An estimated 3,000-5,000 people attended a gay marriage rally at Chicago's Federal Plaza, at Adams and Dearborn, Nov. 15 as part of a nationwide series of simultaneous protests against the passage of the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban in California. After music and speeches, the event turned into a several-blocks-long march. Several other Illinois cities also held similar protests.
A small handful of anti-gay protesters also gathered across the street from the Plaza, but they were neither seen nor heard by most of the participants who braved the cold and held up homemade signs with freezing fingers.
On Nov. 4, California voted in favor of Proposition 8. The measure amends the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman and invalidates a May 2008 California Supreme Court decision that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
Proposition 8 was strongly funded by Christian fundamentalist groups like Focus on the Family and the Mormon Church. Immediately following its passage, several gay groups across the country called for nationwide protests Nov. 15. These took place in large towns and small, including Chicago; Springfield, Ill.; Kansas City; New York; Indianapolis and Napa Valley, Calif.
Not all opponents of gay marriage are on the right, and there is no consensus on it within the community. Several gay activists and groups have argued that the gay-marriage movement reinscribes the idea that only spouses deserve benefits like health care or visitation rights. Others have argued that marriage is yet another assimilationist strategy.
Gatherers were straight and gay; young; middle-aged; and older. After hymns sung by Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, emcee Allison Leber introduced speakers who brought a range of perspectives to the issue of Proposition 8.
Some of these were impromptu voices, like those of two unnamed women who hopped onto a makeshift podium with their infant. Two gay married men, Gary and Laurent from California, urged the crowd to boycott companies that supported Proposition 8. Jill Bennett and Maile Flanagan from the Web comedy series 3 Way talked about the marches in California, where they are based.
Younger speakers included college and university students. Keeanga Taylor, a Northwestern University graduate student, spoke about continuing the fight for gay marriage. Corrine Mina, Missy Lorenzen and Nik Maciejewski, along with Sid Stokes, were among the primary organizers of the rally, and they led the crowd in cheers and a moment of silence. Also at hand was Kim Foster of Columbia College's gay student group, Common Ground.
Speakers also included gay activists who began their careers in the 1970s, such as Bob Schwartz of the Gay Liberation Network ( GLN ) . The Rev. Sherry Lowly of the United Methodist Church emphasized that religious fundamentalists did not have a hold on church doctrine: 'We will marry and support all children of God.' Openly gay State Rep. Greg Harrris also spoke to the crowd, which was heavily sprinkled with straight allies.
One of the controversies surrounding Proposition 8 has been the idea that California's African Americans helped approve the measure by voting overwhelmingly in favor of it. ( Actual numbers prove otherwise; Blacks were only 10 percent of California voters. ) GLN's Andy Thayer said that ' [ we ] will not allow the two communities [ Black and gay ] to be pitted against each other.' But, in fact, gay commentators like Dan Savage initiated the charge of homophobia against Blacks, and recent weeks have seen a rise in racist rhetoric against the Black community by gays.
Judging from the small number of African Americans at the rally and the sentiments expressed on some signs, it appears that the gulf between white gays and Blacks will not be bridged quickly. Nathan carried a sign that said, 'Black is the new Gay.' He explained, 'I think … a lot of the people that Obama brought out to vote for him ended up voting for Proposition 8 just because, culturally, they are homophobic.'
The size and enthusiasm of the crowd prompted a couple of speakers to declare that ' [ t ] his is a second Stonewall.' But a better analogy might lie in the campaign against Anita Bryant in 1977. Bryant organized against a Dade County, Fla., ordinance that sought to ban discrimination against sexual orientation. As a result, gays across the country came together in unprecedented numbers to defeat her attempt.
It may well turn out that, like Bryant, the fundamentalist Christian community has overplayed its hand. Its success in getting Proposition 8 passed and the virulence of its homophobia has turned out large numbers of protesters. In Chicago alone, it caused a ripple effect that led to the rally. A Nov. 8 protest against Focus on the Family's James Dobson might ordinarily have attracted a dozen protesters at most. But on the heels of Proposition 8, it attracted a few hundred and ignited the spark that led to the November 15 rally's success. In fact, this was where the four principal organizers felt galvanized enough to continue organizing, according to Leber.
Proposititon 8's fate hangs in the balance. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stated his opposition ( although he will not actively take legislative steps against it ) , and it's being contested on legal grounds. Gay marriage will probably be a reality within the next five years. After that, it remains to be seen what could bring the gay community and its allies out in such force. But for now, many of those who attended the rally Nov. 15 can certainly testify to a sense of energy and enthusiasm around their cause.
In a continuation of what transpired Saturday, GLN has announced that it is picketing Evanston's Century Theater, 1715 Maple, on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 5 p.m. The owner of Century is Cinemark Company, whose CEO, Alan Stock, gave $9,999 to support Prop 8.
See pictures of the rally and march on page 8, at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com and www.MysticImagesPhotography.com .
