The Gays Win in East LA
| By Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign - Aug 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 am PDT |
| Also listed in: Courage Campaign Staff |
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Tags: California, camp courage, Lisa Powell, Lt. Dan Choi, marriage equality, Prop. 8
Tags: California, camp courage, Lisa Powell, Lt. Dan Choi, marriage equality, Prop. 8
Camp Courage Day Two. It's Sunday at about 1030 and the room here at the Gloria Molina Community Center is electric. After the Courage Lounge hosted by Javier Angulo and his colleagues at HonorPAC last night, I joined my partner Shaun for dinner with an out of town friend. At 11:30 or so, Lt. Choi arrived at our house, which is sort of his house now, too.
The last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed and come across the county at 0830. But I did. Dan and I rode over here on this beautiful morning, enjoying a cup of coffee a great conversation. Even though there is no traffic on Sunday mornings, I still wanted to be asleep.
I was worried that a bunch of people would not return after the packed day yesterday. Worries vanquished: the place is packed. Dan started the morning out with an even stronger, more energizing speech that ended with this. "I told three people three words. They were my Mom, my Dad and Rachel Maddow. Those three words were 'I love you'" spoken about his boyfriend, Matthew. He said, "We will win because 'I love you' is truth."
He got a three minute standing ovation. And then it got really good.
The twenty five teams of six to nine each huddled to create their team chants. At first, the leaders of the Camp thought that we'd have time for only a few chants to be shared publicly. You can guess what happened. The chants were so good and so much fun that we got to hear them all. A few were in Spanish; all were inclusive and sparkling. TJ sang his.
Now, we have folks sharing their experiences of using their stories of self. The API Equality story remains one of the most powerful in the movement because API Equality worked in the API community to win on Prop. 8. The Courage Equality Team story from Fresno/Clovis knocked people out as we heard about canvassing in Clovis, a city with no sidewalks, very rural and very "anti-equality." But the team goes back and back and back, and becomes stronger each time.
I wish everyone could see and feel this camp. There's no infighting, no positioning, nothing but commitment. I can feel the love and the determination the skills and the possibility that 225 people here in East LA have for each other and our world.
Had this type of training existed before the election last November, there'd be no ban on same-sex marriage in our constitution. As Lisa Powell said, there's a smattering of white people in this room. It's a room that is Los Angeles and California, the room that is our progressive coalition for the future to right our state on marriage equality and economic justice.
Happy Sunday. Happy progress.
The last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed and come across the county at 0830. But I did. Dan and I rode over here on this beautiful morning, enjoying a cup of coffee a great conversation. Even though there is no traffic on Sunday mornings, I still wanted to be asleep.
I was worried that a bunch of people would not return after the packed day yesterday. Worries vanquished: the place is packed. Dan started the morning out with an even stronger, more energizing speech that ended with this. "I told three people three words. They were my Mom, my Dad and Rachel Maddow. Those three words were 'I love you'" spoken about his boyfriend, Matthew. He said, "We will win because 'I love you' is truth."
He got a three minute standing ovation. And then it got really good.
The twenty five teams of six to nine each huddled to create their team chants. At first, the leaders of the Camp thought that we'd have time for only a few chants to be shared publicly. You can guess what happened. The chants were so good and so much fun that we got to hear them all. A few were in Spanish; all were inclusive and sparkling. TJ sang his.
Now, we have folks sharing their experiences of using their stories of self. The API Equality story remains one of the most powerful in the movement because API Equality worked in the API community to win on Prop. 8. The Courage Equality Team story from Fresno/Clovis knocked people out as we heard about canvassing in Clovis, a city with no sidewalks, very rural and very "anti-equality." But the team goes back and back and back, and becomes stronger each time.
I wish everyone could see and feel this camp. There's no infighting, no positioning, nothing but commitment. I can feel the love and the determination the skills and the possibility that 225 people here in East LA have for each other and our world.
Had this type of training existed before the election last November, there'd be no ban on same-sex marriage in our constitution. As Lisa Powell said, there's a smattering of white people in this room. It's a room that is Los Angeles and California, the room that is our progressive coalition for the future to right our state on marriage equality and economic justice.
Happy Sunday. Happy progress.
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