Gay rights rallies held across US over Prop 8

By GottaLaff

As Bucky said to me in an IM a few minutes ago:

"A number of people see [Prop 8, which amended the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman, overturning a recent California Supreme Court decision] as a political issue ... and that their side won and our side lost. They don't understand that it isn't about politics, it's about fundamental human freedom. Which is beyond and above the mere political."

Today, there is a countrywide backlash:

Crowds gathered near public buildings in small communities and major cities including New York, San Francisco and Chicago to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change.

"Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8".

"We are the American family, we live next door to you, we teach your children, we take care of your elderly," said Heather Baker a special education teacher from Boston who addressed the crowd at Boston's City Hall Plaza. "We need equal right across the country." [...]

However, representatives of Join the Impact, which organized Saturday's demonstrations, asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups during the rallies.

The mood in Boston was generally upbeat, with attendees dancing and signing to the song "Respect." Signs cast the fight for gay marriage as the new civil rights movement, including one that read "Gay is the new black."

But anger over the ban and its backers was evident at the protests.

One sign in Chicago read: "Catholic Fascists Stay Out of Politics."

"I just found out that my state doesn't really think I'm a person," said Rose Aplustill, 21, a Boston University student from Los Osos, Calif., who was one of thousands at the Boston rally.

I can say without reservation that my marriage has not been in the least bit affected by anybody else's, gay or straight. Honest.