The View From Your Protest: Long Beach

A reader writes:

My husband and I went to the rally in Long Beach.  Many of the organizers where from local affirming churches.  They spoke about the need to not blame all Mormons or all gays. It was about the need to treat others like we want to be treated and by doing so we will change minds one by one.  That's a true Christian message, and it's powerful.

There will be a campaign by the Christianists to define and describe the reaction to having our families attacked and marriages voided as bigoted, angry, vicious and the like. A few incidents will be used by the usual suspects - O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, Kristol, Drudge, Fox, The Weekly Standard, National Review, FRC et al. - to tarnish the thousands who showed up today as nasty people hostile to religious freedom. Watch them also try to use code-words about children to stir up fear. There's nothing we can do about this kind of thing, except show that the overwhelming sentiment from today was positive. Yes, we're angry. If all Mormons were told today that the majority had removed their civil right to marry, they'd be angry too.

But this was a day when anger was channeled into confidence and strength and love. That's been the tone of all of the hundreds of emails I've gotten today. It's the tone of the next generation. And they have reached the mountain top. They will not be stopped from reaching the promised land.