A reminder to my allies

My father and I have had a couple of good discussions regarding this new Movement that is upon us.

My father is a conservative who voted No on Proposition 8. He is also a Cuban-American whose family fled home with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and came to the United States as a child who would face discrimination because he could not speak English.

He received a degree in English from Occidental College and then earned a degree in law from the University of Southern California. He worked hard and has been rewarded for it.

He called me last night to comfort me and to remind me to keep the faith. It was then that I started crying. I went to the rally here in West Hollywood after that and documented what I saw with my camera. Today I was distracted, as I heard news of another protest, and more and more I feel summoned to arms, but not without a great deal of conflict.

Today I called my dad in tears and unloaded myself to him. He responded with sage guidance and reassurance, and we discussed the reasons for this and the methods of attack. Most importantly, when I began to restrain myself, to doubt the importance of this Movement, my fathered reaffirmed me, validating my feelings. This is indeed a question of Civil Rights.

This is wrong.

Out in the streets last night, I did not yell too much. Instead I let my artist eye guide me toward the visual form of expression that I excel at. A gentleman sitting outside at a cafe observed, "They're just preaching to the choir here" and it stopped me in my tracks.

But last night was only the beginning. It was as if we were regrouping, coming together to comfort and encourage each other. We needed to start somewhere safe.

As the cops poured out into the streets and protesters held banners to the faces of buses, halting traffic and chanting, I watched as a couple members were handcuffed and ducked into police cars, and I was reminded of the saying to "lose the battle to win the war." It is too soon to go to jail. You can do nothing productive in jail.

But we need those people. We need those enthusiastic martyrs. We also need those motivating speakers. We need lawyers, we need educators, we need calm donors. We need the people like my friends, who I accompanied to pizza after we listened to the speeches at Santa Monica and San Vicente, dressed in fashionable coats and calmly discussing where to get a good drink on a Wednesday night.

The energy was good and our show of solidarity and perseverance was tremendously refreshing and comforting. Swept into the crowd, I felt an electricity in the air I've never experienced before. It felt like the first rumblings of an historic earthquake. Change is in the air. I could not help but think of the images of the Civil Rights movement I had seen in my history books as a child, and I could not help but think of the image that will be printed in those books when this time has come and gone.

And I will be a part of it.

As I rode home on my bike last night, passing trickles of protesters with signs and humming The Beatles' Let It Be to myself, I began to wonder what my role would be.

Speaking to my father today he told me to take pictures and to write, because that's where my gifts lie.

And so I sat down and wrote.

To my dearest allies in battle,

As you arm yourself with banners and signs and voices, do not forget to arm yourself with knowledge, with love, and with patience.

Your enemy is not a religion, your enemy is not a generation, your enemy is not a race - your enemy is ignorance.

Ignorance breeds fear, but fortunately, the easiest way to console someone afraid of the dark is to simply turn on the lights. We are not gay, we are not straight - we are human beings. We are people with memories, with histories, with pain, with triumphs, and with the human desire for companionship. What we need to do is strip ourselves down to our humanity, to continue to be good citizens, to continue to love, to continue to build, and show those who fear us that we are the same thing as they are. We are human.

We are teachers, we are parents, we are churchgoers, we are police officers, we are politicians, we are builders, we are thinkers, we are brothers, we are sisters, and one day, we will be husbands and we will be wives.

This is going to be a long journey, and on our way, we will suffer some defeats. But as long as we believe in justice, we will prevail, we will weather this storm, and the day will be bright and it will be beautiful because we will be truly equal. Not just as members of the LGBTQ community, but as members of the human race.

But my dearest allies - my beautiful travel companions and my brave fellow soldiers - we must remember to always conduct ourselves with dignity and with grace, to turn to the better angels of our nature, and act as role models, even as we raise our shields and bow our heads to march into the fray.

The world is watching us, waiting for our folly, but we will not give it to them. We will behave as the kind, compassionate, loving, educated humans we are. We will act with civility because after all, it is a kinder civilization that we strive for.

We will choose our battles, we will cooperate with authority, we will remember who are true enemy is and we will fight with our greatest most virtuous weapon: education and knowledge.

But we will also stand firm, because we are fighting a noble battle. We are not fighting for just ourselves, we are fighting for those who oppose us, to open their eyes to love and understanding. We are fighting for future generations, who will inherit our battle plans, and one day achieve victory. We will sing and make our voices heard, we will march, we will rally, but always always always with dignity and with grace. The world is watching us and we will move it.

This is going to be a long journey. It is going to be a difficult journey. At times the path will seem impossible and at times we will grow tired and frustrated. But we must remember to comfort each other, to lend a shoulder to the weary traveler, and to keep marching, because together we will find a way. We will see defeat, our friends will fall, but we must never ever lose hope. It is our eternal hope that will make us human and it is our humanity that will one day turn their hearts.

To my dearest allies in battle....

As you arm yourself with banners and signs and voices, do not forget to arm yourself with knowledge, with love, and with patience.

Your enemy is not a religion, your enemy is not a generation, your enemy is not a race - your enemy is ignorance.

And your greatest weapon is education and your humanity.

Go and be brave, be virtuous, and never lose hope.