'Day Without A Gay' day fails

An effort to have workers "call in gay" and not work yesterday didn't get much traction and failed pretty miserably. The idea was to demonstrate the impact gays have on the economy and to protest the vote on Proposition 8 in California, which passed in November by a thin majority and bans gay marriage in the state. It didn't even resonate much with many gays:

In San Francisco's gay Castro district, residents and merchants said they endorsed the message behind "Day Without a Gay" but didn't think a work stoppage was practical given the poor economy and the strike's organization.

"If we are going to make a huge impact and not be laughed at, then we have to take the time and make the time to communicate with all the parties. We could have shut down a lot of the hotels," said David Lang, a gymnastics coach. "In theory it's a great idea, but it's being done wrong and now that it's been done wrong, I don't think it will be done again."

Oddly enough, I probably would have voted against Prop 8 if I were a California voter. I just don't think gay marriage would herald the end of civilization as some claim. At the same time, I don't think most of society is ready for gay marriage (hell, if even a majority of Californians oppose it...), and even people like myself who don't oppose it outright resent having it forced down their throats. The protests in the aftermath of Prop 8's passage didn't do much for the cause. Spewing vitriol at people is not the way to get them to vote your way next time around.