A month or so ago I travelled to Los Angeles for 3 weeks to photograph stories around the recession, as well as any other stories I came across while I was out there. Over the next few weeks I’ll be blogging the different stories I shot. This first instalment is from the Prop 8 protests that started up soon after I arrived on election night.
Within days of arriving the movement surrounding the ‘No On 8′ campaign erupted into large street protests after a narrow defeat at the polls. The new law meant that same-sex couples could no longer marry in California.
Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.
- Proposition 8, California State Constitution
The ‘No On 8′ campaign had been organising lots of protests all over the state at very short notice using the internet, specifically the social networking site Twitter As I watched the morning news I cursed myself for missing a large demonstration the night before in downtown LA, just a few blocks from where I was staying, where a protester had jumped on a cop car they mentioned there was another protest later that day outside the Mormon Temple.
Eager not to miss out again I grabbed my lonely planet guide and frantically flicked through it hoping it would be listed, thankfully it was, I worked out which busses to get, grabbed my kit and made the 2 hour trip across town.