HOME | ARCHIVE | EMAIL US | TRAVEL SECTION
 

USA

Gay Californian Newly-Wed Couple Among Prop 8 Protesters in Hawaii

Around 400 rally in Honolulu at breakfast time
 

■ ‘Prop 8’ protesters in downtown Honolulu – part of a world-wide day of action against the removal of marriage equality in California.. photo courtesy Damon Romine

HONOLULU, November 15, 2008  –  Days before the election when Californians voted by a very narrow margin to approve the infamous ‘Prop 8’ that banned ‘gay marriage’, Damon Romine and Charles Robbins were married in Palm Springs.

On honeymoon in Hawaii, the newly-weds were among around 400 who rallied early this morning on the grounds of the state’s Capitol District in Honolulu to protest the California Proposition 8 – and the lack of marriage equality in Hawaii.

“With rallies across the United States happening simultaneously on Saturday, the rally in Hawaii came early, at 8:30 am,” Damon Romine, director of entertainment media at Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), told UK Gay News by email.

“As the crowd began gathering, maybe a hundred strong at the time, police came by to check on the situation, deemed it non-problematic, and then left.

“Within an hour the crowd grew to approximately 400 LGBT people, their allies and kids.

“There was no counter-protest.  The rally remained peaceful for its two-hour duration as the crowd waved flags and handmade signs at passing cars, eliciting many honking horns in support.

“There was no organized program, no speakers and, really, no chanting to speak of, although a small group of 30 would chant as they crossed the street at the light, and then fall silent waiting for the light to change so they could cross the intersection again.”

The LGBT population of Hawaii is both relatively small and geographically divided across many islands.  As a result it is difficult to organise the LGBT community.

“There currently is no statewide LGBT effort or community center,” he wrote.  “Aloha Pride is really no more than a website at this point, falling dormant due to lack of funding.”

It was Washington DC ‘transplant’ Thomas Larabee, a computer consultant in Honolulu, saw the need to participate in Saturday’s national movement.
 

■ Thomas Larabee is interviewed by a television reporter during the rally against ‘Prop 8’ in downtown Honolulu. photo courtesy Damon Romine

“[It was] an opportunity for Hawaiians to come together,” Mr. Romine said.  “Thomas put the rally together online.  He is not a professional activist, he’s someone who is angry and wants to see people get involved.

“While the rally in Honolulu may have been small, this may be just the kind of grassroots tipping point  the local LGBT community needs to come together and fight for change.

“The citizens of Hawaii seem ready and poised to be engaged and hopefully local leaders like Thomas will emerge that can mobilize a new generation that is ready to fight for equal treatment under the law.

“It was heartening to be among supporters lining the downtown streets protesting not only California’s discriminatory Prop. 8, but also the lack of marriage equality in Hawaii,” he added.

■Charles Robbins is the executive director of The Trevor Project, the only national suicide prevention helpline for gay youth in the USA.
 

photos courtesy Damon Romine

Seed Newsvine  

Got an opinion on this article?  Leave your comment here.