Pedestrian

This morning we took a much longer walk to get to preschool than usual.  We were avoiding the protests at the state building.  Lucy’s preschool is in the same state building as the California supreme court.  Usually we’d walk right up the steps where the protest was.  Today we took a wide berth and walked a block away around and through the other entrance.  Lucy wanted to know why we got off the streetcar one stop earlier and then why there were so many people and signs in front of “her school.” I asked her why she thought they were there.  She said, “It must be somebody’s birthday. It looks like a birthday party. But the signs look just black and white so they aren’t very colorful or pretty.”(We were too far away for her to see signs with rainbows)

We took a wide berth and walked 3 extra blocks and avoided the protest to protect her.  She doesn’t yet need to know that anyone thinks her parents don’t deserve to be married.  She only needs to know love and support and confidence in her family and friends.  At the Prop 8 Town Hall last week an adult woman stood up and talked, through tears, about how sad she felt when prop8 passed because her moms are married.

I was thinking about this protection when I was leaving the state building after dropping Lucy off at preschool.  She was happy on the couch with her friends, surrounded by teachers and kids who are all her friends and supporters.  Outside it was much different.  There were signs opposing gay marriage purporting that opposing our marriage also “protects” children.  And then there were all the children holding or standing with adults who were holding varieties of yes-on-8 signs.

Why do they bring their kids into this if they purport to protect children?  I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they aren’t teaching their children to hate.  I hope.