Hundreds gathered for an impromptu rally at Westlake Center to protest the California Supreme Court's Tuesday morning decision to uphold Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in California with its November passage.
Washington State Representative Jamie Pedersen and Sen. Ed Murray, both from the 43rd district of the state, were in attendance and spoke at the rally.
The rally was organized by Equal Rights Washington and Join the Impact, which began last year as a direct response to Proposition 8. The Seattle-based organization was also responsible for organizing the nationwide Nov. 15 protests against Proposition 8 and Day Without a Gay events.
The protest began with speakers, including Pederson, Murray, and leaders of the two organizing groups. Within an hour, the gathering developed into an impromptu march from Westlake Center to Cal Anderson Park.
"It was about as diverse as you can get-gay people, straight people, people of color and all different kinds of ages," said Kraig Cook, sophomore economics international development and international studies double major. "It was really a diverse crowd, and I think that that kind of brings power to the community."
Similar protests and events were also held in over one hundred cities around the nation.
"What just happened in California, it was important everywhere," said Jamie Richardson, sophomore journalism major. "For me as an ally, I felt it was important for me to show support. I feel not as many allies as there could be, especially in the SU community, come to these things."
The protest also addressed Referendum 71, a measure filed by the Washington Values Alliance aimed at overturning Senate Bill 5688, which Gov. Christine Gregoire signed last week to extend the rights of marriage partnerships to same-sex domestic partnerships.
"Especially with Referendum 71 possibly coming up in Washington, it's important for people here to stand up for the rights we've already received through the legislation this year and really make those rights go forward," said Cook.
Organizing Tuesdays rally began in advance of this morning's ruling in California, set to be either a celebration or a protest, depending on the ruling.
"I was part of a group led by Join the Impact that said as soon as they knew [the decision] they would let us know," said Mark Maddox, freshman strategic communications major.
In an official statement on the ruling, Chief Justice Ronald George wrote that Proposition 8 "carves out a narrow and limited exception to these state constitutional rights, reserving the official designation of the term marriage for the union of opposite-sex couples as a matter of state constitutional law."
"Proposition 8 does not entirely repeal or abrogate the aspect of a same-sex couples state constitutional right of privacy and due process," Georges statement reads.
However, legal experts say it remains unclear how the state will define and ensure civil partners and married couples receive the same rights.
"I wasn't really necessarily surprised because of the way the legal system works, but it put into concrete terms the whole consequences of what Prop 8 is doing," said Maddox of Tuesdays court decision.
However, Maddox said he is actually more motivated by the decision.
"Prop 8 and now today's decision are really what sparked other states to work toward same-sex marriage, like Iowa and Maine. It really just galvanized the whole movement for rights all across the country," Maddox said. "It may be to take one step back and using this as leverage for two steps forward."
California's decision comes one month after Iowa became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage and amid debates in New York, New Hampshire and New Jersey surrounding proposed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.
Be the first to comment on this article!