When I worked at UCLA, I took that eastbound Wilshire Boulevard exit from the 405 everyday!

I hope that the public becomes better educated about the challenges gays and lesbians face and the need for better laws protecting their right to form partnerships.

I am outraged at the passage of Prop 8, and at the unwillingness of those who voted for it to see gays as fellow travelers...  I don't want anyone to have to stand outside our big tent, and I respectfully suggest that anyone who accepts the power and clout of our coalition, extend dignity, respect and full rights to all members.

I wholeheartedly support the protests.  

Think Prop 214.  Californians vote in a bad measure at first and, well, a learning process (and a backlash) resulted from it.  Ultimately, reversal.

I think there is serious opportunity here to burn out the religious opposition to gay marriage among centrists.

What should of been a night of pure relief and happiness for me, electing Barack Obama President of the United States, was instead tarnished by Prop 8's passage. We simultaneously won one massive advance for equal rights in this country and lost the most important gay rights battle since Lawrence v. Texas. Unless the California Supreme Court weighs in and declares that Prop 8 is not a Constitutional amendment, but rather a revision (thereby invalidating it), we really don't have many legal options other than to go back to the voters in 2010 or 2012 and ask for marriage again.

I hope it does not become violent but I am SO GLAD to see people taking action! Take to the streets! We need MORE of these "people power protest"!

the diary at Kos.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/11/6/ 202515/388/739/656237

and while at Kos, push THIS diary!

If traffic was moving on the West Side - a dubious probability on any day whose name ends with "day" - it certainly isn't now.

Todd, I agree - I see this as an opportunity, although a sad catalyst for said opportunity.  The No on 8 campaign was terribly run, and this is really an opportunity to finally organize California's Progressive community - up until now California's progressive advocacy has been terribly Balkanized due to geography and other reasons, and hopefully this is a chance to get some movement going here.

I think we've taken California's progressive position for granted - LA County turned out with 82% of the vote, but I've heard second-hand that San Francisco County somehow only turned out 49% - what the hell?  Is that true?  I don't want to throw blame around, but I can't but think that if Bay Area voters had bothered to show up that we could've won.  Once we tallied all of the LA County vote, it looks like the county was basically 50/50.

At any rate, I wrote more in my diary at Calitics.

are there any people "live blogging/texting" from the protest? Any pictures or video coming in from the ground?

I can say this with a measure of certainty for I was working the polls in one of the poorer districts in the city of Los Angeles. As the token white guy, I stood out amidst the majority Hispanic, Asian and Black voters that make up the majority of who went to the polls  in my precinct.

During the day, I helped a number of voters not only cast their vote for Obama, but also a "Yes" vote on Prop 8. When I was asked to explain the difference between voting "yes" or "no", they emphasized they wanted to make sure they voted against gay marriage. These comments came from Black and Hispanic voters, as most of the Asian voters voted for McCain, a fact that quickly became apparent whenever an Asian voter had to select a party while voting provisionally, they always selected "Republican".

I also had to force a campaign worker for NO ON PROP 8 to move away from the voting location, as he was in violation of election laws. This was because voters inside were complaining about his presence outside the doors leading into voting center.

Frankly, I was not surprised at the result, as Obama himself never supported same-sex marriage in any form. The irony here is that while the gays and lesbians cast their vote for the minority candidate, he and his supporters (read black if you wish) don't believe gays, lesbians and transgendered individuals deserve similar rights. This is not racist, but a fact I saw play out right before my eyes.

My partner and I in New Mexico are going to take on our local school district, with the help of the local union, for not allowing Domestic Partners to have health benefits, other school districts in our state do.  State Government employees do.  We believe this is our time to move a progressive agenda forward and we truly believe in EQUAL rights for ALL.

Our state has tried to pass Domestic Partnership rights the last two years and we have come very close.  On Tuesday, three Conservatives were ousted in our state legislature and replaced with three Progressives.  This will help bring equality to all.

if I still lived there.

Good for the protesters.  I hope that they do run another initiative on this, right alongside one to ban the Mormon Church (let the court strike it down, LOL)

...if you can't make it to Los Angeles, you can find a Mormon Temple or a "meetinghouse" near you right here.

Court Challenge:
It's a constitutional amendment, I never understood how the court challenge will work. I get that it supposedly violates the equal protection clause, but it's equally valid as an amendment. You have to co-equal provisions so either the court rules the new amendment as an exception carved out to the EP clause, or it goes to the SCOTUS who rules the same thing. I don't know how else it could work. You cannot rule an amendment now part of the constitution unconstitutional.

disagree- one fo the problems with the gay mvoement is that its not more antagonistic and in your face. I dont mean the sexuality at the parades. i mean for the rights. The same way that malcolm x provided a counter weight to Martin Luther King there needs to be an Act Up for civil rights for gays.