EDGE Boston

Boston City Hall plaza was filled with close to 7,000 protestors Saturday who came out for a boisterous demonstration against the recent passage of California’s Proposition 8, banning same sex marriage in that state.

The three-hour event featured speeches by politicians - including U.S. Reps. Michael Capuano (D-Mass), Nikki Tsongas (D-Mass) and Edward Markey (D-Mass) - and community activists. The rally was organized by the group Join the Impact.

Capuano said the outlook for progress on GLBT issues in Washington looked positive, and that moment would lead to the overturn of the California decision.

"Quite simply, [soon] there will be no DOMA [Defense of Marriage Act]. Soon there will be a hate crimes bill. And in 2010 we will be back in California. And we will win."

Tsongas pointed to the example Massachusetts provides for the rest of the nation on issues of GLBT equality.
"We in Massachusetts should so proud of how we have lead the way on marriage equality," said Tsongas. "We have to make our voices our heard. We have to engage yet again."

Mass. House of Representatives Majority Whip Byron Rushing (D-Boston)excited the crowd with remarks comparing the marriage equality movement to the movement for racial equality, with its long roots in Massachusetts.

"We are angry at what happened in California, but we are assured because we know what happened in Massachusetts," he said, adding "We are gathered here to say enough is enough, we are ready for the struggle."

Openly-gay State Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Medford), recounted his experiences with a contingent of MassEquality volunteers who spent the last two weeks before the election in California campaigning against Prop. 8.

"On the day we left I saw the rainbow flag in the Castro District, Harvey Milk’s former district, flying at half-staff," Sciortino said. "We are blessed to have marriage equality in Massachusetts. But don’t take that for granted. There are plenty of people out there, with the passage of Proposition 8, who will be saying ’how do we get back and overturn gay marriage in Massachusetts.’"

Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, which organized an unsuccessful attempt to amend the Massachusetts Constitution to ban gay marriage, said recently that his group is preparing to launch another referendum attempt.

MassEquality Executive Director Marc Solomon said that his group plans to move forward with marriage equality in Vermont, New Jersey and New York.

Solomon, paraphrasing Harvey Milk, said he was "here to recruit you into a cause bigger than yourself."

"What happened in California was a travesty of justice," said Solomon, urging the crowd to "turn these feelings of anger and disappointment into real action."

Join the Impact plans another nationwide day of protest on January 10 to push for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).