These Folks Want to Hold Your Hand for LGBT Rights

Published September 02, 2009 @ 12:59PM PT

Holding Hands

The Beatles wanted to 'Hold Your Hand.' Hootie and the Blowfish, too. Now a UK-based campaign for LGBT rights wants to, as well.

The group's name is "A Day in Hand," and their message is that you can promote love and equality simply by holding hands. The premise? Encourage same-sex partners to hold hands in public as a means of showing the power of love.

"Holding hands with your partner, where you can, is about being true to yourself and to those you love," the campaign argues. "This is not a protest, a rally, a Pride or a march. This is about you and the life you lead every day."

The specific initiative that "A Day in Hand" has launched is called "Sshh! Saturdays," or 'same-sex hand-holding Saturday,' and encourages people to take the last Saturday of each month, grab the hand of someone of the same gender, and proudly display it as a sign of affection. As campaign founder David Watkins put it, the campaign is meant to combat ignorance and homophobia.

"I know that homophobia exists because of ignorance. And I know that every time I hold hands with a man publicly, I am striking a blow for ignorance," said Watkins. "Same-sex people who hold hands, inject a dose of 21st century reality into the minds of people who still believe that to exist you have to hate. And as for me, well the sight of same-sex hand holding stirs the lover and the hero in my heart. I hope it does in yours."

Whoa, now that's the type of romantic talk that gets us swooning. And it's getting the attention of some others as well, including Boy George, LGBT Activist Peter Tatchell from OutRage!, and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

(Photo courtesy of Colum LaVelle Photography.)

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Comments (5)

Homophobia is unjustified. "A Day in Hand" is a good campaign to show that same-sex couples can be courageous if the hold hands in public to combat homophobia. The sign of affection, holding hands, includes same-sex couples because it is for the purpose of showcasing a relationship. "Sshh! Saturdays", a spin off from the "A Day in Hand" is to spread tolerance because what intolerant people have in their mind against LGBT people is wrong.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 09/02/2009 @ 01:21PM PT
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Hell yeah...

Now, can us straight allies join in this ?

Posted by Reverend Boony on 09/02/2009 @ 07:33PM PT
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you can take part in A Day In Hand even if you're straight. Do the elvis challenge.

http://www.adayinhand.com/news/theelvischallenge/comments

Posted by david watkins on 01/16/2010 @ 04:50PM PT
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i love it!

Posted by Sarah Masimore on 09/02/2009 @ 08:20PM PT
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I am an avid supporter of a day in hand. I have taken part inthe photo shoot, the day in hand relay and am really looking forward to SSHH Saturdays.

If you are straight allies you can take part, find someone of the same sex and ask them if you can hold their hand. Take a picture logon www.adayinhand.com and have the picture uploaded.

If you wanted you could hold someones hand through a very public place and watch the reactions you get. If people ask what you are doing then you can tell them about the campaign.

Posted by Mark MacKenzie on 09/05/2009 @ 11:20AM PT
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Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He is the former Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, as well as the former Director of Communications for Pax Christi USA, a national Catholic peace and justice organization. Mike is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and he is also a proud sketch comedy writer.