Calif. Gay Marriage Fight Centers on Chinatown

Campaigners hope to repeat success in changing Asian attitudes
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 19, 2009 3:11 AM CDT
Calif. Gay Marriage Fight Centers on Chinatown
Julian Abelskamp, center, holds a sign with others during a rally to protest the California Supreme Court 's decision to uphold Proposition 8.   (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)

Campaigners seeking to bring legalized gay marriage back to California believe their success in Chinatown points the way forward, Reuters reports. The state's Asian communities swung in favor of gay marriage faster than any other group over the last decade as advocates worked to bring taboos into the open and tailor their message towards different cultures. They hope similar tactics will help change attitudes in the black and Latino communities.

"What we felt we had to do is talk to people who aren't on our side. So that's why we do these crazy things like walk through the streets of Chinatown as part of the New Year's Parade," the chair of one activist group said. "That's why we go out to festivals from Little India to Little Tokyo and talk to complete strangers."   
(More Chinatown stories.)

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