Indiana Gay Marriage Amendment, Protests, and Community Support

The Indiana Gay Marriage Amendment passed through the State House of Representatives after hours of debate today with a 76-23 vote, moving it onto the legislatures of 2007 or 2008 to pass the amendment onto the Indiana voters.

After the vote, a number of individuals within the community, including myself, decided a protest was in order. There were three of us which eventually became four on the eastside of the State House in the wind and the rain. We stood strong and awaited the arrival of a group that was in the midst of a meeting.

At the group's arrival, we decided to move our protest to the Circle, which has higher visibility. The twelve of us focused our protest then at The Columbia Club, where a good number of legislators were likely to be found after the session had ended.

We actually made a few feel visibly uncomfortable, as well as getting thumbs up from a number of drivers as they passed by our entourage at the center of Indianapolis. "Get the Bigots out of the State House", "Equal Rights", "SJR 7, The Hate Debate", were some of the more prominent chants of our determined group, with Pepper Partin having one of the loudest voices.

"The GBLT community should hear that our legislators want us to go away. It is just a matter of time before our rights are infringed upon further so they can make our disappearance a reality," Partin declared after the conclusion of the rally.

Despite only amassing twelve of us to protest this hate legislation being passed, I was reminded by Marti Abernathey. "It was a last minute decision to go down to the State House. The fact that we had a presence at the State House after the House vote is a vast improvement from the Senate vote." There were twelve more than those protesting when the State Senate passed the measure.

It does amaze me how so few decided to come out and protest the passage of this amendment that limits the rights of the gay community and gay relationships here in Indiana. In a time when the religious conservatives are winning battles all over the country, one would think the community support for protesting these moves would be more pronounced.

In a culture of indifference to real and actual limitations of the GBLT community's already very limited actual rights, it is time for members of the community to deal with their fears of public action and come together despite differences in opinion, position and politics.

Together we can be quite a force. Together we can give hope to a growing new generation of GBLTs. Together we can also do nothing. Doing nothing just seems completely unacceptable to me in matters of such importance as our civil rights. How far will the relgious conservatives have to go before we do come together, and will that be too little too late?

And you can Quote me on that. The Quotable Queer

Check out pics and another story at www.digitaldogmeat.com!

Check out my thoughts on OUR Civil Rights Movement