Gay Rights are Human Rights

After Election Day, I was elated.  It honestly felt like the whole United States was celebrating.  Ebullient (hee, hee-- GRE, get outta my brain!).  But the celebration was tempered by the passing of Prop 8 for me (and many, many others-- nearly half of the California population).  I am very pro-gay rights (pro-human rights), but I'd like to think that even if my morals or religion took me in another direction, I would recognize Prop 8 as denial of civil rights, as guaranteed by the good ol' contested Constitution.  In the weeks following, we have seen protests, boycotts, and sit-ins-- and I hope this continues until UNIVERSALLY one person enjoys the same rights as another.  Which brings me to two actions: the first, a boycott of businesses that financially supported Prop 8; the second, Day Without a Gay.

This list is a list of companies and organizations that supported Prop 8 financially or endorsed Prop 8 through media or other methods; while there aren't too many in Fresno, I believe that knowing who is an ally, and whose businesses to not support, as they do not support my beliefs, is important.  Randomly, my childhood dentist is on this list-- I actually stopped attending his practice because he was a frightening dentist-- he had the shakes like crazy, which is not at all good when somebody is scraping away at your teeth.  Check it out.

The second action is an action which has exciting possibilities: Day Without a Gay.  Much like the economic protests of 2006 which called for all immigrant and immigrant-rights supporters to refrain from any purchases, Day Without a Gay asks for all people who support Gay Rights to take the day off of work, dedicate the day to service, and not make any purchases, to show the impact of those of us out there who did not support Prop 8, who believe that any loving family should be able to welcome a child into their home, and that denying ANY right due to sexual preference-- like race, gender, religion, or ethnicity-- is illegal and unfair.  By taking a step further and calling for a donation of time to a deserving non

-profit or other activist group, DWAG is showing that it is love, community betterment, and social justice that motivates the community--  not discrimination and hate.