PROTEST RALLY NOV 5th, 2008 West Hollywood, CA

Sick or not, last night after seeing my chiropractor I jumped in the truck and sped up and over Coldwater Canyon and went to the protest rally being held on San Vicente in West Hollywood. I had been notified on Facebook about this event. (How did I ever get along with out it all these years! LOL) Coming from the valley, there was little traffic going back into the city. All was quiet in Beverly Hills as I turned down Rexford and headed toward Santa Monica Blvd/Doheny. IN other words the Edge Of Beverly Hills. That magic line between the city of Beverly Hills with it's perfect rows of overly redone houses in what is commonly called "the flats," to the gritter rows of designer showrooms, gay clubs and hamburger joints butted up again new coffee shops vying for some of Starbucks business.

I finally found a parking space down on Beverly next to the building that houses Relativity Media where I temped several summers ago. I get on the phone and call my friend Tim P out in the desert and inform him that I am going to the rally in the middle of Weho. "Look for me on the 11PM news honey!"

Once I get there most of the crowd is up at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and San Vicente. I felt the need to get there and to be a part of other historic moment in the gay movement for equality. I had been there back in the early summer when the California Supreme Court had ruled that gay and lesbian couples could wed. The celebration had been an amazing thing to be a part of and last night I just felt like I needed to bookend the experience by attending the rally.

Such mixed emotions over the past few days. FINALLY an "African-American" President elect.
(My sister likes to point out that he is actually a man of mixed race....hello. A fact that nobody seems to want to point out.) But really what does it matter. He is was and always will be the absolutely right man at the right time to take over the mess that the former COKE WHORE/ALKIE named W has left this country in.

(Don't get me started with the Republican Party! Every one of them needs to go to an AL ANON and a DA meeting!)

But I got off the subject...THE RALLY.

I got down front and hugged my new pastor from MCC Church, Rev. Dr Neil and we heard the Gay Men's Chorus sings a couple of songs. After the first one the crowd was really ready to get their frustration off their chests. And finally we did.

As Lorri Jean the director of the Gay & Lesbian Center lead off the evening I felt myself finally calm down. Earlier in the evening I had felt an almost insane rage building in me as I targeted the guy in front of me on the freeway with the YES On Prop 8 bumper sticker. He had a metallic door sign with his number on it. I wanted to call and just scream at him.....HATER! But I thought twice about it and also decided that running him off the road really wasn't the "solution to my problems" today!

The rally was almost surreal. It helped to be in a group of people who felt the same way as I did. Sad, alternating with mad. I thought through the months that I had been working off and on supporting the NO on Prop 8 people. I thought to myself...could I have done more? Given more money? Worked on writing some better commercials for the campaign? What if I had emailed my Mormon cousins and told them a vote YES meant a vote to discriminate against their "big gay cousin" in LA? As the various leaders of our community spoke I was amazed that I actually knew two of them personally. Councilmember John Duran got out of bed and came with hoarse voice and all and addressed the crowd. Having Chaired Equality for All I want to see this man go on to the state level and knock some heads around. (He finds time to do all this and sing with the Gay Men's Chorus. He did not sing last night but what a guy!) I went up to him later and told him he had to not speak for at least a day or two. His work is done here. Time to rest.

Then there was Rev. Dr. Neil Thomas. Okay, I admit it. I have the tiniest little crush on this Brit who is the head of MCC LA. He is a dynamic voice and I love his sermons on Sunday. I will be there this Sunday as he offers us all some words of comfort from this temporary setback. He is helping me with prayer for some health challenges that I have been through these past few months.

(I started going to MCC about three weeks ago when I started my "34 days of Radical Healing, Pray and Meditation." At some other time I will elaborate on what this means to me personally but the end of the 34 days in November 20th and more will be revealed at this time.)

Rev. Dr. Neil and his boyfriend were standing at the back of the flatbed truck that served as the temporary platform for the speeches. I thanked him for his service to the community and then saw a few friends around the area.

After it was all over I treated myself to some food at TANGO GRILL. Still after 15 years of living in LA one of my favorite restaurants in West Hollywood.

On the drive back over the hill to my 1970's studio in Valley Village, I couldn't help but think about all the gay folks in Arkansas who got shot down, along with Florida and Arizona. I am grateful that I live in California with such a large GLBT community. But the real work now begins. This country just elected its first "African-American President." Truly a milestone. Again was I hoping too much that we could progress enough to let couple who have been together for decades finally get the chance to legally wed?

Is it too much to ask for God?

Peace and blessings,
GM