Scenes from A Revolution
Day of Decision, Castro Edition. (Pics at City Hall by friend of the Mudflats, Joanie Juster. Pics from the Castro by Mudflats webmaster, Thomas Dewar.)
San Francisco’s City Hall opened its doors at 6:30 a.m. for people to wait for the Supreme Court’s decisions on the two cases determining the legality of same-sex marriage: Proposition 8 and DOMA. When both of these unjust laws were struck down, City Hall erupted in joy.
Streaming into the Capitol. Photo by Joanie Juster
Just a few of the news trucks lined up waiting for the action to begin.
The crowd erupted into cheers and thanks for Gavin Newsom when he was introduced.
President of the Board of Supervisors David Chiu addresses the crowd.
After the announcements that both Prop 8 and DOMA were overturned, our elected officials appeared at the top of the grand staircase.
Barb and Pat, together for 29 years, finally have equal rights.
<3
The celebration in the capitol of LGBT America — San Francisco’s Castro District — was the kind of bedlam one would expect yesterday. The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder. It was impossible to move through the crowd and explosions of confetti, and yet thousands of people were grinning at, hugging and high-fiving complete strangers.
To the backdrop of breakbeats, MLK’s “free at last” line rang out over the PA and people of all ages, races, genders, and faiths wept openly with joy. Members of the Board of Supervisors (San Francisco’s city council—what we call the assembly here in Anchorage) were joined by the DA and state legislators on stage.
Speakers pointed out that the only nation on the planet whose constitution enshrines LGBT equality is South Africa, and chanted “Vivá Mandela!” in praise of the ailing human rights icon. Another speaker expressed a desire to lick Gavin Newsom’s face.
Solidarity with immigrant communities was enthusiastically expressed and loudly cheered, and an array of clergy made known their desire to be on the right side of history. The event was poignant for an older generation who could remember the truly bad old days of lost friends, family members, and political leaders. “The Mayor of Castro Street” aka Harvey Milk was, of course, remembered through teary eyes and boisterous cheers.
Loverly.
This made me cry.
It is not done but the change is finally here.
And in a selfish vein, I finally have joyous pictures to replace old heartbreaking ones.
I was here/there visiting a college friend when Dan White murdered Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone. I had been visiting a family member in the East Bay, whose home had become an informal place to gather for grieving families of many of those lost in the mass murder/suicide in Guyana . The pain suffered by those family members overwhelmed me and I decided to go to San Francisco for a few days. The shock of the murders and the pain was almost too much to bear. I saw so many people on the street with tears running down their faces or simply standing still in the middle of the sidewalk.
This celebration doesn’t take it all away but it affirms the better part of what we are capable of.
What, no outrageously outlandish outfits and in-your-face lewd sexual innuendos? How is that possible? Aren’t the photos from California and, in particular, from the bastion of ultimate gayness, SFO? Aren’t the crowd all full of teh gay and teh gay backers — and aren’t teh gay all obnoxious in pushing their homosexual agenda on us?
Seriously, these photos must be fake…or from some event other than described.
All I see in the shots are people, just regular, ordinary, every-day people; people who are all looking happy and hopeful and … and … and, well, just normal! I also detect an incredible sense of excitement and contentment in all the photos…and a sense of America at her finest, because, hello: “We, the People”.
Come to think of it, that’s EXACTLY the way it should be. And I am grateful that I, too, got to witness.
Thank you, Thomas, for sharing. beth.
Wow, were you there Jeanne? Great pics!
Sadly, I was not. The awesome pics were by Thomas Dewar, our webmaster who was lucky enough to be able to join in the festivities.