Pages

August 7, 2009

Walnut Creek becoming epicenter of youth-led gay rights movement with downtown protest this Monday

They call themselves members of the New Civil Rights Movement. They are a group of young people, including high school and college students, from across the Bay Area, dedicated to promoting gay rights. About 200, some arriving by BART, gathered in Walnut Creek on June 15 at the corners of Civic Avenue and North Main Street.

The students are coming back to lead another sign and rainbow-flag bedecked rally, and this time they’re inviting all people who support gay rights to join them.

The Monday rally will start at noon and last until 3 p.m. Again, it will be at the corner of Civic and North Main Street. Says my source, a recent graduate of a local high school: “This time, we're not just looking for students. We want everyone there. So if you, your friends, or your family would like to show up and help us rally, bring yourself and your sign.”

UPDATE: Like readers, I was curious about where some of these young people come from and why Walnut Creek. Here are the answers from one of the organizers:

Typically [students come from] high schools like Las Lomas, Monte Vista, San Ramon Valley, Miramonte, Northgate, Orinda Prep, Carondelet, De La Salle, Bentley, and Oakland Tech to name a few off the top of my head. College students come as well, and so far we get people from DVC, San Francisco State, San Jose State, and we had a group from UC Santa Cruz come up as well.

Why Walnut Creek? Well, for most younger people, Walnut Creek is almost a central meeting place for high schoolers and college people in this area. It also gets a great deal of traffic throughout the day, the businesses that we protest near don't mind our presence, and it's easily accessed. We didn't want to go to San Francisco to protest because we knew that for the most part, there would be a lot of support. We wanted to go somewhere close to home ... but that would also stir up thought in people that aren't really at the heart of the matter, like San Francisco is. Not to say we want to create some sort of controversy, but to just evoke thought in local people and remind them that just because Prop. 8 passed, the fight is not close to over.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

I dont get it. Why WC? Did they recently offend the gay people? What is the point? Just some rediculous nonsense for people who have nothing else better to do! Buy a kite and go fly it! Geez.

Anonymous said...

Well, it is a pretty central East Bay hub with easy Bart Access too, is one reason probably.

Second, it's relatively safe for them, and has a good chance of being covered by the media, I would say.

This is an important civil rights issue for our time. Not sure debating the exact location of such demonstrations is the most important element.

Thanks for covering this, SM.

Martha Ross said...

I have e-mailed the main organizer to ask her "Why Walnut Creek?" I'm curious, too, whether there is a desire to make a statement in suburbia or it just happens to be a central and convenient location for those they expect to join in the rally.

I'll let you know when I find out.

Maxwell said...

Walnut Creek was a good choice for two main reasons...

-Teens in our area connect Walnut Creek with the "cool place to be"... The rally is taking place on the same corner as La Scala, one of the best hangout joints for kids our age. It just makes sense that we feel this is our home and our place to share our feelings.

-The adults in this area are slightly more conservative as a whole. As shown by the last election, our county voted with a big majority against gay marriage. Therefore, to share our message, we have to show our support in areas that will make people think about the issue, or at least bring up the conversation.


I loved the first rally, and I will try to be at the second one... Because I support the equal treatment of anyone, including both my straight and gay friends and family.

God Bless you all.

Anonymous said...

Good for them! It does my heart good to see people being politically and socially active at a young age. Of course, it doesn't hurt that we're of similar philosophy on this one, I must admit ;) ... I hope they get a good response from the community. Gay young people can have it really tough, from all I hear and read.

Miss Lisa said...

This is good news. Thanks for letting us know that the young people in the area and beyond care about civil rights. I'm going to try and make the next rally, even though I'm ancient by their standards. I'm glad to join the cause.

Anonymous said...

This is ridiculous. Dont bring that liberal nonsense into our conservative county. Our county voted against prop 8 for a reason. Dont try to come back and rally at street corners to sell your garbage. Gay marriage is not okay and never will be okay. A man was not made to have sex with another man. It is anatomically incorrect. And I would definitely say that sex is a big part of marriages.. therefore leading to the idea that gay marriage is wrong. Give up already. California has voted against it twice already and you still wont give it up.

Anonymous said...

anon 4:00

I would love to hear more of your anatomically correct sex.

Anonymous said...

Its very simple... A penis was not made to enter another mans anus. Is that better?

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how that would be all that relevant to two women.

But the much bigger question is of course why are you so concerned about this?

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:00 & 4:39

It seems to me the sexual practice you describe here actually seems to work anatomically quite well, thus I assume it is not the alleged anatomical incorrectness you object to, but the fact that these are sexual activities not intended for procreation.

Is it just pleasures between same sex couple not intended for procreation you object to or also the same or similar activities among heterosexual couples? I will refrain from a graphic list what these activities all might be, but I'm certain that such activities are practiced among all adult couples independent of their sexual orientation.

What is the source of your fear? You can't be afraid that the "guy mafia" will knock on your door and force you to guy sex.

If you talk to experts in the field they will tell you that very often people who have such great fear are actually people who have noticed their own tendencies and they work very hard on putting up these walls either legal or behavioral, in hope it will ensure them not to give in into temptation.

Anonymous said...

Stop defending gay sex. You think you can just throw a bunch of big words out there to intimidate me its not working. Lets just say that over time what if every single person became gay.. There would be no procreation would there..? I mean we could have test tube babies and surrogate mothers but would that really be right? no. And that is exactly why God meant for a man and woman to come together in marriage and procreate. Not man and man.

Anonymous said...

Anon 6:16

Do you ever stop and listen to yourself?

"Lets just say that over time what if every single person became gay.. There would be no procreation would there..?"

Using your logic we need to amend the constitution to say that nobody can become a catholic priest or join a convent. Because, let's just say that over time every single person would become a catholic priest or join a convent .... There would be no procreation would there...?

Also isn't it telling that you seem to suggest that guy sex is really what everybody wants to aspire to and only outlawing it would prevent everybody from joining in......

And no I don't want to intimidate you, actually looking at all your irrational fears it seems to me that your doing quite a stellar job in self-intimidation

Anonymous said...

"You think you can just throw a bunch of big words out there to intimidate me its not working."

Or you could just move to Alabama and you'll feel right at home.

Anonymous said...

"God meant for a man and woman to come together in marriage and procreate."

If that was true why didn't Prop. 8 define Marriage to be between a fertile man and fertile woman?

According to this poster marriage of a post menopausal woman and a man is an abomination since god only intended marriage for a woman and a men to procreate.

I would just love to hear a single coherent argument for Prop.8.

Anonymous said...

The prop 8 people are a bunch of dimwits.

I am a conservative Republican who happens to be heterosexual, not that it is relevant at all to this discussion.

Anyway, I am abhorred that we have allowed a group's CIVIL RIGHTS to be taken away by majority vote. I think that is a very slippery slope as an American, it seems to be the most unAmerican thing I have witnessed in my life

Anonymous said...

OMG, anon whoever you are.

There will be no marriages allowed in Rossmoor. Bob and Elizabeth Dole's marriage will be annulled.

Octamom will declared a Saint.

Anatomically speaking, ( if a penis was meant for a vagina, it would look like a hatchet. )

Have a nice, missionary position, day.

Yami said...

Just to tell the hater out there. I am a proud bisexual. I am proud to be in love with men and women. Don't come here and say to give up, because love is never to be let down. America is a rainbow of colors, not everyone is conservative you insufficiently researched fool. Trust me, this is not garbage. Don't talk about sex here. It's not about sex... It's about the right to declare someone their marriage whether gay, lesbian, or straight. Give up? I think not. I will stand with my fellow gay and liberal friends and tell you conservative people that GAY MARRIAGE IS NOT WRONG AND SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN THE UNITED STATES!

Yami said...

Oh and P.S to your whole thing about a specific male organ going up another male's behind... Why are you so against it when you have a stick up your ass I mean isn't it the same thing?

Anonymous said...

One of the more prominent arguments pro 8ers try to make is that it is about the interest of children.

Even if you strongly believe that it is best for children to grow up with parents of opposite sex, gay people always have and always will have children. Prop 8 will not change this.

So I can't understand why it would be in the interest of children from gay couples, if we make sure that the people they recognize as parents are legally banned from marriage? Wouldn't it be better to encourage them to marry and form stable homes for these children?

Anonymous said...

By the way, it'd be nice to get the facts correct: Contra Costa County opposed Prop. 8 by 55.39% to 44.61%.

In other words, this County, like the rest of the Bay Area, supported retaining Gay marriage.

Contra Costa has come a long way in just a few years. It won't be long before the rest of the state gets there too, on this important civil rights issue.

Anonymous said...

How many times to we have to vote down the gay rights agenda?

Liberal's define democracy: The people vote and you acceept the results only if you agree!

Anonymous said...

Were there any hot lesbians at the rally?

Anonymous said...

California will repeal Prop. 8. It just is about when. It's interesting that this blog where people protest outside interests from funding and having a voice in our local decisions, yet we allowed an outside interest to fund (potentially illegally fund) Prop. 8?

I know that it's unrealistic, but I hope that the folks pushing the 'straight agenda' don't lie this time.

Anonymous said...

I commend these youth who are showing their support for the LGBT community!

To the maroon who continues to talk about non-hetero sex being unnatural: what about the hundreds of thousands of hetero couples who engage in anal and oral sex, bondage, and other non-procreating sex?

Are those people behaving in unnatural behavior or is it NONE OF OUR BUSINESS?

Having engaged some non-procreative sex myself, I don't think it's any of our business what kind of sex people have.

Anonymous said...

If I use contraception and have sex, does that mean I am unnatural? Does it mean I should divorce my spouse?

Anonymous said...

anon 9:41,

Yes!

Anonymous said...

Given the fact that very few families in our area have a large number of children, it is fair to assume that nobody should be married.

Anonymous said...

anon 10:01,

yes there were hot lesbians and they were SMOKING hot.

Anonymous said...

Wow, smoking hot lesbians?

That is HOT!

Anonymous said...

So I'm not going to get involved in this whole Prop 8 debate you have going here since the topic of this forum is the protest in WC for gay youth.... and in that regard I support it. Just like I support Black rights groups protesting, Rally's for Cancer, etc etc.

For those of you that think this stuff should 'stay out of the suburbs', let me remind you that there are many gay and lesbian people who pay taxes just as you do, therefore you have no right to say who will/will not do things here. If you don't like it I suggest you buy a large piece of property in the midwest and make your own town. Otherwise shut the f--k up and worry about your own problems/home life.

For the religious folk out there it is very sad that you have such hate and contempt for another one of God's children. You all speak of what 'Gods intentions' were, did God not say it was wrong to lie with another mans wife? How many of you have done that? Didn't God say to love each other and NOBODY is to judge except for him? So what - you take certain parts of the bible that you like but ignore the others?

This boils down to basic respect for others. For someone to be so hateful tells me that you are very confused yourself, and threatened by gays that maybe you are one yourself? Or that you are a bigot that should be sent back to the trailer park.

Yawn.....