Generation No H8

The following article was written by Laura Wadden, the Founding Director of the National Marriage Boycott. It is reprinted here with her permission.

gen*er*a*tion no H8 – noun – new activists who feel a deep, emotional connection to Prop 8, and are now working toward full federal equality. Judge Walker’s decision was an especially meaningful victory for Generation No H8.

Not many people know this, but I came out shortly after Proposition 8 passed in November of 2008. That makes it officially 622 days since I came out, 642 days since I unflinchingly held a megaphone in front of a rally of 400 students, and 637 days since Amanda Gelender first had the idea to boycott marriage.

It is now just five short days since Judge Walker ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional, and the decision is bringing deep-rooted emotions full circle for young activists like me. Those ‘young activists’ – whether identified by age or number of years in activism – are part of a generation of activists I call, ‘Generation No H8.’ Those belonging to this generation feel a deep, emotional connection to Prop 8, and are now working toward full federal equality in other ways in their own local communities.

As many know, the National Marriage Boycott (NMB) is a member of Generation No H8. The movement began after students at Stanford realized the potential impact that youth could have on the gay rights movement. We saw a serious lack of inclusion for young people, so a group of students co-founded NMB as a way for youth to step up and take a vital role.

This story is one of many, and the outpouring of celebration from activists around the country – most of them from Generation No H8 – is something we are celebrating at NMB. Judge Walker’s decision has not only reversed a discriminatory proposition, but finally righted a wrong that spurred so many of us to take action almost two years ago.

Photo credit: National Marriage Boycott