As a journalist, you're supposed to remain impartial to the subject/story that you are covering. This practice of being objective was nowhere in my realm of thought during my younger years, and even now, it can be difficult to do so. We can be passionate about certain ideas and subjects. Caring about the things (that we feel are right and true) makes us human and no one journalist is ever, truly unbiased. Unless of course they are indifferent on an issue or are, in fact, robots.
Marriage equality is one subject I care about. I've always believed that the right for any one person to marry another, regardless of sexual orientation, has always been a civil rights issue in the United States. When California voters passed Prop 8 in 2008 after the California Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage was legal, effectively putting a hold on gay couples legally marrying, it was a turning point not only for the state of California, but also nationwide as other states tried to place ballot measures and state constitutional amendments in an effort to make gay marriages illegal. It was a call to arms to fight back against discrimination.
I took this photo the day Proposition 8 was passed in California. I heard about a big protest that was going to happen that night in the Sunset Junction area of Silverlake in Los Angeles, opposing the passing of Prop 8. One of many photos taken on that night, I realized how big of an impact Prop 8 had on a number of people after I developed the roll of film and saw this image. Prop 8 affected families, both heterosexual and same sex couples with a family and ultimately, it affected the outcome of a possible future these kids faced.
I love this photo of a young boy holding up a sign in opposition to Prop 8 being passed while being on the shoulders of who I can assume is his father. I wasn't privy to the intricate practices of photojournalism in my early days so I didn't immediately go up to them and ask him questions. Obviously if this photo was taken today, I would've approached them and did a quick interview to get enough information for a proper photo caption.
"Activism at an early age" / 35mm Kodak 400CN / November 2008