The hardest part of a protest is trying to act pissed off. I mean, it's unbelievable how far gay rights have come in the last five years. We've got gay marriage in five states. Jay Leno advocates gay marriage. Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks Prop 8 will be overturned next year. We all know it's just a matter of time, and that time might just be a year or two.

Which means personally I find it hard to be angry. It's like being handed a sundae with 500 scoops of ice cream in it, but trying to frown and go, "Okay, but where's the cinnamon-rhubarb?"

You're walking down the middle of one of New York's busiest streets. Helpful policemen have stopped traffic for you. You're surrounded by handsome, politically-active gay men holding witty signs. (My favorite? "I'll go back in the closet if you go back to the bronze age.") In every building you pass, people spill out onto the streets to cheer you on.

Everyone is such fun it's honestly a delight to be there.

RABBLE-ROUSER WITH MEGAPHONE: WHEN I SAY "MARRIAGE!" YOU SAY "EQUALITY!"
BYSTANDER: MARRIAGE!
RABBLE-ROUSER WITH MEGAPHONE: EQUALITY! (Pause.) Hey, you messed that up.

Needless to say, acting irritated is a chore. What do we want? Maybe a frappuccino. When do we want it? Now.

I don't want to look stupid so I focus on the negatives. I can't believe Obama has betrayed us. I can't believe idiot voters in California passed Prop 8. I can't believe the country is letting tax-exempt institutions like the Mormon church get involved in politics.

Still, it doesn't really hit me until I go home and watch the news. "Hundreds" of protesters? How could "hundreds" of protesters stretch all the way from 5th to 6th Avenue? Why do they always focus on the dude with the feather boa? And who's that grinning, skinny idiot with the lousy posture?

Oh. Okay, now I'm mad.