Chicagoans braved the rain to gather at N. Halsted Street and W. Waveland Avenue in protest of the California Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday to uphold the state’s Proposition 8 and its ban on same-sex marriages.
Voting six to one, the California court upheld the constitutionality of Proposition 8. The justices voted unanimously against revoking the marriage licenses of about 18,000 gay couples who exchanged vows in June of last year, after a California high-court ruling repealed the marriage ban last May.
Caroline Perry, the activism chair for Northwestern’s Rainbow Alliance, said the protection of those marriages is little consolation.
“That’s not really a big victory in the grand scheme of things; we expected that to happen,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “By far the biggest stake was whether the constitutional amendment would be upheld, which it was, which is a loss for us.”
The rally started at 7 p.m. outside the Center at 3656 N. Halsted St., a hub for Chicago’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Chicago’s Gay Liberation Network organized the event as part of a nationwide coordinated series of rallies, either to celebrate the verdict had the court eradicated Propostion 8, or to protest if the court upheld the ban. More than 100 other cities staged synchronized protests in response to the ruling.
A small band of NU students, including members of Rainbow Alliance, attended the rally, where speakers from the Gay Liberation Network spoke to a sea of protesters armed with flags and signs reading, “California Court Upholds Prop. 8 Anti-Gay Bigotry-We demand equality.” The rally turned into a march as the group walked together south toward Fullerton Street.
Perry said in spite of her disappointment, she sees the decision as a catalyst for bringing the community together in action.
“It was good that it made some people angry,” she said. “(We’re) in an age where people think gay marriage will just happen naturally as a result of progress, but those gains will be the results of heroic actions. They will not happen on their own.”
The decision was also met with considerable frustration.
Andrew Sowl, a member of Gay/Straight Alliance at Evanston Township High School, said he felt more disappointment than rage because the Supreme Court’s ruling wields power across the nation.
Before last fall, California and Massachusetts were the only two states allowing same-sex marriage. Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine have since legalized it. In Illinois, Rep. Greg Harris is seeking to legalize the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which would extend the right to marriage to same-sex couples.
Jackie Guerrero, a member of Rainbow Alliance, said by remaining active, gay and lesbian couples have a better chance of securing rights to marriage.
“It’s important to show renewed interest and sustained interest within this state,” the Communication junior said.
Perry said the rally promotes a sense of group solidarity.
“(It) sends the message to America that we are here, that we do demand rights.”
