About 60 people braved the cold on Nov. 7 for Gay Liberation Network's celebration of the same-sex marriage bill at the corner of Halsted St. and Roscoe St.
The event capped several protests that GLN staged in recent weeks, calling on Rep. Greg Harris and House Speaker Michael Madigan to call a vote on SB10. The group dropped a banner in the Capitol rotunda shortly after the March on Springfield rally Oct. 22 and picketed outside picketed Harris' district office twice.
Despite the week's victory in Springfield, there was little love for state politicians at the rally. GLN Co-Founder Andy Thayer laid the success at the feet of grassroots protesters who came out to publicly support SB10.
Politicians were "the ones who pushed the buttons, but they're not the ones who made it happen," said Thayer, adding that just a few weeks back, many believed that the bill was, for the moment, dead.
"In two weeks, we turned that around," Thayer said. "…We said to the legislature, 'we are watching you.'"
Thayer brought his partner, Aldo Hernandez, to the stage and said that they would be married in June. The two stood together on the stage for the rest of the rally, as supporters came to speak at the open microphone.
Activist Andrea Crain remembered back to when the LGBT community was energized by the passage of Proposition 8 in California. "Just five years later…this is a reality and I still can't get my mind around this," said Crain.
Marquell Smith of Inclusive Community Project, who took part in a "banner drop" with GLN at the Capitol early this year, said, "Why we won this year is because people started to unite," adding, "We have to credit the unity of this community."
"It still seems strange even tonight we have to vote for this love," said Kim Beckmann of Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches. "The news would have us think that all churches were against this. But there's a momentum in this country… and a lot of room on the 'love train.'"
Bob Schwartz of GLN said that, despite the joyous news of SB10, the group's work would continue, as they had plans for two more actions. The first is to protest a banquet organized by Peter LaBarbera's organization, Americans for Truth, at Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., in Arlington Heights on Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The second will protest a dinner honoring Cardinal Francis George's retirement on Dec. 18 at the Drake Hotel, 1000 N. Michigan Ave., at 6 p.m.
The Nov. 7 GLN rally was earlier billed as either a celebration if SB10 passed or a call to action had it failed.
Thayer said that, on Nov. 5, he had a banner hidden in his coat in the Capitol, ready to drop in the House chamber should SB10 not pass.
"It read, 'Where's Mike?'" Thayer said. "I think Madigan would have gotten the message."
