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Weekend Gay Marriage Rallies: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet More than 150 rallies planned nationwide for this weekend

Updated 4:38 PM PDT, Fri, Nov 14, 2008

Nov. 5, 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.

Comments (52)

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  • Jonathan Monday, Nov 17 at 2:23 PM FLAG COMMENT Voter too, so you are changing your argument. Whatever happened to your comment "infertility is a ground for divorce...A married couple doesn't choose to have no children...A married couple that chooses to not have children is not truly married." So I am truly married, or no? Make up your mind. In the process of arguing with me, you have just proved my point. It is obvious that your definition of marriage is not the same as th ... MORE >
  • Voter too Monday, Nov 17 at 9:50 AM FLAG COMMENT Jonathan, I am sure you have your reason to have no children, but a married heterosexual couple would generally have that capability of having children on their own if they so choose.
  • Mike Monday, Nov 17 at 9:11 AM FLAG COMMENT Bigotry is still alive and kicking in America! who should decide other people's marriage? Britney can marry and divorce in the same day, why can't a loving gay couple be legally married, all they want is equally rights for all Americans! otherwise, according to the old law, women are man's property, blacks can not marry whites, Chinese children born in US are singled out never become US citizen... Japanese were sent to camps, ... MORE >
  • MIGUEL Sunday, Nov 16 at 11:19 PM FLAG COMMENT Unfortunately NOTHING gets done until there's some civil disobediance. People get tired of being a second class citizen.
  • Mike Sunday, Nov 16 at 7:15 PM FLAG COMMENT Bigotry is still alive and kicking in America! who should decide other people's marriage? Britney can marry and divorce in the same day, why can't a loving gay couple be legally married, all they want is equally rights for all Americans! otherwise, according to the old law, women are man's property, blacks can not marry whites, Chinese children born in US are singled out never become US citizen... Japanese were sent to camps, ... MORE >

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