Marching through White Plaza, while snaking through the Quad, and ultimately while sitting down in the intersection of Palm and Campus Drive, I kept thinking about why I was marching with dozens of other Stanford students, decrying the CA Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Prop 8. Sure, I believe in civil rights for everyone. I believe it’s the Supreme Court’s responsibility to protect the rights of the minority when face with adversity from the majority. And I believe that Prop 8 is morally wrong on several levels.
But to literally come “out of the closets, into the streets” requires an incredibly stronger effort than simply checking “No” on a ballot. It requires so much more than posting it on your Facebook status.
It requires marching in solidarity with students who are harboring the same feelings, encouraging curious bystanders to join the fight, making a public stand in the middle of an intersection. Making a promise on nationalmarriageboycott.com and refusing to express your right until everyone can.. that’s action. And for the first time in a very long time, I am proud of myself and can say that I literally stood up (and sat down) for what I believed in. This is just one step of many, because organizing and spreading the word is what ultimately will get people to realize the injustice that so many face everyday.
I can’t wait for the day when we can laugh (albeit somewhat shamefully) at how foolish our nation had been when a large minority were denied their rights simply because of their sexual orientation.
Love is blind. It knows no gender. NO ON PROP 8.
Stacie Chan 