I believe wholeheartedly that San Francisco is the greatest city in the world, but I saw something in my City yesterday that frankly stunned me, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.
I work downtown in the Financial District and was heading towards BART to go home yesterday afternoon when a man passed me by that literally caused my mouth the drop open. He was Asian, I'd guess maybe late 30s or early 40s, clean cut, in a business suit, and carrying a nice, leather briefcase with a shoulder strap.
And affixed to the side of his nice leather bag was a full-size, full-color bumper sticker that said:
"VOTE YES ON PROP. 8 - RESTORE MARRIAGE."
Now, the fact the this proposition exists means that intolerance is alive and well in California- but I did not expect to see this in the heart of San Francisco.
He was going to BART as well, so I had several blocks to follow him where I was literally unable to focus on anything but him. I found myself rushing to catch up with him so I could catch a glimpse of his face, as if I would see something there to explain how this ordinary looking man could be so strongly on the wrong side of history. What possible justification could he have for proudly displaying his desire to impose his morality on the rest of us?
As I said, this was the Financial District of San Francisco, California. Now, , FiDi is not the MOST obviously diverse location in the City, but this man had to know that at any given moment, the likelihood of being surrounded by either gays or "gay-lovers" like myself was incredibly high. And what about whatever office he'd just come from, where he most likely passes gay clients and colleagues on a regular basis? Even still, this guy was STILL willing to not only support intolerance, but flaunt it. He wanted us all to know that he proudly stands for discrimination, the irony of his own minority status apparently overlooked.
Admittedly, I've had a pretty shitty week personally, but was near tears then and am near tears as I type this. I was and am so angry. I wanted to grab him and shake him. On one hand, I wanted to lash out at him physically and scream hateful things in his face. On the other, I wanted to patiently ask him if he had time to explain himself and his view in a way that I could understand... but the truth is I have no patience or understanding for the intolerant, and I am intolerant of THEM- of their right to walk my City's streets, casually yet proudly promoting discrimination.
If you haven't already, please donate or volunteer to help the cause. And if you already have, please consider doing more if you can. The SF Chronicle has a write-up on the measure this morning, and it is frighteningly close: our 14-point lead last month is now down to 8.
I know I can't rid my City or the world of the hateful, but the next best thing in this case I guess would be to make sure this guy and his kind don't win... and for that long as he lives in the Great State of California, he is surrounded by happy, legally married, equal-under-the-law gay people, flaunting their happy, married gayness!
Thank you for reading and for your support.
PS: I hope his briefcase is permanently ruined.