A San Jose family placed a large “Yes on 8” banner on the front of their house, after their “Yes on 8” yard signs were recently stolen.

To counter the sign, supporters of marriage equality parked an SUV in front of the house with the words “Bigots Live Here” emblazoned on the rear window, with an arrow pointing toward the house.

The Sundstroms are Mormon. At the behest of their leaders in Utah, Mormons here and throughout the country are working hard to pass Proposition 8, donating nearly 10 million so far. Many going as far as taking a second mortgage out on their homes or withdrawing their savings to fund their cause.

And the Sundstroms donated $30,000 to Yes on Prop 8. Yesterday.

These are unintended consequences and we are hurting ourselves.

Not good for us.

Today, October 20, is the last day people can register to vote in California. I’m not going to go and on about civic duty, but this may be the most important election of our lifetime, and it’s so important to participate in that. We also have a tremendous opportunity here in California… not only to elect a president who has the vision to move us forward into the 21st century (8 years late I might add), but to extend and maintain equal rights to ALL the citizens of California. I am course referring to Proposition 8, which will strip away civil rights to same-sex couples, denying them the right to marry the person they love.

There’s so much at stake in November. So please be sure sure to register. Today. And make sure all your friends and family are registered. Today.

To register or verify your registration to vote, visit any of the following sites:

• Just Vote
• Vote for Change
• Rock the Vote

For more on Proposition 8, visit NoOnProp8.com

I’ll leave you with a couple of clips to chew on…

Gavin Newsom on Energy 92.7 speaking on the importance of Proposition 8.

Sarah Palin voices her support for a Federal Marriage Amendment.

I often say living in San Francisco is akin to a living bubble. It’s among the many reasons I choose to live here. Acceptance is a part of its DNA. People are free to be who they are or who they choose to be.

I’m reminded of that every time I hear a story like this one. Kim Ji-Hoo, a young Korean actor who recently came out of the closet, was found dead in his apartment of an apparent suicide. The note found at the scene read “I’m lonely and in a difficult situation. Please cremate my body.”

Police and Kim’s mother said that he was a victim of public prejudice and discrimination; the announcement of his sexual orientation had taken a terrible toll on his personal life and his career.

Unfortunately this is hardly unique. Like the gay teen in Derby England who was goaded into jumping off a building just yesterday by an angry mob, or a gay Mormon back in 2000 who killed himself in the hopes it would change his church. There are many more of course, too numerous to do them justice here, the suicide rate thriving in a culture of intolerance and discrimination.

It goes without saying that it is terribly important never to forget these individuals and those who came before them, and unfortunately, those who will inevitably come after. Lives so filled with despair because society refused to accept them for who they were, they saw no recourse but to take their own lives.

And their sacrifice must not be in vain. EVERY SINGLE LIFE LOST must propel us forward in the fight for tolerance, acceptance, and equal rights.

As I sit in my office inside this bubble that is San Francisco, I’m not sure if that bubble is there to stop them from getting in, or from us getting out. I’m also reminded that the 10th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death was only yesterday. Wow. We have such long way to go…

For Kim Ji-Hoo and those who took the same path, I hope they are now in a better place.