In San Francisco, hundreds of civil rights' supporters blocked traffic and dozens of gay activists were arrested when the California Supreme Court announced yesterday afternoon that it would uphold Proposition 8 -- a November ballot measure that reversed that state's sanctioning of same-sex marriage.
At a local protest near the Plaza last night, Kansas City residents were outraged at the decision but also saw the ruling as an opportunity. After the jump, photos from the rally and reactions from a state senator, an area minister and community activists.
Jolie Justus, a Missouri state senator who married her partner earlier this month in Iowa, said she was disappointed but not surprised by the decision. There is some cause for hope, though, she said. Although the court barred further same-sex couples from tying the knot, the 18,000 gay partners who wed in the five months before Prop 8 are still legally married. "I don't see how that meets the equal protection clause," Justus said, "so there's the possibility of a federal court challenge." And, looking around at the enthusiastic crowd, Justus said national causes like Prop 8 help spur progress in the Midwest. Every year, she sponsors the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, which would outlaw firing or evicting someone based on sexual orientation. "Days like today get that critical mass to take the fight to Jefferson City," she said.
Donna Simon (left), a pastor at Abiding Peace Lutheran church, led the group in prayer. Having attended university and seminary in California she said it hurts to see the Golden State abandoning its reputation as a national leader when it comes to advancing social justice. "Now they've ceded that to Iowa," she said, referencing the Midwest state's sanctioning of gay marriage last month.
Nettie Alford, vice president of the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Kansas City, said rallies like the one last night are critical, because it personalizes the issue. When the Missouri amendment banning same-sex marriage passed in 2004, she noted, it got 70 percent of the vote. That means plenty of residents with gay friends and family members voted for it. "It tells us how important it is to be visible," she said.
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