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● Philly Shows Some Love
Username: slianfoxob Date: Sunday, November 16th, 2008
Location: Bethlehem, PA Protest location: Philadelphia, PA
Reason for joining this site: It's time this country delivers what it stands for
Rally cries: "What do we want? Equal Rights! When do we want 'em? Now!"
Yesterdays rally was an awe inspiring event. This was the first of what I assume will be many more for me. My boyfriend (of four years) and I left Bethlehem early in the morning to make sure we could get parking and arrived to an already staggering crowd at the corner of City Hall facing Love Park. There were hundreds of signs waving in the air as people cried out for equal rights. We proudly raised our signs into the air with the crowd and watched as people drove past and looked on with interest. The diversity in this city is something we've always loved and we weren't let down on Saturday. The shear number of allies we had surrounding us was astounding. Families from all walks of life lifted our spirits and made us realize what this is all about: Love. I mention our allies because honestly there were at least an equal number of straight people as there were gay, maybe even more. While I'm ecstatic that these people support our fight for equality it makes me wonder where are my gay brethren? I think a lot of people still have it in their mind that we're fighting a dying cause and I hope that when they see the impact of Saturdays rally they'll step out next time. My boyfriend and I were talking on the way home about the turnout and we came to realize something about ourselves and many other people our age. I'm 25 and he's 27. For that past few years we've distanced ourselves from gay activism (inlcuding pride events) because we didn't like how it was approaced by those before us. We've never enjoyed the over-the-top flashiness, nudity, and unreasonable sexual behavior. We saw a little bit of this right in front of us when a group of 30-somethings started taking their shirts off. Why? Why is it necessary to take off your shirt and grind up on people? Instead, we should be showing our kind, respectful, loving sides to those that are fighting against us. That doesn't mean you can't show some love to your partner but do it with a smooch instead. The rally was very peaceful and went very well for the most part I was just a little perturbed about the sudden skin party that was in front of us. I think the 21 and under crowd is really going to be the voice for this movement. They were all very respectful but determined and know how important this fight is. They certainly inspired us. We stood for a while chanting and waving our signs to the cars that passed by when suddenly the crowd started moving forward. We both looked at each other and saw others kind of confused. We weren't aware there was going to be a march and apparently one was not scheduled. The crowd dipped into the streets and police immediately started clearing a lane for everyone and within seconds everyone was stepping into the street cheering. We marched a full circle around city hall and this is where I got a little teary-eyed. There were many people with "honk" signs and when the people in cars would honk right next to me I could see their faces. The first woman I saw was a gentle-looking black woman driving an SUV. Now, like I said, this is a very diverse crowd full of people of every color and walk of life but something about seeing this particular woman show her support for us brought tears to my eyes. With the negative backlash on the black community, many GLBTers have started to doubt who they can trust. But this woman showed that love knows no color. I honestly wanted to run up to her window and give her a big smooch. On the last bend of the march, another "honker" struck a cord in my heart. A meek older woman with her stern looking husband. She pressed on the horn hard and she and her husband cracked a smile. It's heartwarming to know that we have so many passionate supporters out there. After the crowd gathered back at the center of City Hall we stood for a while listening to the chants, getting our pictures taken, etc. The last thing I remember was this young guy jumping up on the cement railing, grabbing onto a post and yelling "look at all these beautiful people! remember one thing: remember love. we are united. we are all equal and anyone who tells you otherwise...fuck them!" It was a great little end to our first protest. I can't wait to see what Amy Balliet will come up with next and we'll be ready to lend a hand. I hope that we can keep this momentum and bring more people out every time.
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