No Gays Day Protest Planned

When Los Angeles Latinos wanted to draw attention to their importance to the community, during the anti-illegal immigration frenzy in 2006, they all took the same day off and the city ground to a halt. Now, in protest at the passing of Proposition 8 that forbids gay marriages in California, gays, too, are planning to simultaneously withdraw their labor. According to Joel Stein, who came up with the idea, “We worked out some kinks, like ‘pretending you are sick’ for people who aren't out of the closet at work. For economic impact, we picked a Friday -- one of the big shopping days before Christmas and the day People, Us Weekly and Star usually sell out at newsstands. We also decided that because this is a general strike, not a directed boycott, even gay-owned, gay-patronized businesses should shut down.” But co-organizer Amy Balliett, a Seattle lesbian who created the anti-Prop 8 protest group JoinTheImpact.com, has found a glitch. "I hate to say this, but we should even say, 'Don't even go out to the bars,' " she said. "I just don't know if the community can stick to that."