Honk Against H8

Ashton Kutcher Backs Gay Marriage

2008-11-26T06:19:00.000-08:00

First Honk Against H8 Events

2008-11-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

The first series of Honk Against H8 events were loud and boisterous in NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Thank you everyone who joined in and made noise for equality.

Good news! Yesterday, the CA Supreme Court agreed to hear opposition arguments on Prop 8. That means our work is just beginning. We will continue to rally with other groups to combine forces and keep the protests going.

We have set a second Honk Against H8 Day - December 17 at 5:08PM-5:16PM. These 8 minutes are an important display of unity. Stay tuned in the next few days for more updates.

Instructions

2008-11-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

People around the world...
Whether in a car, house, walking, or anywhere make some noise from 5:08PM until 5:16PM in your timezone. Try to video everything with your cell phones or cameras and upload! Get them online the day of the protest quickly so we can see the noise coming around the world.

If driving in a car:

put your hazards on and
blast that horn for 8 minutes!

If you're parked with your car:

sit down in it and blast that horn or
turn your car alarm on for 8 minutes

If you're walking:

stop then
scream for 8 minutes;
or stand completely still
make sign (look for downloads this weekend)

If you're home:

go outside bang some pots and pans for 8 minutes or
blast some music
but just make lots of noise

Poster download for your room, car, window, or anywhere.

2008-11-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.11274bb2-0f20-494c-95ee-d784ba0d472b

Download this pdf with the No2H8 logo. Stick it in your window. Make a statement.

Buy cool Honk Against H8 Stuff

2008-11-16T22:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.cafepress.com/no2h8

and more... spread the message on an end to hate.

Coverage of Nationwide Protest Against Prop 8

2008-11-15T18:07:00.001-08:00

http://slog.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/
This is one from Michigan. Dozens more at this link.

Nov 15 Marriage Equality Protest | The Seattle Masses

2008-11-15T18:00:00.001-08:00

Great photo of the crowd before we started the march.

Video from Seattle gay marriage equality

2008-11-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

Our Anthem, Honk-not-h8

2008-11-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Video yourself singing our anthem, spread the noise!

See the original for inspiration
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X7RyGBq2E8

Here's a karaoke version but use our words below:

To the tune of "Holiday" by Madonna...

Honk-not-h8 Celebrate
Honk-not-h8 Celebrate

[Chorus:]

If you want to marry boys/girls
Took some time to celebrate
Just one day out of life
It would be, it would be so nice

Everybody spread the word
We're gonna have a celebration
All across the world
In every nation
It's time for the good times
Forget about the bad times, oh yeah
One day to come together
To release the pressure
We need to honk-not-h8

[chorus]

You can turn this world around
And bring back all of those happy days
Put your troubles down
It's time to celebrate
Let love shine
And we will find
A way to come together
And make things better
We need to honk-not-h8

[chorus]

Honk-not-h8 Celebrate
Honk-not-h8 Celebrate

[chorus]

Honk-not-h8 Celebrate
Honk-not-h8 Celebrate

Honk-not-h8, Celebration
Come together in every nation

Work Strategically- Start Now

2008-11-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

Stand by the people who are standing up for equality in the face of attacks.

Support the CA Supreme Court http://quidproqueer.blogspot.com/2008/11/support-ca-supreme-court.html

While we’re focusing on JTI and the Courage protest, we should also shed some light on legal challenge and the controversy that could lead to.

A friend and I have been watching the discussion that’s ensued since the election and there is an interesting concern emerging regarding what could happen to our allies on the California supreme court if they stand with us.

As California’s court is composed of elected justices, their ability to stand on principle is significantly more constrained than the US Supreme Court. Given that a decision in our favor would be viewed by our opponents as overriding the will of the people, our allies could very well face re-election problems at the ballot box. An angry movement of bigotry could not only remove our rights, but replace the justices with less friendly socially conservative ones.

As it happens right now, the YES on 8 bullhorn is preemptively stoking anger at the judiciary in California.

Note this quote from the 11/12 YES on 8 Mailer:

Although past court decisions seem to favor our case, we cannot trust the same judicial system that overturned Proposition 22 to protect our Election Day decision.

We must remain active and hold our government officials accountable. This battle is far from over. Join us as we continue to push forward in our defense of marriage!

I think the reality is that when they say "we cannot trust the same judicial system..." that's a coded threat to the state supreme court. If they the court reverses the bigotry of Prop 8, they will suffer.

This is not the first time this has happened. Take Rose Bird, for example. She was the first female justice on the CA supreme court, also the Chief Justice. In 1986, after 10 years on the bench as a progressive ally, she was removed by a revenge effort by conservatives.

From her Wikipedia Page:

Rose Elizabeth Bird (November 2, 1936–December 4, 1999) served for 10 years as the 25th Chief Justice (and first female Justice & only female Chief Justice) of the California Supreme Court until removed from that office by the voters. Bird was targeted by well-funded conservative and pro death penalty groups whose withering attacks painted her as a soft-on-crime liberal. After being outspent two to one, she lost her reconfirmation bid and left office in 1987.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Bird

So, we must stand up for our progressive allies on the California court. They stood up for us earlier this year when they ruled, despite the state voters having approved prop 22, that same sex marriage is a right that we have. Now, they will likely face a pitched battle to either bow to our enemies or face removal.

For the bloggers on this list, we need to get this message out in the short term. This dovetails well with the protests this weekend. There have been calls to ensure that these protests are Americans expressing their right to equality, a founding principle. People are suggesting bringing American flags as well as rainbow flags.

If you can, please repeat this message and encourage protesters to show their support for the California supreme court. They’ve shown their support for us, now we need to support them!

If you’re protesting yourself, and can carry a sign, consider one supporting the court.

A quick brainstorm in my head came up with:
“Defend our Rights, Defend the Court”
"I (heart) the judicial system"
“activist judges eliminate rights. support a supreme court that preserves them!”
Anyone have any other clever ideas?

Why Prop 8 is Wrong

2008-11-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

As evidenced from Obama’s historic win, individuals make a huge difference in politics when they take action. As all of you know ‘No on Prop 8’ was as important to me as electing a new president.

Prop 8 passed in California because of misinformation presented in an ad campaign largely financed by the Mormon Church. As some of you may know, in America religious institutions cannot legislate or influence legislation directly in anyway. It violates their tax exemption status. The idea of separation of church and state must be upheld so that no one group’s beliefs dictate the lives of others. Well, that is what happened with an ad campaign financed by the Mormon Church which is believed to have funded up 40% of the Yes on 8 campaign.

Please take a moment and fax, or scan/email these two forms outlined on this site to the IRS.
http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/

For those who do not know, Prop 8 writes discrimination into the California Constitution by calling out that a specific group cannot marry – gays. Whether you believe in a gay lifestyle or not, we must maintain equality for all, especially at the core of the Constitution. Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont already recognize gay marriage as well as 15 other countries including Canada. Two last points, interracial marriages used to be illegal in 10 states, but this was deemed unconstitutional; and the idea of separate but equal existed for blacks up until the 1960s, but now the idea of having different water fountains for different races is seen as ignorant and discriminatory. The debate over gay marriage is the same. We MUST fight now to take this next step toward equality. Help send a message to organizations who think their unique beliefs should be legislated for all.

Spend a few minutes to fill out and send the above forms for equality.

--
Shane & Elizabeth

"You know there is like a butt load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join 'cause I'm pretty good with a bow staff." - Napoleon Dynamite

More information:

We are fighting on many fronts right now to stop this illegal challenge to equality. For more information about the issue go to:

If you have time:

Forward this message on to several friends everywhere to force this issue to the foreground at the IRS
Write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper about this issue
Join a demonstration for the bold http://www.jointheimpact.com/?page_id=32

Press Release: Noise Protest Against Prop 8 on Wednesday 19

2008-11-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

Imagine a world where equality exists. Honk Against H8 is working to create that world, one noise at a time. On Wednesday November 19, 2008 at 5:08PM until 5:16PM in every respective time zone, there will will thousands of people in hundreds of cities around the globe making noise to protest the inequality of California’s Proposition 8, and the hate that it represents. The streets will fill with blaring noise and lights for eight minutes. This is a chance to show solidarity and stand up against H8.

What can you do before the day? Print a sign. Put it in your window or on your backpack. Email your friends to get them ready, download a banner and put it on your site with our link, blog about it, and add it to every social network from Digg, MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube or anywhere.

On the day of the event, November 19, make sure to set your alarm, your computer reminders, your cellphone alert, or that friend who somehow keeps track of everything for you. At 5:08, get your sign and make some noise.

While driving, honk the horn, flash lights, and turn on the hazards. If near the car but cannot drive, then get in it and lay on that horn, or turn the car alarm. If walking or biking, stop, get out the noise maker, and hold up the sign for 8 minutes. Keep the sound going for the whole eight minutes. If at home or on a plane, blare the song “Holiday” from Madonna. That’s Honk Against H8’s anthem and we’ve changed the words on our website to drive home the message of equality. Record a video of you and friends singing it, and post it on Youtube with the tags HonkAgainstH8. Get creative and have fun! We’ll find the best efforts and publicize it on our website – www.HonkAgainstH8.com.

Reversing Proposition 8 is an opportunity to setup a beachhead, a point from which we cannot regress. Our march forward to equality has been steady over the last few decades, and we must maintain this pace, if not quicken it. That is why Honk Against H8 was created to announce that hate must end.

Proposition 8 must be overturned so that equality and innovation can remain California’s calling cards. We want the world to see that H8 cannot be tolerated under the guise of religious belief. Differences in opinion will always remain, but as the younger generation is proving, their voice and belief in equality will prevail. To a wider note, equality is not an ideal shared only by youth. There are millions of allies of all ages, backgrounds and ideals, who hold this to be true – all people are created equal.

Take stand and be loud on November 19, from 5:08-5:16PM in your time zone. Video everything for the internet.

Remember H8 and Prop 8 are not options.

Honk Against H8 was founded by Elizabeth Hanlin and Shane Snipes to help make the world a better place through awareness. As Shane says when saying goodbye to friends, “Change the world.”

Contact:
Shane Snipes
HonkAgainstH8@gmail.com
www.HonkAgainstH8.com

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