In an open letter to the Lesbian and Gay community sent during his campaign, president-elect Obama promised, "I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans." On January 10th, three South Bay activist groups came together to lead a rally calling on Mr. Obama to hold true to his word.

In his letter to the LGBT community, in which he asked for their votes, Obama stated that he does not believe the federal government should stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples, including the right to civil marriage. On Saturday, South Bay activists gathered signatures to remind the soon-to-be president that he stated he supports the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and that he also committed to working for repeal of the " Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy that affects gays in the military.

At the forefront of the rally was concern that hate crimes against the LGBTI community do not carry federal punishments. Participants expressed outrage and deep concern over a vicious and brutal hate crime that took place in the San Francisco Bay Area recently, when a Richmond resident was targeted because of her sexual orientation. Obama has said that he would place the weight of his administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw such hate crimes. Demonstrators held a moment of silence for the victim who is known to the public only as "Richmond Jane Doe". The organizers of Saturday's event had made a wishing well bucket and passed it amongst rally participants raising close to five hundred dollars to help the woman and her family relocate and recover.

Local elected leaders spoke out for LGBTQI equality at the rally, the Rainbow Women's Chorus belted out songs of dignity, and the Raging Grannies emceed the event leading the group in a song against LGBTQI hate crimes to the tune of "America the Beautiful" entitled, "Oh Beautiful for Hate-Free Skies".

Read more | South Bay Against LGBTQI Hates Crimes | Elected Leaders Speak Out for LGBQTI Rights | Join the Impact San Jose