LA Times: Causes of Labor, Gays Join at Event (California)

[Quetzal]

Causes of Labor, Gays Join at Event

SACRAMENTO — It was a Cinco de Mayo celebration with a message for the moment.

Christine Chavez, the granddaughter of labor and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez, presided over the commitment ceremony of seven gay couples Wednesday across a grassy circle from the California Supreme Court building, which recently slammed the door shut on same-sex marriages.

The event — marked by such nuptial staples as tears, flowers and video cameras — was more than purely personal. Organizers billed it as the first step toward uniting two movements, the struggle for gay marriage and the cause of Chavez's farm workers. It also was intended to send a symbolic message to the state's swelling Latino population, which remains sharply divided over gay marriage.

"I hope this will spur a debate," Chavez declared before the ceremonies. "I hope people will stop me on the street to talk about this. I'm going to tell them this is about championing equality for everyone, not just Latinos. We're not asking the Catholic Church to change its views. It's about changing the law."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-cesar6may06,1,116298.story?coll=la-news-state

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[David__77]

1. Thank you Ms. Chavez! Latino/labor/LGBT unity!

This is the formula for successfully crushing the right in CA. We can certainly do it. Racists, anti-labor forces and anti-gay bigots better watch out.