After California voters passed the odious Proposition 8, gays took to the streets to protest. In the process America’s gay community not only helped itself, it helped me. No need for me to make the funnies this time around. I couldn’t do one giggle better than the protesters who carried signs turning anger into amusement.
Rallies took place in a few states shortly after Election Day and then occurred nationwide on Nov. 15. Join the Impact, which instigated the Nov. 15 fandango, has lots of photos on its wewbsite apparently taken across the entire feisty period.
One guy holds a sign reading “Would you rather I married your daughter?” I hope that sign made the evening news and discomfited assorted fathers.
Propped in front of a young, pink-clad girl sleeping on the sidewalk, a sign says “Mommy & Mama, please make the scary bigots go away!” Sweetie, the monsters under your bed your mothers can handle. The ones in the voting booths are a trickier business.
I’m fond of “Sorry, were my civil rights getting in the way of your bigotry?” Ditto for “Prop 8, change we can be embarrassed by!”
In one picture a bunch of folks pose with yellow signs that use the word equality in some way. But one of the signs reads “Eqaulity.” Perhaps she’s after equality for dyslexics.
Gay anger comes through via “A recent Cali. vote shows that there’s a 52.5 percent chance you’re an idiot.”
Speaking of anger, check out the signs aimed at the groups that fought tooth and nail for Prop 8; these likely make LGBT leaders currently worried about scapegoating unhappy. One is a clear dart at Mormons: “Keep your magic undies off my civil rights.”
Also, “You have two wives. I want one husband.” Another sign features an outline of the state of California and the words “Welcome to Utah.”
Catholics don’t escape. A sign says “You get married in your church, I’ll get married in mine!” Under those words someone drew a priest’s collar and clerical attire. The head of this Catholic authority figure was replaced by two male wedding toppers.
You wound us, instead of beating you up we’ll go all creative on your ass.
This sign captures the frustration over African-American support for Prop 8 and still manages to be funny: “I helped elect the first black president and all I got was this lousy marriage ban.”
Some signs draw that contentious parallel between black civil rights and gay civil rights, like “Hey California, Jim Crow called. He wants his Proposition 8 back!!!”
Join the Impact’s site also includes pages of downloadable protest signs. My favorites include “No more Mr. Nice Guy” and “Let Ellen DeGeneres keep her toaster.”
A site called The Frisky has great photos from the Nov. 15 protest in New York City. One fellow holds a sign over his head that reads “Don’t tell me I can’t register at Barneys.” Could that be any more New York? Aggressive and funny.
Likewise for “Hate makes you fat. Just look at Arkansas.” Touché to the state that now won’t let gays adopt.
Another guy’s sign says “I’m here to meet my husband.” That’s very East Coast too — the man is multi-tasking.
In Orlando, someone drew Sarah Palin and the words “I can see gay marriage from my house!”
Seattle offers “Jesus had two dads” and, in a reference to Palin’s pregnant daughter, “Marriage is a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers.”
It’s a tough decision, but I’ve decided on my favorite sign, which comes out of Los Angeles: “We can’t all marry Liza Minnelli!!” How true. Not that we haven’t tried.
info: LesRobinsn@aol.com . www.GeneralGayety.com