Weekend Gay Marriage Rallies: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
More than 150 rallies planned nationwide for this weekend
Updated 4:38 PM PST, Fri, Nov 14, 2008
If you thought the gay marriage rallies in San Francisco and Los Angeles were noteworthy for their size and affect on traffic, you haven't seen anything yet.
Gay-rights advocates say at least 150 rallies are planned this weekend to re-energize support for gay unions.
In Boston, organizers expect thousands to attend a Saturday rally, which advocates say will highlight the positive aspects of gay marriage.
Rallies are planned in San Francisco and in other Bay Area locations as well.
Marc Solomon of MassEquality says Massachusettts is in a unique position to show that gay marriage is a benefit to families, children and society.
"We're the place where it's happened," he said, noting that the state was the first to legalize gay marriage. "You can look to us and see that marriage equality works and it's a good thing, and the scare tactics were just that, scare tactics."
Meanwhile, five civil rights groups are seeking to have the same-sex marriage ban annulled on the grounds that Proposition 8 threatens the legal standing of all minority groups, not just gays.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal Center and two other groups asked the state Supreme Court on Friday to issue a stay preventing the ballot initiative approved by voters last week from taking effect.
The petition is the fourth seeking to have the measure invalidated. But it's the first to argue that the court should step in because the gay marriage ban sets a constitutional precedent that could be used to undermine the rights of racial minorities.
First Published: Nov 14, 2008 2:23 PM PST
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