You Can't Hide Your Hate

Happy Inauguration Day, everyone!

2009-01-20T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of Barack Obama's presidency. Which means that the struggle for equality will no longer have an adversary in the White House. Obama may not be the strongest advocate for human rights like he claims (he is a proponent of separate-but-equal civil unions), but if his actions match his rhetoric, we are in for an unprecendented era of progress.

The whitehouse.gov website now includes extensive details about Obama's agenda for civil rights, which specifically (and predominantly!) includes rights for GLBT Americans and their families. Copied below in full:

CIVIL RIGHTS

"The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen -- they didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs.... We have more work to do."

-- Barack Obama, Speech at Howard University, September 28, 2007

President Barack Obama has spent much of his career fighting to strengthen civil rights as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as President. Whether promoting economic opportunity, working to improve our nation's education and health system, or protecting the right to vote, President Obama has been a powerful advocate for our civil rights.

* Combat Employment Discrimination: President Obama and Vice President Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.
* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.
* End Deceptive Voting Practices: President Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.
* End Racial Profiling: President Obama and Vice President Biden will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.
* Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support: President Obama and Vice President Biden will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama and Biden will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.
* Eliminate Sentencing Disparities: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.
* Expand Use of Drug Courts: President Obama and Vice President Biden will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
* Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
* Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
* Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
* Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
* Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
* Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
* Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

Prop 8 maps

2009-01-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

This website takes public information, and makes it a bit more... public. It goes perhaps a bit further than I'm comfortable with. But if you want to know where the donors are, here ya go:

http://www.eightmaps.com/

Now, PLEASE!!!!! Harassing donors is NOT going to achieve anything. Treat people with respect. And fight the bigotry, not the bigot.

Anti-gay violence, anti-mormon violence

2008-12-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Since the passage of Prop 8, there have been a number of acts of anti-gay violence around the country. I found most of these doing a google news search.

Anti-gay violence since the election
On November 9, a transgnedered woman was murdered in Tenessee.

December 3, a gay-bashing in Salt Lake City.

On December 7, a two Ecuadorian brothers were beaten in Brooklyn, NY. The attackers (assuming that they were a couple, because they were walking arm-in-arm) shouted anti-gay, anti-latino slurs at them. One of the brothers died of brain injuries. (His facebook memorial page is here.)

On December 10, a gay man was attacked in a DC restaurant.

On December 13, a lesbian in Richmond, CA was raped by a gang of attackers who targeted her because of her sexuality.

December 16, another attack in DC leaves a gay man dead.

Anti-mormon violence since the election
Um... none that I could find.

Of course, "mysterious white powder" sent to the LDS church in LA is a reprehensible act. It has NOT been linked to any gay-rights group, and frankly, antrhax attacks are historically the M.O. of right-wing extremists.

But I could not identify a single case of anti-Mormon or anti-Christian violence since the election. Please let me know if you are aware of any, and link me to a news source!

So all those cries of persecution coming from Prop 8 supporters ring a little hollow to me. These people have not had their safety jeopardized.
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This blog is not meant to imply that the Prop 8 campaign directly led to acts of anti-gay violence--gay bashing has a long and inglorious history that preceded the election. But I wanted to put to rest the delusional claims of persecution espoused by religious extremists, who have never had to fear for their safety for being themselves.

This week in gay-bashing

2008-12-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

-The US joins China, Russia, and pretty nearly every Islamic Country in refusing to sign on to a UN declaration opposing persecution of homosexuals. The Vatican takes its hypocrisy to new heights, letting its homophobia outweigh its opposition to the death penalty (the punishment for homosexuality in Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen). (And this passes for spiritual leadership?)

-Obama extends an invitation to Rick Warren to preside over the beginning of his term as president. Warren not only supported Proposition 8, but he also equates homosexuality with incest and pedophilia. His campaign--delivered from his pulpit--was blatantly dishonest, fabricating legal implications for churches if Prop 8 failed. (And this passes for spiritual leadership?)

-Obama fails to include a single out gay or lesbian in his cabinet or his inauguration ceremony. Unless you count the marching band. (This isn't a huge slight, but it provides a context in which we can interpret Obama's other actions. Remember, this is the full extent of his outreach to the gays so far.)

-The Yes on 8 people (that would include Rick Warren) sue the state of California to force the nullification of the same-sex couples already married prior to election day. (If you want the names of this crew: youcanthideyourhate.blogpost.com)

That's a lot of abuse for a single week.

But then again, when the times are dark, a ray of light shines. There are at least a few people willing to stand up for what's right.

Prop-8 backer Rick Warren to lead invocation at Obama's inauguration

2008-12-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Read the story here.

Many of us said that Proposition 8 put gays and lesbians on the back of the bus.

Well, now President-Elect Obama has thrown us under it.

A flag for equal rights

2008-12-16T11:09:00.001-08:00

My friends at The New Gay blog posted a piece about the Equal Rights flag, created by Carl Tashian, where there is one star for each state where same-sex and opposite-sex couples are treated equally.

The original version of this flag had three stars, for Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California. After November 4th, and the passage of Prop 8, that empty blue field got a bit emptier.

The backstory can be read here. It was a protest symbol from the women's suffrage movement.

I post this to remind the readers that we are NOT fighting about marriage, and we are NOT fighting for California.

Let's be clear about one thing: We will have a full field of stars, and soon. Not just in California, but in every state from Alabama to Wyoming. And we have our Constitution to thank for that. We've waited over 100 years for people to realize that the 14th amendment applies to us. This day will come sooner than you think.

Hate the bigotry, not the bigot

2008-12-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

This post is just a reminder that I'd like all the people to use these fliers to fight prejudice and bigotry, but not personally attack the people who promote it.

We have to view these people as victims. They were raised to believe that bigotry is morally correct. They were lied to by their religious leaders.

So, please, if you know anyone on this list, think of it as an occasion for dialogue, not an invitation for harassment.

If you don't know the people on the list, you probably don't want to go out of your way to contact them--odds are, angry confrontations with strangers will not be persuasive.

Santa Monica and nearby cities

2008-12-15T17:09:00.001-08:00

This flier covers Santa Monica and surrounding areas, including Culver City, Venice, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Westchester, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, and Playa Vista. (For other communities in this area, check out the Westside Flier)

Download PDF here.

Laguna Beach

2008-12-13T16:39:00.001-08:00

Just one city on this flier! But wow, for such a tiny and gay-friendly city, Laguna Beach was certainly an outpouring of financial support for Prop 8!

Download pdf here.

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not boycotting anyone

2008-12-11T02:15:00.000-08:00

Despite protestations from the editors and letter writers to the Press-Telegram, I am not boycotting any businesses on account of donations to Proposition 8.

When he interviewed me, reporter John Canalis asked me if I had ceased going to any businesses because of their involvement with Prop 8.

I couldn't think of a single one. There is no business I used to patronize prior to the campaign that I have ceased to patronize.

Largely, this is because most of the businesses I use are supportive of equal rights, or stayed neutral in the campaign.

So although some might boycott El Pollo Loco, Cinemark, or other such businesses, I can't, because I never patronized them in the first place.

No change in shopping behavior? No boycott. It's that simple.

Media coverage

2008-12-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our blog has been making the press from coast to coast!

First the Long Beach Press-Telegram ran an article on us on Nov. 29, followed by a fairly critical editorial the next day (because, apparently, the P-T thinks that electoral persecution is more of a civil right than marriage).

Now the Boston University independent student paper, the Daily Free Press, has covered us as well!

In related news, both the LA Times and the Press-Telegram ran editorials today bemoaning the fact that some Prop 8 supporters are learning that their actions have consequences.

From today's LA Times:

Prop. 8 -- boycott, or blacklist?
Shunning businesses is one thing; intimidation crosses the line.
December 10, 2008

Gays and lesbians -- at least some of them -- plan to refrain from working and shopping today as an expression of their dismay over Proposition 8, the Nov. 4 measure that banned same-sex marriage, and as a showing of both their economic clout and their place within the larger community. If organizers carry it off, this is exactly the kind of tactic that can make a difference, though its impact might have been bigger before election day.

For all the complaints (mainly coming from the Yes-on-8 campaign), boycotts against corporations or organizations are a time-honored method of expressing opinions and pushing for social or political change. But in the superheated Proposition 8 debate, this venerable tactic has occasionally been used in ugly ways.

It started when the directors of the Yes-on-8 campaign sent letters to various companies that had donated to the opposition camp. The missives warned donors to pay an equal amount to the "Yes" side or risk being publicly outed as opponents of "traditional marriage" (the implication being that they would then face a boycott). The tactic looked and quacked a lot like extortion. It's one thing to boycott, or threaten it; a demand for hush money goes over the line.

Since then, postelection boycott efforts by the other side -- defenders of same-sex marriage -- have expanded into a vengeful campaign against individuals who donated to the gay-marriage ban, usually in the form of pressure on their employers. At least two people have resigned from their jobs and a third is considering it, including the artistic director of a stage company in Sacramento and a manager at an L.A. eatery.

As much as we abhorred Proposition 8, there's nothing to cheer about when private individuals are afraid to donate to the political campaigns of their choice because it may cost them their livelihood. In the case of Scott Eckern, who resigned from the California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, the future of the nonprofit company was at stake after some artists refused to work with him. But what if that situation were reversed and Eckern were targeted because he opposed Proposition 8? Or because he was gay? Professionals have to look past their personal and political differences or everyone with an opinion will be on an official list of undesirables.

The line between boycott and blacklist can be imprecise. Owners and officers of companies aren't just private individuals; they must accept that their political actions will reflect on the organizations they head and act accordingly. But a heated debate about a basic right -- in this case, the right to marry whom one chooses -- must also consider the rights of citizens to vote and donate without intimidation.

The LA Times wins points for pointing out that it was the Yes on 8 side who actually, collectively, attempted to intimidate donors from giving money to the No side. But they lose points for bringing up the false equivalency in pretending that defending your rights is the same as denying rights from others, and that our reactions should be the same.

From the Press-Telegram:

Tarred and feathered
Press-Telegram Editorial
Posted: 12/09/2008 11:49:43 PM PST

When Emerson Fersch contributed $3,285 to the "Yes on 8" campaign, he was acting on his conscience. A Mormon bishop, Fersch obviously felt strongly about preserving marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

On Nov. 4, a majority of California voters agreed with Fersch and voted "yes" on Proposition 8, which amends the state constitution to define marriage in the traditional sense.

But, unlike other ballot propositions, including ones that increase property tax assessments significantly, gay activists would not accept "yes" for an answer.

The day after, the boycotts and protests began. One of the first targets was the Mormon temple in West L.A., since Mormons were exercising their legal and moral choices by supporting and heavily funding Prop. 8. A restaurant owner whose daughter donated $100 to the "Yes on 8" campaign found his business boycotted, until the daughter made a tearful apology to gays.

Last month, a local Web site listed people who made perfectly legal contributions in favor of Prop. 8, and Fersch, who also happens to be city treasurer of Signal Hill, was high on the list. We said at the time that while the Web site's outings of contributors are perfectly legal, they do nothing to further the cause of civility.

Now gay activists are threatening to start a recall petition to have Fersch removed from his job. They will rally today in front of Signal Hill City Hall. But what will they be protesting? A person's
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free choice as an American to support a cause he believes in?

Signal Hill Mayor Michael Knoll, who is gay, was quoted in Tuesday's Press-Telegram as saying, "What (Fersch) did in his personal views and life is his business." Knoll's voice of reason was shared by two other openly gay members of the council, Vice Mayor Ellen Ward and Councilman Larry Forester, although Forester called Fersch's donation "bigoted."

Fersch apologized to the three gay council members, although it's not clear why supporting a ballot measure is in any way "bigoted." Frankly, it sounds as if Forester needs a lesson in democracy.

In the 1950s, careers and lives were ruined by Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his band of witch-hunters trying to ferret out communists in the entertainment and other industries. What's been happening since Nov. 4 is no less insidious.

Today, gay activists are planning to "call in gay." Instead of reporting for work, or spending money, they will do volunteer work. That is their right. Just as it's Emerson Fersch's and everyone else's right to do what their conscience and values dictate in a peaceful, legal and democratic way.

The P-T deserves a scolding for its over-the-top histrionics, and for failing to appreciate that their defense of pure, unadulterated democracy ought to lead them to defend a recall effort (against Signal Hill treasurer Emerson Fersch) as a way of holding our officials accountable. Their narrow definition of bigotry defends all prejudice, as long as the bigot smiles when he or she discriminates. Worse still, for a second time, they claim that one could actually support Prop 8 if they had a conscience!

What both of these editorial writers must realize is that oppressed people never accept inequality. These protests will continue until equality is achieved.

Humboldt County

2008-12-09T19:54:00.001-08:00

Humboldt County, including Arcata, Eureka, McKinleyville, Blue Lake, Fortuna, and Ferndale.

No donors to Prop 8 lived in the towns of Carlotta, Trinidad, and Bayside.

Note: All the donors are listed on side 1. Side 2 just contains some extra info about the campaign waged by Prop 8 supporters. Interesting to read when people complain about boycotting and blackmail.....

Download PDF here.

Fight Hate: Prevent Teen Suicide

2008-12-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

This post is a one-time shift from the usual focus of this blog.

Teen suicide is a huge problem, particularly for gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual teens, who are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts.

Although I personally believe that anti-gay politicians and political campaigns bear some responsibilty for fostering a culture of intolerance, I know that none of the Yes on 8 donors actively sought to encourage teen suicide. We should all be concerned about this problem, and I hope that all of us--gay or straight, religious or atheist, conservative or liberal--can work together to tackle this problem.

This post is a plea for readers of my blog (which now clearly includes a lot of Proposition 8 backers) to take a stand against teen suicide, and donate to one of these resources that helps teens in crisis. In these bleak times, they need our help more than ever.

Teenline

Gay and Lesbian National Help Center Hotline

The Trevor Project

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Please note that a few of these hotlines are targeted to teens or gay youth, but people of all ages and orientations can get help from any of them. Suicide is a major problem among veterans, the elderly, and the disabled, too. Your donation will help all these groups.

The LA Times too

2008-12-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

The LA Times blog, in an episode of meta-reporting, covered the Press-Telegram article about us!

Read it here.

We won't be making a list of "No on 8" donors

2008-12-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Lots of people have--for a variety of reasons--asked us to make a comparable list of "No on 8" donors. Some people want to find out which businesses to support, and others would like to conduct their own boycotts.

If you're interested, get yer own blog. You can do all the research here, just like we did. Then you can start a blog using blogger, livejournal, wordpress, or any other service you like!

Making a flier takes a bit of effort, and I'm not very interested in "outing" the prop 8 opponents. I have no problem with someone else doing that. There are a ton of ways of finding gay-friendly businesses to support (just check out the advertisers in your local gay paper), so these lists wouldn't offer much new. Anti-gay bigots can use these same sources and boycott appropriately. Right-wing organizations such as Focus on Family have long tried to organize boycotts against large companies they percieved as being too gay-friendly (Disney, Microsoft, McDonalds, Ford...), and so far with no measurable success.

There have been some high-profile donors to the No on 8 side, like Google (which, incidentally, owns Blogger), Apple, Brad Pitt, Levi Straus, Pacific Gas and Electric, George Lucas, Fall Out Boy, etc etc etc. You have PLENTY of targets on the "No" side, if you'd like to boycott. The Queers United blog has made an honor roll list, if you'd like to check.

But no, we will not be doing that on this site. If you do it, and start your own blog, let us know--we'd be happy to link to you, whichever side you're on.

We're in the Long Beach Press-Telegram!!!

2008-11-30T15:29:00.000-08:00

The top story in today's edition (the weekend! edition) of the Long Beach Press-Telegram is all about the effort to "out" prop 8 backers, and prominently features our blog!!!!

Please read the full story here.

PDF of article here.

I would like to commend the reporters for giving what I feel is a fair representation of our perspective. I don't know if the Prop 8 backers feel similarly about this article, but I think their views were given a fair hearing.

A response from El Pollo Loco

2008-11-28T13:51:00.001-08:00

As you may know, several equal rights advocates have called for a boycott of the El Pollo Loco restaurant chain. This call to action is largely a response to a $6000 donation made by Long Beach resident Roland Spongberg, president of the WKS Restaurant Group, which operates many of El Pollo Loco's franchises in the western US.

Not a very direct connection, but it would be completely dishonest for El Pollo Loco to claim that there is no relationship between them and Mr. Spongberg.

For the record, we here at YCHYH have never called for a boycott of El Pollo Loco, or of any business for that matter. We believe in providing people with information so that they can choose for themselves where to spend their money, and which businesses to avoid.

Read their official press release here.

In the spirit of informing our readers, we'd like to provide you with a response from El Pollo. Essentially, the company has never come out on either side of this issue directly, and has no authority to prevent any of their employees from making political contributions.

The company does in fact provide benefits to domestic partners of employees (Are they required to by law? Can anyone comment on that?). However, they have not made a counter-donation to Lambda Legal, who are litigating to overturn the ban.

Is this response from El Pollo Loco "enough" to win back your patronage? Do they need to repudiate Mr. Spongberg? Or does he have to repudiate his own donation?

We here at YCHYH believe that each consumer can decide for him/herself. Personally, I would like to see such businesses actively affirm the rights of ALL their employees, and to come out against domestic partnerships as a second-class institution--a bar that El Pollo Loco has NOT met.

The 8 Accountability Project has some great thoughts on this issue!

We are taking requests

2008-11-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

If you want a flier produced for your community, please let us know!

Email us at youcanthideyourhate@gmail.com

Who is worst?

2008-11-13T12:23:00.001-08:00

We at youcanthideyourhate believe that ALL contributors to Proposition 8 committed an act of hatred towards their neighbors, and all should be held accountable for their betrayal of our communities. Donations as small as $5 are no less hatefull than donations of $1,000,000.

However, are some contributors "worse" than others? Should some have known better?

Some argue that people in traditionally gay-friendly businesses, such as actors, should be helt to a higher standard.

What about health care providers, who take an oath to treat their patients without discrimination?

What about educators? What will they be teaching our children?

What about people whose profession is to uphold the law, such as police officers or lawyers? Can we trust the judgment of these people who showed such a disrespect for our inalienable rights? Can they really enforce the law fairly and without bias?

I open this thread to discussion, if we should be targetting particular professions over others. And if so, which professions?

We are having an impact: Aida's Bookstore

2008-11-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Students at Cal State Long Beach have learned that the campus's used bookstore, Aida's Bookstore, employs Gordon Hodnett as a manager. Mr. Hodnett donated $1000 to support prop 8 on 9/16/08.

Students have begun discussions about boycotting Aida's and asking the University to sever its relationship with the bookstore because of Mr. Hodnett's donation.

New England

2008-11-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

New England was the cradle of the American Revolution, as well as the Marriage Revolution. Currently, only two states in the nation (Massachusetts and Connecticutt) support full equality for all couples. However, most of New England still affords some recognition to same-sex couples.

Although most New Englanders stayed out of the fray (notably Vermont, who donated $0 to the cause, and Massachusetts, which has yet to descend into chaos despite recognizing same-sex marriage since 2004), huge amounts of funding came from this distant corner of the country. 99% of this money came from the Knights of Columbus, headquartered in New Haven, CT.

Download PDF.

East Bay

2008-11-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Berkeley, Oakland, El Cerrito, Kensington, Alameda, Richmond, Albany, El Sobrante, Orinda, Walnut Creek, San Pablo, San Leandro

Download PDF.

San Francisco

2008-11-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Despite being a such an enlightened city, citizens of San Francisco donated ~$75,000 to support Proposition 8 and deny equal rights to their neighbors. Who donated? Find out here.

Download PDF.

Westside

2008-11-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood, Park Labrea, Cheviot Hills, Sawtelle, West LA, and Palms.

Please download and distribute this flier! PDF Here.

Who gave in Los Angeles?

2008-11-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles is a big city, but you probably want to know, right? We are working on more neighborhoods, but we can tell you all about who gave in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and other Westside haunts.

Download the PDF here!

Not everyone is too happy about the public knowing about their donations to strip away civil rights. Despite knowing your political donations are always public, some donors are getting cold feet. The proprietress of Los Angeles restaurant El Coyote is regretting her donation to YES ON 8 and is hoping her diners will forgive her. Will we?

We are having an impact

2008-11-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

I gave my friend in Long Beach our list of prop 8 donors in our area. Lo and behold, he recognized the name of his chiropracter, Dr. Charles Criddle. Dr. Criddle, who by my friend's account was a decent chiropracter, gave $250 to protectmarriage.com on September 18, 2008.

My friend is now seeking out other chiropracters in Long Beach who did not support proposition 8, and has let Dr. Criddle know why he is taking his business elsewhere.

Dr. Criddle's office is at 358 Newport Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90814.

View Larger Map

If you want to share a story about how learning who supported Prop 8 affected you, please send us an email! youcanthideyourhate@gmail.com

A list of Prop 8 contributors in the Long Beach area

2008-11-07T23:40:00.001-08:00

Communtiies include:

Long Beach
Seal Beach
Signal Hill
Lakewood
Bellflower
San Pedro

Download the PDF here.

Drag them out of the Closet!

2008-11-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

The aftermath of California's passage of Proposition 8 is running through the state. Supporters of marriage equality -- gays and lesbians, straight married couples and college students, religious leaders and laborers, a cross section of California -- have taken to the streets dumbfounded and needing to act. But what can we do?

We can march.

We can support the lawsuits introduced this week.

We can prepare another initiative for the ballot.

And we can call out the bigots that pushed this horrible amendment onto the Constitution. People have targeted the Mormon Church which played a key role in fundraising for Prop 8. This isn't entirely fair because many Mormons did not support the hate-filled lies paid for by the campaign to end marriage. People have targeted African-American voters who vote nearly 70% in favor of the ban. This isn't entirely fair because almost a third of black voters did not support the ban.

But 100% of donors to the Yes on 8 campaign supported the ban and they should be our targets. This site is designed as a clearing house on information on Prop 8 donors and a source for materials in protest. Come back often.

All information was obtained from the San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/prop8/