Solidarity against Prop 8

MORE THAN 10,000 people gathered in New York City November 12 to demonstrate for same-sex marriage in solidarity with gay and lesbian couples in California after the victory of Proposition 8.

The protesters targeted the Mormon Church, a major funder of the campaign to pass Proposition 8. Similar to demonstrations in San Francisco, the protest was organized mostly through Facebook, text messages and e-mail. But anger over the LGBT people being treated as second-class citizens brought out thousands.

The protest grew in size in the park across the street from the Mormon's Manhattan church, and soon blocked traffic on Columbus Avenue for at least 15 minutes during an impromptu march to Columbus Circle. Protesters angrily raised fists in the air and chanted, "Gay, straight, Black, white, marriage is a civil right."

Many of the demonstrators said they were excited about Barack Obama's victory, though there was also a sense of confusion as to why Obama doesn't support gay marriage. At the same time, many feel that Obama's victory is giving inspiration and hope for change.

"I think the momentum started with the Obama stuff, and there was a lot of antiwar stuff going on, too," said protester Alberto Duarte. "So now that the cap is off, I don't think it's going to be easy for the federal government to shut this down. It may not be explicit that these different struggles are connected, but people feel the momentum, and that something is going on. This turnout shows that."

Protesters are excited for the next demonstration, scheduled for Saturday at City Hall as part of a nationwide day of action against Proposition 8. This can be part of the renewal of a gay civil rights struggle on the streets throughout this country that says, "Yes, we can, too!"