“I want him to grow up knowing that his family is just as valid as every other family, and I want him to grow up knowing that, at least according to the law, the love between his parents is equal to the love between other parents; the love between his family is not second class and it deserves equal recognition,” protestor Kerrie Warren said about her toddler, Gabriel, at the Proposition 8 protest in front of Eugene City Hall on Saturday.
Warren and approximately 300 gay rights activists gathered for a protest and short march to Free Speech Square on Saturday in congruence with 20 other organized protests across the country that attracted an estimated 1 million activists.
The effort, originally organized by Seattle activists Willow Witte and Amy Balliett through their makeshift Web site “Join the Impact,” encouraged gay activists in the United States and around the world to coordinate a synchronized protest in different cities Saturday at 10:30 a.m. PST.
The protests were responding to California’s Proposition 8 and similar anti-gay marriage laws passed in Arizona and Florida. Arkansas also passed a measure that prohibits gay couples from adopting children.
The Eugene protest attracted large numbers of locals carrying signs reading, “This is about love not hate” and “Civil marriage does not threaten religious liberty.” Event organizers and public figures, including Mayor Kitty Piercy, spoke at the protest about the need for equal rights. Julie Weismann, the creator of the Web site QueerEugene.com, also spoke.
“That this movement was started by two young women demonstrates the next generation of leadership for our country. I am in awe of our young leaders. They are our future,” said Weismann. “This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait for the next step, the next action, and the change we need so much.”
Monika Berry, despite not being well-informed on the details of Proposition 8 and other anti-gay legislation, still joined her sister Saturday and carried a sign at the demonstration. “We should all be able to take care of each other (and) have the same benefits,” she said. “I met this wonderful couple last week, two gentlemen that have been together for 40 years and it just solidified that thought in my mind that we should all be able to take care of each other.”
Demonstrators lingered after the main events came to a close, yelling and waving signs on the street corners. “We’re all from California originally, so I feel very closely tied. I have a lot of gay friends that are in California so this is a personal issue to me,” said Karen Norten. “They’re all down there right now in California protesting at much larger gatherings than we are so I feel that in a way this connects us to them.”
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