 8 is a blessing in disguise for gay people seeking marriage rights, in that it has raised consciousness among so many people in this country. It was really cool to hear so many horns honking from people driving by wishing to show solidarity, but maybe not feeling like getting out and standing in the cold! Upon the heels of Obama’s election, the Prop 8 protests have a historic feel to them. I think in the not-too-distant future, people will widely compare anti-gay-marriage legislation to Jim Crow laws, and I am happy to have some images documenting a time when important steps were made toward this reality. The positive and hopeful tone of this rally was reflected in so many of the pics and reader comments which Andrew posted.
I think I just got more political than I had ever planned on my studio blog…haha. I’m glad you enjoyed the pic. I have several others, but haven’t had a chance to work them up. If you’d like to stop by and see if there’s anything you might use, give me a call!
Todd
November 17th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Thanks again! I’ll stop in your studio. Great thoughts above.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Dang! Why am I always the last to know when important stuff like this is happening!? Oh well - good to read your thoughts on the topic.