Report from Friday's Rally Against Discrimination

The march went incredibly well. We had over 200 people of many races,
genders, ages, and abilities, who listened to speakers ranging from
Supervisor Tom Ammiano to community activists like SF Pride board member
Zwazzi Sowö and Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit co-founder
Morningstar Vancil. Then we marched from the LGBT Center to Market and
Castro, chanting for equality and inclusion and against discrimination
in the LGBT community. At Harvey Milk Plaza we met up with others
already there. In a show of solidarity, the SF Gay Men's Chorus and the
transgender Transcendence Choir sang several songs together, and
Supervisor Bevan Dufty honored the hard work of people of all colors
striving to change the racially discriminatory practices that have
become all too common in the Castro. From there we headed down Castro
Street, picking up marchers from the commuters coming home from work off
MUNI, and we turned up 18th to confront the SF Badlands. Chanting, "Hey
hey, ho ho, Discrimination has got to go," we encouraged bar patrons to
join us, but none did. We then lay candles and flowers in front of the
Pendulum bar across the street, where last weekend a 54-year-old white
man died after an altercation with some African American men (the
details of that tragedy are still unclear and under investigation). We
spoke of how the divide of racism wounds us all and creates divisions
and violences that cannot continue. After creating our memorial and
having a moment of silence, we ended with a celebration to inclusion at
18th and Collingwood, blocking traffic and dancing to tunes spun by DJ
Jamez. All in all, a really healing and successful action.