Hundreds of protesters marched down State Street Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide Fight the H8 rally against recent gay marriage bans, particularly California's Proposition 8.
Chants like Gay, straight, black, white - marriage is an equal right"" cut through the blustery cold and provided appropriate metaphors for the diverse crowd that included all of the above, as well as many families with young children.
Launching from Library Mall, the marchers eventually flooded the Capitol steps where speakers called for an end to sexual orientation discrimination, creating a stark contrast to the thousands who rushed the same steps in jubilation just 11 days ago after the presidential election.
UW-Madison sophomore Cody Olson, Fight the H8's student organizer, said he hoped the election of Barack Obama would translate into future rights for gay and transgender Americans.
""President Obama really represents change, and hopefully this change will help create a tidal wave of more change and human rights for everyone,"" Olson said, who like many of the protesters, is directly affected by the issue. ""I am gay, and in the future I do want to be married and have my own kids and '¦ just the American dream of having my own family and my own life and own home, and I believe that that should pertain to everyone.""
Sophomore Jenny Wustmann said she was also encouraged by the progressive shift apparent in Obama's election but was ""disgusted"" by the marriage bans, which to her prove more needs to be done.
""Our country was built on social movements and civil rights for everyone and this is the grossest denial of civil rights to a demographic of our country in years,"" Wustmann said.
Law student Angelo Carusone said he was surprised Proposition 8 had passed in the traditionally liberal California.
""I was blindly optimistic and I think I was a little upset because I didn't do enough to resist Prop 8 beforehand '¦ I think that's the reason I'm out here in this ridiculously cold and windy weather,"" Carusone said.
Senior Brett Abrams, who attended the protest with his partner, Carusone, and held a sign that read ""I can't believe I still have to protest this crap,"" said the high turnout was a reflection of widespread shock. Abrams said the expensive campaign in favor of the ban contributed to its passing, but said he does not buy the media's blame game, which has pinned the ban on black and Hispanic voters and the Mormon and Catholic churches.
""This is going to sound a little sacrilegious, but I don't think the gays in California organized effectively '¦ so I'm not going to blame any one specific group.""
That organization appears to be improving, however, as networking websites like Facebook helped local organizers mobilize tens of thousands around the country in just one week, the New York Times reported. According jointheimpact.com, those same organizers are already preparing another global event - ""Day Without Gays"" on Dec. 10, which is International Human Rights Day - encouraging gays around the world to call in sick to work and boycott the economy.
""I actually think it would be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate just how widespread and pervasive gay people are and that we're all interconnected on some basic level,"" Carusone said.
