The San Diego Music Awards has nominated “Created Equal,” a rap song about Proposition 8, for the category of “Song of the Year.” Written and performed by queer, female rapper, MC Flow, “Created Equal” is the artist’s response to the passage of Proposition 8 – the California ballot proposition that eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. “We are so excited that this song in particular is being recognized, because we feel so passionately about the topic and the equal rights issues surrounding it,” says MC Flow, aka Abby Schwartz, who wrote the song in the days following the November 2008 election. “It was such a bittersweet time. I can remember feeling so incredibly excited about the election of our first African-American president, but at the same time feeling so crushed by the reality of Proposition 8. I think I wrote the song to process all my conflicting feelings,” says the artist.

Shortly after the song was recorded, San Diego-based photographer and videographer, Rebecca and Kevin Joelson, produced a video for “Created Equal,” which they filmed on the streets of San Diego. It featured local citizens holding signs containing lyrics from the song. The Joelsons, who are a straight, married couple, also felt compelled to speak out against Proposition 8, and created a moving video that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. After garnering a lot of online attention, the video recently made its “World Debut” at Frameline33, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.

The San Diego Music Awards will take place on Thursday, Sept. 10, at Viejas Casino (Alpine, CA). Although “Song of the Year” is not a public voting category, fans of “Created Equal” can vote for MC Flow in the category of “Best Hip-Hop.” To vote, visit www.sdmusicawards.com.

“We are so thrilled that the message of love and equality that ‘Created Equal’ carries with it continues to spread,” says MC Flow. “That, of course, is better than any award.”

For more information on MC Flow, visit www.myspace.com/mcflow.

To view the “Created Equal” video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXSVddKQtKQ.