An estimated 4,000 people gathered last night in Long Beach for the Day of Decision march and rally (even though the news reported 1,000, those of us who were there know it was A LOT more than that).    We gathered together again in celebration for our married gay and lesbian friends and in protest of the decision handed down by our Supreme Court yesterday.

The march which was led by Long Beach Equality brought out many of our community members both gay and straight in support of our fight for Equal Rights.   Moms & their lesbian daughters, straight couples with signs reading “another str8 for NO on h8″, couples who were married last year but felt their marriage somehow meant a little less now and thousands of other members of our community marched peacefully down Broadway last night.

There were no paddy wagons,  “Yes on 8″ protesters (at least that were obvious to us) or riots.  The night was truly about bringing people together and spreading the message of hope despite the hurt and anger that many members of our community were feeling yesterday.    The message was clear that we must continue to fight.  That we must not sit idly by and hope that equal rights will come our way.  We must fight and stand up for what we believe in.

There will be many ways to get involved in the fight for Equal Rights in coming months and if the past is any lesson it is essential that we will all find some way to join in.   For more information about how to get involved please visit LBEquality.com or check back here as we will continue to spread the word on the progress, the fight and how you can make a difference.

For more pictures from last night’s rally please visit our Flickr page.

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