On Saturday November 15, something amazing happened.

America began to wake up.

From coast to coast, and around the world, rallies were held to protest the passage of Proposition 8 in CA, and similar amendments in 2 other states. The fire spread quickly after election day, fueled by a website known as jointheimpact.com.

Some protests were better organized than others. Some were better attended than others. But all had a common element - a true grass roots movement that hasn't been seen in this country since the Million Man March.

Speakers - some celebrities, most just everyday people - shared their stories. Some, like Wanda Sykes, were inspirational.

Others were heartbreaking.

Like this one from Vancouver:

"The speeches were heartbreaking today. One guy just left his brother newly diagnosed with cancer and a father diagnosed with a terminal heart condition and moved here. Why? Because his non US partner was not allowed to stay in the US with him. So they chose to move to Canada to be with each other. As for me and my partner, we are one of the 18,000 couples who recently married in California. As we are both US citizens, unlike many of our friends, we can live together in the US. However, until the day comes when we have equal civil rights as our straight neighbors, thanks but no thanks. Canada is now our new home. I cannot tell you how good it feels to have equal civil rights under the law. It is more profound than I had ever expected or can explain in a few short words."

Or this one from Santa Fe:

"'Marriage means something,' said one of the speakers. This speaker then told of the sudden death of his partner of thirty-four years. They had a trust; they had papers of all kinds; they had planned and prepared for every contingency - except for a lack of respect and regard for their 34 year commitment to each other. The funeral home insisted they could not cremate this man on the word of his partner of three plus decades; they needed an OK from a family member. No document, however legal, mattered on that loss and shock filled day after the unexpected death of this speaker's partner of 34 years - thirty-four years.

Think about that when you next hear that contracts and papers are enough and marriage isn't sacred or right for these people."

This story was posted at The Daily Dish by a reader:

"We are so often told by opponents of marriage equality that they do not oppose our right to have basic legal protections. What they do not understand, because they have never had to understand, is that without legal marriage, gay couples are always subject to the veto of family members who have more say over our spouses under the law than we do.

I remember a story told me during the AIDS epidemic. A man was visiting a friend dying in hospital. It was a grim scene, as it often was in those days. The next bed in the ward had a curtain drawn around it. And from behind that curtain, you could hear someone quietly singing. The man told his friend, "Well, at least that dude is keeping his spirits up, however sick he is." And the friend replied:

"Oh, that's not the patient singing. He died this morning. And his family came to collect the body. That voice you hear is the man's partner. The family didn't approve of his relationship and they have barred him from coming to the funeral and kicked him out of their shared home. That song he's singing is the song they called their own. It was playing when they met. He used to sing it to him all the time when he was dying."

"He's still singing it even though they've taken the body away. He's singing it to an empty bed. I guess it's the last time he feels he'll ever be close to the man he loved. They were together twenty years. The hospital staff don't have the heart to ask him to leave yet."

Still, there was a sense of hope and determination among the protesters. Hope that the tide is turning in America.

More stories, and some truly moving photos, can be found here:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/thedailydi...

Recently Nepal joined the list of countries that nationally recognize same-sex marriage.

Nepal.

The list of countries that nationally recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions is far more extensive than I thought:

Same-sex marriage: Spain; Netherlands; Belgium; Canada; Norway; South Africa; Nepal.

Civil Unions: Sweden; Finland; Germany; France; Czech Republic; Switzerland; Hungary; Croatia; the UK; Iceland; Brazil; Argentina; Uruguay; Columbia; Ecuador; Australia; New Zealand.

In all, twenty-four countries grant same-sex couples federal protection, rights and responsibilities.

The U.S. is being left behind by the rest of the modern world. We line up more with Third World countries and repressive dictatorships and former Eastern Bloc countries than we do with most of the Western Hemisphere.

In California, a conservative supreme court gave same-sex couples the same rights as hetero couples. It was a close vote - 4-3 - but they did it.

Now, 6 of those same judges have agreed to hear legal arguments in a lawsuit intended to decide if Prop 8 itself is unconstitutional.

In Iowa, same-sex marriage was legal - for about 9 hours. One couple managed to tie the knot in that short time span. Now, the courts there will also hear arguments on this issue.

Part of this new grass roots initiative is the White Knot Campaign. Inspired by people wearing ribbons for causes such as AIDS and breast cancer, the White Knot is exactly that. A simple white ribbon, tied in the middle in a double knot. But, the symbolism is so much more than that.

White is a traditional color for weddings.

"Tying the knot" is a traditional phrase, handed down from ceremonies where people who were pledging their lives together had their wrists or hands bound together by a length of cord or fabric. It, too, is a symbol of marriage.

The White Knot campaign's statement is simple - "Because everyone should be able to tie the knot." Their short-term goal is simple - to make the White Knot as pervasive as the red AIDS ribbon.

Their long-term goal is nothing less than full marriage rights for same-sex couples. In other words, they work for the day when the White Knot will no longer be necessary.

Information can be found at www.whiteknot.org. They have instructions, kits available, suggestions for knot tying parties, and a mailing list.

It's time for those within and without the GLB community who care about equal rights to stand up and say that it is no longer tolerable for a majority to deny their fellow citizens their rights based on a personal, religious belief.

It's not acceptable. It's not right.