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Over 100 protesters, including gay rights activists, show their support for workers from the Republic Windows and Doors Company as they picket outside the Bank of America office - Source: Reuters -
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Plans for a Day without a Gay one-day strike to protest
California's ban on same-sex marriage failed to shake the economy,
but participants who skipped work called it a community
success.
An internet challenge to Call in Gay - tell employers that they
would be skipping work for the day in protest - is the latest move
by gays and their allies to protest California's Proposition 8,
passed last month by voters to limit marriage to a man and a
woman.
Many of the protesters did volunteer work for the day.
Prop 8 is being challenged in court but the ban is stirring up
world-wide anger among gay marriage supporters - and a debate on
how best to move the cause forward.
Only a handful of states, provinces and countries allow same-sex
unions.
"As small as we are, I've had three volunteers show up, and that's
a good turnout for us," said New Orleans Gay Lesbian Bisexual and
Transgender center co-chair Crystal Little, who sent her workers to
clean the building.
Hers was one of a number of organizations offering volunteer
opportunities on the daywithoutagay.org website.
Google showed 1.9 million hits for the phrase, a Facebook
website group had about 9,000 members and international media
reported on the protest plans hatched by a Los Angeles-area
trainer, Sean Hetherington, and his boyfriend.
But several chambers of commerce in California said they were not
aware of the strike or any affect on members.
"It's not the best time to shut down a business. I would rather see
people get out there and shop, particularly those businesses that
were No-on-8 supporters," said Sharon Sandow, chief executive of
the Chamber of Commerce in West Hollywood, a gay and lesbian hub in
the Los Angeles area.
Gay and lesbian centres said first-time volunteers showed up and
that the event drew together a community that is settling in for a
long fight.
"Even if the employers don't recognize it and the greater straight
community doesn't recognize it, the fact that we are in here
volunteering and putting the time towards our community is kind of
nice, too," said Natascha Storms-Subang, a substitute teacher who
turned down work to volunteer at the Sacramento gay and lesbian
center, where about 50 volunteers showed up.
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