Muckracker and Alec Baldwin stalker Matt Drudge has a photo up on the front page of his site today of a church in Los Angeles being overtaken by the evil flames of homosexuality. You know, he could have gone with a firefighter or people being rescued, but nothing says "God's retribution" like a steeple covered in flames.

Apropos of nothing, the areas ravaged by fire are the same parts that voted yes for Prop. 8.

UPDATED: Scott Freitag, a spokesperson from the Church of LDS says that the Mormon Temple in L.A. that was the site of Prop. 8 protests last week has been closed after an envelope filled with "an unknown white substance" was delivered on Thursday.

The clerk opening the envelope spilled powder on his hands and found a letter, which Freitag said did not contain any threatening writing. He also said that the church had not received any calls or threats before the package arrived and that the clerk shows no sign of illness or injury. A similar package arrived at the Salt Lake City Temple. The L.A. Temple was closed voluntarily and employees evacuated as a safety measure.

Hazmat, the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department arrived on the scene and the FBI is investigating the incident.  After testing, the substance was found to be harmless.

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Yesterday, we told you about how a hastily assembled Prop. 8 related press conference staged by El Coyote, a dive Mexican restaurant in L.A. that's been a longtime gay watering hole, went about as well as the invasion of Iraq. We now have video of the event, in all its sad, emotionally charged glory. Above is Marjorie Chrisofferson, partial owner of the restaurant, talking about the $100 contribution she made to the Yes on 8 campaign.

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Micah, over at Shut Up I Know! has a developing report on the impromptu press conference El Coyote held this afternoon after it was revealed via the L.A. Times' vexing Prop 8. contributions database that their manager, Marjorie Chrisoffersen donated $100 to the Yes on 8 Campaign. The El Coyote, for those not in the know, is an L.A. late-night institution famous as a hangout for gays, rockers, and once upon a time, Sharon Tate, which is one of the reasons the donation has not gone over well.

The press conference did not go well.

"While the floor manager continued talking, it became more obvious that what this community conference was about, was distancing Marjorie from El Coyote itself.

Marjorie walked out with (her two daughters?) on arm and spoke from a prepared statement. This prepared statement was IDENTICAL to the email she send out and that is posted in the comments of the previous posting…which REALLY didn't make people happy.

At all.

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We're as shocked as anyone that Southern California has become a hotbed of political activism, but nothing's more surprising than Angelino Prop. 8 protesters' willingness to walk long distances for many hours to make their point. This is a city where people drive to the corner market– maybe we were just saving it up for good use.

As inspiration/throw-down for tonight's protest in New York City at 6:30 pm, by the Manhattan Mormon Temple (125 Columbus Ave at 65th Street), we're including a map of Saturday's Los Angeles protest route– and the equivalent distance overlaid on Manhattan. We sent you to Greenpoint, because we have a secret kielbasa agenda.

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We're just awash in exciting Proposition 8 statistics here today. Maybe protest organizers will find this useful in planning their next 8-hour marathon march. Here's your handy-dandy visual representation of LA's homophobia.

As you can see, South Central is not too keen on the gays, whereas WeHo and Santa Monica are BFFs with them. The Valley is obviously teeming with bigots, so it's a good thing nobody cares about it.
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Photo: Tom Andrews

We first learned about Mark Oshiro while following his Twitter updates as he marched on the Mormon Temple in Los Angeles last week. Under the name Panasonicyouth, he provided other protesters and interested folks with a play by play of what was happening. Then an update appeared: "Holy shit some asshole in a truck" and he went silent. In a sign of how much the internet is shaping the protests, Twitter users spread news that something had happened to Oshiro and even ABC7 got involved in the story.

Hours later, another update: "pacific station. arrested. help". Oshiro, who along with his co-worker Richard Flores, was released later that night and are facing charges from the LAPD.  Queerty asked him about the experience, what happens now and his advice to future protesters.

QUEERTY: I know you can't talk about the events leading up to your arrest, but can you tell me what happened after?

Mark Oshiro: Richard and I were both arrested after trying to help Maurice Carriere (the protester assaulted by the guy in the truck with the Yes on 8 poster). For what? We didn't know, as we weren't told (definitively) what our charges were going to be for over two and a half hours. We spent a lot of time handcuffed to a bench with our heads against a wall. My blog entry on the ordeal goes into detail more about the whole experience, but suffice to say it was pretty traumatizing, especially when you learn you're charged with battery on a peace officer. I mean, really, I couldn't imagine a worse charge.

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As a service to our readers, Queerty is going to attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all the upcoming protests against Prop. 8 and other gay marriage bans across the country.

Since collectively, the you folks are  smarter and more resourceful than me, I'm asking you to lend me a hand by listing this week's protests in the comments. To make this easier, please include a link, so we can confirm it.

If this sounds like we're advocating our readership to get out there and peacefully protest in acts of visible disobedience, that's because we are–angrily demanding equal rights is the new after-work cocktail, people.

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Unfortunately, you had to know this was coming.

Angered by the news that black voters were a major factor in the success of Prop 8, California's gay marriage ban, some segments of yesterday's anti-Prop 8 protests in LA soon devolved into hateful pits of racism:

Geoffrey, a student at UCLA and regular Rod 2.0 reader, joined the massive protest outside the Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Westwood. Geoffrey was called the n-word at least twice.

It was like being at a klan rally except the klansmen were wearing Abercrombie polos and Birkenstocks. YOU NIGGER, one man shouted at men. If your people want to call me a FAGGOT, I will call you a nigger. Someone else said same thing to me on the next block near the temple…me and my friend were walking, he is also gay but Korean, and a young WeHo clone said after last night the niggers better not come to West Hollywood if they knew what was BEST for them.

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Photo: Jonathan Alcorn

In what more than one protester has described as "the second Stonewall", Californians across the state have taken to the streets in spontaneous demonstrations to protest the passage of Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling in May that allowed it. Here's a brief rundown of the past five days:

Day One (Nov. 5th):

While the rest of the world celebrated the election of Barack Obama, opponents of Proposition 8 gathered in gay enclaves like West Hollywood and San Francisco to hold impromptu rallies. In Los Angeles, a group of approximately 1,500 people, mostly younger, left the rally while it was still ongoing and marched up to Sunset Boulevard, forcing street closures. Police managed to divide the group, keeping 2/3 within West Hollywood.

The remaining group marched to the CNN building in Hollywood and then up to Hollywood & Highland, L.A.'s version of Times Square, where police barricading the group from entering the intersection. A tense standoff ensued, with some protesters breaking through the police lines and two being beaten by the police with billy clubs.

In all, four separate groups, about 3,000 people total, marched throughout Hollywood, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood throughout the night, with protesters holding a sit down protest at Sunset and La Cienega til 2:30am. Seven people were arrested.

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Starting at Sunset Junction in Silver Lake at 6pm and arriving eight and a half hours later in West Hollywood at around 2:30am, the Los Angeles Prop 8. protest ended with a sit-in the middle of the street. Throughout the night, groups would join the protest as it made its way through Hollywood and environs. While passing through the Sunset Strip, the rally picked up everyone's favorite angel, Drew Barrymore–and paparazzi– who marched with the approximately 3000 swing shift protesters. As the exhausted but defiant crowd occupied the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica, Drew took to the microphone, tearfully telling the assembled crowd, "I will fight with you!"

Earlier in the night, the protest swelled to 15,000 people. It's the fourth continuous day of protests since Prop 8. was passed, outlawing gay marriage in California. Further protests are planned for tomorrow and the foreseeable future.

Also– Hey folks, I'm Japhy Grant, your new editor. Howdy! I'm exhausted. More Drew love after the jump.

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Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released a statement yesterday on why he chose not to attend HRC's boycotted gala:

The Human Rights Campaign is on the frontlines of the fight for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights and I fully support its important mission at this critical moment in history.

It has come to my attention that the San Francisco Labor Council has voted to formally boycott HRC's annual fundraising gala and regretfully, I cannot attend this years event.

As Mayor of the largest city in California, I am committed to creating a world in which no member or group in society is denied full and equal rights. It is my hope that this time next year will find us all united by victory in the fight against Proposition 8 and ever more determined to establish equal rights, with no exceptions, for every one of us.

And peace shall reign…