Equality Torch Relay Attacker Arrested in Lemon Grove, CA
Carrying the torch for gay marriage Supporters fan out around the county By Jeanette Steele, Union-Tribune Staff Writer A handful of marriage equality torches were carried on foot, in cars and even on a unicycle to city halls around the county yesterday by people protesting Proposition 8, the November state ballot initiative that stripped gays and lesbians of the right to marry. In a twist on protesting, organizers mobilized about 140 residents in far-flung corners of the county to walk their own streets carrying a torch as a symbol of the cause. The torch's flames were actually pieces of shaped metal. An attack on the event organizer in Lemon Grove, which resulted in the arrest of an Oceanside man, was the only interruption of what was a relatively peaceful event. The whole point is to get outside of people's comfort zones and raise awareness, said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride, the gay-rights group that launched the event. When people start to see gays and lesbians living in their own neighborhood, they change their opinion. Saddled on her motorcycle, south San Diego resident Silvia Gonzalez escorted one of five torches that passed from city to city yesterday. Gonzalez joined a procession that started in Imperial Beach at dawn and moved through Chula Vista and National City before traveling to Coronado by ferry. I'm happy to be doing something in the South Bay, said Gonzalez, who is married to her spouse, Carolyn, in the eyes of her church but not <b>...</b>
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