Vote No on Prop 8

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Jennifer's Vote No on Prop. 8 - Daily Journal
(Webmaster note: Please scroll down to see Jennifer's day by day account of standing on the street with her sign and talking with local residents.)

Jennifer's message is personal: As a devoted mother of four, a proud member of the Escondido community and an out and proud lesbian, she's reaching out to her neighbors—fellow Little League moms, fellow school volunteers, local businesses, elected officials, and just plain folks next door—with a message of togetherness and equality.

For more information, please contact Jennifer on her cell: (760) 445-9453

October 13 & 14, 2008 (Monday and Tuesday) - Several Vote No on Prop 8 supporters stopped by, and a young woman named Tina, who works across the street, brought Jennifer coffee on her break from work.

October 15, 2008 (Wednesday) - Several people stopped to talk with Jennifer in support of Vote No on Prop 8, and Tina brought coffee again!

Jennifer (on the right) with another supporter of “Vote No On Prop 8” with sign.

High resolution JPG (4.33 mb)

Jennifer (on the lef) with Tina holding sign.
Jennifer (on the left) with Tina holding “Vote No on Prop 8” sign.

High resolution JPG (5.21 mb)

Oct 16, 2008 (Thursday) - Eight (8) people spontaneously joined Jennifer to hold up signs and spread the No on Prop 8 message to the community. The people who joined Jennifer's “Mini Walk for Togetherness” found out about her Vote No on Prop 8 action by driving past her earlier in the week, texting one another, and spreading the word over the Internet.

Oct 17, 2008 (Friday) - There were nineteen (19) people who came to join me to get out the Vote No on Prop 8 word today. At about 5 p.m., two people with pro-prop 8 signs showed up and stood on the corner opposite us. Around 5:30 p.m., five more pro-prop 8'ers came. All of us who were there to advance the Vote No on Prop 8 message just stayed positive and continued our friendly visibility. We received a great many positive honks and waves, thumbs-up, and peace and love signs from passers-by. We stayed until dark instead of packing things up at 6 p.m., which worked well because Friday night traffic does stay pretty steady after rush hour.

Oct 20, 2008 (Monday) - Jennifer was interviewed by San Diego's Channel 8 News. Her story was aired that night.

The Channel 8 news story can be found here:
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3752138/10301494

The group on Monday (Oct. 20th) reached 46 people, thanks to the young people's
e-networking as well as committed citizens like Jill and her mom, Sherry and their friends, and other youth like Stacy, Cassie, and Olivia. The group was large enough that we spread to all four corners of the intersection!

Oct 21, 2008 (Tuesday) - Today there were 18 people joining me. Although in a way I can't say “joining me” anymore. This thing has taken on a life of its own! We had young people from Cal State San Marcos, San Pasqual High, Orange Glen High (no endorsements implied) and three other parents from all three of my kids' schools, as well as what the kids would call “random” community members, as well as past co-workers of mine, and a good friend of mine from San Diego and his friend. I think it is good to note that fully half of the “crowd” was straight allies and our ages ranged from 4 years old to 40+. (I would name names, but I'll forget someone!) When the exuberant young people who took so many pix email them to us, we will post them and add some names! I'll be back out there tomorrow and I can't wait to see who's there!

Another news story, this time in print:
http://www.todayslocalnews.com/index.php?sect=tln&p=6002&home=yes

Jennifer (on the left) with Vote No On 8 supporters.
Jennifer (on left) with other “Vote No on 8” supporters.

Jennifer (on the left) with Vote No On 8 supporters.
Jennifer with other “Vote No on 8” supporters.

Jennifer (on the left) with Vote No On 8 supporters.
“Vote No on 8” supporters in Escondido.

Oct 22, 2008 (Wednesday) - Today there were 29 people on the corner. What a wonderful birthday gift! Yep, today I turned 42. I had a small sign that said “It's my Birthday. All I want is the gift of Equality for All!” We had another great evening of smiles and waves, trying to get out more No votes on Prop. 8. We haven't done a scientific tally, but ask anyone out there and you'll hear that the supportive honks, waves, and thumbs-up far, far outweigh the negative responses. Take my word for it, or come on out and see for yourself. This is a dedicated bunch of folks waving their banners for equality!

Oct 23, 2008 (Thursday) - Hi Again! Today's update. It's not exactly Pulitzer-worthy. I'm SOOOO tired!

There were 31 folks on the sidewalk with our Vote No on Prop. 8 signs. A block away at City Hall, a pro-Prop 8 rally of mostly teachers and their families was just wrapping up. They had a large crowd—I heard between 80-100 people. We did not engage with them, though some of the young and highly enthusiastic people with our Vote No on 8 message wanted to go over and talk with them. I counseled them not to waste our precious energy on interacting with folks entrenched in their discriminatory views, and use that energy to keep getting our message for inclusion and equality across to the moveable middle!

The young people saw my point and stayed with our gathering. Channel 6 news covered the pro-8'ers and then stopped to talk with us to get our views on the recent statement by California Superintendent of Schools Jack O'Connell, who is—thank goodness—answering pro-8 TV spots that inflame fears that public school curricula will be changed due to Prop. 8's defeat. Another parent and I were able to echo the Vote No on 8 position that the Superintendent uttered: Prop 8 proponents need to stop using schoolchildren and the schools to advance discrimination! The channel 6 reporter was told us he glad we were there, because on his deadline he would not have had live quotes from Vote No on Prop. 8 folks had he not seen us! Whew

Oct 24, 2008 (Friday) - All together there were 31 people today—32 including the cute dog! A woman, Pamela, stopped by to thank us for being there. She said she saw the story in the newspaper. She gave me a hug and had a tear in her eye. She lives nearby and said that until she saw us out there, she felt isolated and surrounded by “Yes on 8” hostility. Her partner is in the US Navy and currently deployed on a ship. Pamela is given no support from the US Armed Forces, is seen as no one of significance, receives no help or benefits as a partner of a deployed sailor, as is the case for all partners of LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) servicemen and servicewomen. Pamela is going to come by and join us again.

Oct 27, 2008 - 91 people!!! Yes, that's ninety-one!!! Pix to follow tomorrow. Tonight I absolutely must get some sleep. After all, I have four kids to get ready for Halloween on the way to defeating this monster of a proposition! Maybe on Halloween I'll bring a sign that says “Don't haunt the Constitution with Bigotry!” (Note: Jennifer had a helper to check the count of people who participated that day.)

See you all out there tomorrow. As I said, we will post video and pix of the amazing turn out! All over this state, dedicated people are working hard to defeat prop. 8. I'm so proud that my “conservative” town is making this showing right before the election, to help with the message that's being spread via all the phone banks, other sign-wavings, fund raisers, celebrity messages, and amazing No on 8 commercials on the airwaves! Thank you HRC, NCLR, EQCA, LGBT Centers, NGLTF!

No On Prop. 8 supporters
91 supporters for Vote No on Prop. 8.
Jennifer is in the center back (you can see her sign held high).

Oct 28, 2008 - A smaller group today. Only 44. ONLY 44???? Wow. Such an amazing outpouring of respect for the rights and equality of all!

Jennifer (on the left) with Vote No On 8 supporters.
Cal State U. San Marcos has a really organized group who call themselves "Nat's Crew" after a respected Mentor. These students have been very supportive of our Escondido efforts. Some of them (in the white tees) are doing a visibility action in Vista over the weekend!

Jennifer (on the left) with Vote No On 8 supporters.
The youth toward the center is Ciara F. (white tee, black glasses).
She is the one who drove by when I was out there on my own the
first few days and recognized me as a band mom (like her mom)
from the high school. She started texting all her friends, and thus
the spontaneous rallying began!

Oct 29, 2008 - Today at Escondido Blvd. and Valley Parkway we had 55 people. At one point we split off and about 20 took signs to the intersection at 2nd Avenue and Escondido Blvd. (It's the eastbound feed street from the freeway. The original intersection where I started is the westbound feed to the freeway.)

Two women came up to me to say they are starting a visibility rally for Vote No on 8 in Valley Center, another woman said she will lead a group at Felicita and Center City Pkwy in Escondido this weekend. I'll post details.

I gave these women the "spiel" about “captaining” the visibility groups—give every single person who shows up a crash course in (1) staying on message; (2) staying friendly and positive; (3) never returning any negativity by word, look or gesture; (4) never interacting with or posting themselves near Yes on 8'ers.

Other folks plan to be out in force in North County, including CSUSM students who will be waving signs in Vista. An organizer from Temecula who coordinated with PFLAG joined us. They had 200 people rallying for Vote No on 8 in Temecula. We are winning and we will not let up until the votes that prove it are tallied!

November 5, 2008 - Please join me at 4:00 p.m today on the corner of Valley Parkway and Escondido Boulevard and bring as much rainbow color as you can, especially balloons if you can, and as many more beautiful straight allies and LGBT's and everyone else as you can. Please let other people know.

This cruel attack on a group of Californians has flushed out an enormous and visible amount of straight allied support. That is the progress and immutable presence no amount of bigotry can reverse.

In the spirit of something like the Whos down in Whoville who came out singing no matter what, I will be on the corner with my sign, rewritten to say "HOPE REIGNS" and I will bring rainbow balloons.

We may have lost this particular race, but we have the strength and stamina of truth and love on our side. We Shall Overcome and the first step to that is to dry our tears and show our pride as human beings and brothers and sisters walking forth in justice and equality.

No On Prop. 8 supporters

Spread the word on Vote No On 8!
If you know of a list or group, please send the donation link by copying and pasting the donation link for No on Prop 8 found directly below: https://secure.ga4.org/01/equalityforall

You can also donate now by clicking on this active donation link below for No on Prop 8: https://secure.ga4.org/01/equalityforall.

We need donations continued to allow amazing organizations like Equality for All and Equality California Institute to air the brilliant TV ads that are countering the lies being broadcast by the Prop. 8 campaign.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence
of our friends." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

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