Yesterday, the news came through that Judge Walker in San Francisco had ruled that the controversial Proposition 8 – which bans gay marriage in California and had been approved by referendum two years ago – was unconstitutional. The ruling is quite an interesting read and may well set significant legal precedents further down the line.
The result was a march from San Francisco famous gay district, Castro, to City Hall, along Market Street. I caught up with the rally just as it ended the top of Market St and got some pictures of the march and the subsequent speeches in from of City Hall. You can see them on Flickr here.
I don’t have all the speakers names, although I have pulled together a few, at the bottom.
The speeches were pretty good. About the importance of equality, about the US legal system, the hard work and courage of a few, and the main message that this was a win but the issue will inevitably led up the courts and it would be a long fight.
The mood was pretty jubilant – at one point, walking and round the corner of the Plaza to City Hall, with Karen Carpenter’s What the World Needs Now blaring out from the speakers, you felt a big lift of joy. I love it when you get that feeling of being alive and important things happening around you.
Anyway, some of the many speakers:
Dennis Herrera
S.F. City Attorney
Eva Paterson
President, Equal Justice Society
Kate Kendell
Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Geoff Kors
Executive Director of Equality California
Kamala Harris
San Francisco District Attorney
David Campos
Board of Supervisors, SF
