1000 March in Chicago to Protest Prop 8

1000 people marched through rainy streets in Chicago’s gay community to protest the California Supreme Court decision announced only hours earlier upholding the state's ban on same sex marriage. There was a lot of energy and outrage over the decision, a determination to continue fighting to make same sex marriage legal, and often a hopefulness that progress is surely on its way. The exuberant chants included: “They say Prop 8, we say stop hate” and “They say get back, we say fight back!” People carried rainbow flags and many homemade signs with sayings including: “Civil Rights Do Not Belong in a Ballot Box,” “It's 2009 - Are we REALLY still arguing about EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL?,” “No More Mr. Nice Gay,” and “Whatever happened to separation of church and state?”Others looking out into the protest from stores, cars and apartments, honked and cheered. One person held up a sign "straight but not narrow" .

At the rally following the march, one speaker proudly held up the marriage certificate received in San Francisco during the brief window of legalized same sex marriage. He said today he was both very proud and very outraged, and he called on people to continue fighting until marriage is won.

Another speaker Andy Thayer, co-founder of Day of Decision which initiated the call for nationwide action on this day warned people against a popular notion that it’s simply a matter of time before same sex marriage is legal. He said this is a dangerous illusion and that it will take growing resistance in the streets to win marriage equality. A number of rally speakers pointed to a civil unions bill now going through the state legislature.

Protests in Illinois also occurred the same night in Peoria, Springfield and Champaign-Urbana.

Send us your comments.

If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.