Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Prop 8 Aftermath: Timing is Everything. June is Pride Month and Wedding Season


Now that the California Supreme Court has upheld Prop 8 and the rallies and protests in the immediate aftermath are over, what's our next move?

We are not without power. It's time to turn up the heat, strike while the iron is hot and hit the ground running. This couldn't have happened at a better time. June is both Pride Month and Wedding Season. We have five days to get our shit together and and hit them where it counts: In the Wedding Chapel.

For the entire month of June queers across America will refuse to take part in any wedding-related activities. We will not help plan them, cater them, do any hair, makeup or nails or fit any gowns. We will not arrange their flowers, decorate their cakes or book their honeymoons.

I know what you're thinking. Last year's "A Day Without a Gay" went largely unnoticed. People either couldn't afford to take the day off or they were afraid of being outed at work. It's hard for a gay business owner to turn down wedding-related work during his/her most profitable time of the year. But let's face it, we're in a recession and business is down anyway. Close down for a week. It's time to take one for the team and I mean on Main Street, not Folsom Street.

As for the rest of us, we will either refuse to attend weddings or we will attend them in our most outrageous rainbow-themed attire.

We will protest weddings everywhere by having thousands of us doing the Chicken Dance and shaking our asses to YMCA in the streets outside churches and reception halls, just like they're doing inside. Just read the announcements in your local papers, tweet your friends, grab the boom box and you're there.

It's time to make a statement. Make your Pride celebrations count with flash-mob acts of civil disobedience. Crash a wedding with a few dozen queer friends and start making out on queue. Then quietly disburse.

The rallies we saw all over the country last night were so huge because of Twitter. We got the message out in seconds and queers everywhere came together to show their outrage toward a twisted judicial system that allows bigotry and second class citizenship to be written into a state's constitution. At best, Pride parades get a two second sound bite on the local news. This year we will not be ignored. Use your over-the-top outrageousness to express your outrage.

The time is now.

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