Week-Long San Francisco to Sacramento March to Repeal Prop. 8, Heal Divided Communities

On Wednesday, March 25, lesbian/gay/bi/trans activists and allies will leave Berkeley, California for a 100-mile walk to the state Capitol in Sacramento. The march kicks off the day before with a short march from San Francisco City Hall to the State Supreme Court building, to bring attention to the lawsuit to appeal Proposition 8. Opening arguments in the case began yesterday. Marchers hope to build bridges with local communities along the way and enlist former antagonists to help repeal the ban on same-sex marriages. The march is initiated by the direct action group, One Struggle One Fight, and supported by a range of organizations including the LGBT labor alliance Pride At Work as well as And Marriage For All, which coordinated No On 8 outreach among LGBT people of color.

"We're all oppressed," says Janine Carmona, 22, one of the lead organizers for the march. "We need to put an end to the divide and conquer scapegoating which sprang up in the aftermath of Prop. 8's passage. If we really listen to one another, we'll realize that we are all struggling for a better society."

So far, more than 50 people from 10 cities and towns are signed up to participate in the march. One of them is Robert Moore, a 28-year-old Mormon. "As a gay Mormon, I felt like an outsider in the gay community and the Mormon Church after the passing of this very unconstitutional and hateful proposition," said Moore. "I encourage everyone that wants to see equal rights for ALL to join us in this march and show that we will not be divided."

The group will walk through both large and small cities on the way to the capital, entering bustling suburbs like Pleasant Hill and small Delta towns such as Locke. Marchers are inviting local communities to come and dialogue with them in the evenings. The planners will meet with friendly organizations along the route and invite people to join them anywhere on the route for an hour, a day or the entire march.

"I’m a person living with HIV, and I know my peripheral neuropathy will make it difficult for me to complete the march," said Kelly Rivera Hart, a member of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee. "But I am determined to do it because I believe that discrimination – against anyone – should not be in our state constitution. It’s an injustice, and an injustice to one hurts everyone.”

The march will culminate in a day of action in Sacramento on Monday, March 30, to demand repeal of Proposition 8 and spotlight other issues such as health care and immigration rights.

For news coverage of march preparations, http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=3608.