"No H8" (A Poem)

So I wrote this poem for a play I've been working on called "I Heart L.A." In the play there is this section where it goes into slam poetry. In the poem it's all about how minorities have been portrayed in television. Well at the time when I was writing it Proposition 8 had just passed in California, and I, having tons of gay friends, and knowing discrimination, I felt really compelled to give the one gay character in the script a slam poem to deliver. So this is what I came up with...

"No H8"

And don’t even get me started with Proposition 8.
If you want to know the truth, it’s really Proposition HATE!
Why does it take a death like Matthew Shepard for us to wake up?
With all this homophobic hate crimes, I’m fucking fed up!
And who crowned Miss California 2009?
Who ever gave her the crown must be deaf, dumb, and blind,
“You can choose same sex marriage or opposite marriage”
“I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.”
Really?! Really Miss California twenty oh nine?!
What are we? Oh twenty years behind?
If I were to choose Miss California,
to represent the “real” California that we know,
She’d be a smart, hot, bilingual woman from Mexico,
Not a hypocrite, ignorant, Barbie, that poses like a Texas ho!
I wonder how the heck, did a girl like you, get hired,
I’m just glad, Donald Trump said two words, “you’re fired!”
I’m not a tranny, mariposa, weak ass faggot,
To be treated like a sissy maggot,
I’m not a little pansy queen, burn in hell sinner to be treated like dirt,
If you watched American Idol this year, the real winner was Adam Lambert.
For those of you who think that being gay is a choice,
Well let me break it down, and let you hear my voice...
Why would I CHOOSE to be treated like a second class citizen?
Why would I CHOOSE to be treated not like a real gentleman?
Why would I CHOOSE the risk of getting beat up in school?
Why would I CHOOSE to listen to words that are so cruel?
Why would I CHOOSE to serve our military and protect our country from hell,
To only get discharged because of “Don’t ask don’t tell!”
If you believe in God, do you believe he or she would create someone like me?
To think we aren’t all equal, is just pure insanity.
That’s it motherfuckers, no more Mr. Nice Gay,
Here’s a piece of advice that I need to say,
from one of my favorite dykes, her name is Wanda Sykes...
“If you don’t believe in same sex marriage, don’t marry anybody of the same sex!”
Give me my equal rights cuz,
I am a HUMAN! But that’s not what’s on t.v.
What do we want?!
Equal rights!
When do we want it?!
Now...bitch!
What do we want?!
Equal rights!
When do we want it?!
Now...bitch!

The following are pictures shot by photographer Adam Bouska for the "No H8" campaign, these are all my really good friends.

Amber Sweet


Liam Silk


Alli D. Seigal