TORQOPIA - Abundance All Around Us: Las Vegas rallies for LGBT equality

I just got home from a rally for LGBT equality. While Obama's election was a huge step forward for America, the passage of constitutional amendments barring same-sex marriage in Arizona, California, and Florida were a sign that America's other foot is dragging behind.

The passage of proposition 8 in California was particularly heartbreaking as gays and lesbians there had had the right to legally marry since last May.

A grassroots effort to organize rallies across the nation resulted in the LGBT community in 300 cities standing up for their rights today. Las Vegas' effort, like most nationwide, was put together with just a few days notice.

Our rally was organized by The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada. My friend Randy Reinoso is on the board. After the rally he told me they hoped for a turnout of 300; the actual number was approximately 1500. I lived in San Francisco for 19 years and Portland, Oregon, for four, so I'm used to gay communities that are larger and a bit more active that the one here in Vegas. Today's crowd greatly exceeded my expectations, and driving home I thought about how many people had gathered all across the country today to make a difference for our community.

I came of age as a gay man in the late 80s. It was the era of ACT-UP and Queer Nation. AIDS ravaged our community, and many of those I knew who got sick during the first five or six years that I was out are long since dead.

Compared to the early days of my gay adult life, the last ten years of gay politics have been relatively quiet. We've seemed to focus our energies on just living, having a good time, making money, starting relationships, and starting families. And we've quietly watched state after state pass same-sex marriage bans.

This year, for whatever reason, is different. Times are changing. The crowd was young and old; black and white and latin and Asian; lesbian and gay and bisexual and transgendered and straight; buttoned down and diva'd up. A far wider sample of Las Vegas' largely invisible LGBT population showed up today than experience would have led me to expect.

The rally today was a first step... a mobilization. It wasn't a call to arms; it was a call to love. It was a reminder to talk to our neighbors and friends and co-workers and family members about who we are. It was a community standing up and saying that we aren't going to settle for second class citizenship, and we're going to win recognition of our rights in a loving, peaceful way. Truth and justice are on our side.

Get ready. :-)

I have a couple of short videos. The first is some of Angela Harvey's remarks to the crowd. She was such a powerful speaker I wish that I'd been able to record her whole speech.

(Video link)

And here is a short video of Judge Pro Tem Jennifer Bolton, The Center's Vice President, speaking about the next steps in our campaign for equality. She is introduced by Vivianna, one of their four children. Bolton's wife Vivian and their other children were also at the rally.

(Video link)

HERE ARE SOME PICS, including one of Wanda Sykes who made an unscheduled appearance (and added a little star power... there were a good number of people in the crowd who had their own little starbursts going off when she stepped up to the podium :-).