The event led all of the early evening newscasts and launched a firestorm of coverage in the web(see the huge, but still partial listing of links here.

In one afternoon (preceded by countless hours of volunteer time) we accomplished far more for marriage equality in Illinois than years worth of lobbying could ever do.

A HUGE "THANKS" go especially to Corrine, Nik and Missy of Join the Impact, who jump-started the effort and very kindly invited the Gay Liberation Network to join them in organizing the project. And of course, the whole effort required the participation of thousands of gay and non-gay people swelling the crowd despite very nasty weather!

Since so many have already told the story of what happened Saturday (again, see the links), we will confine ourselves here to drawing out the political lessons of the moment, and in a separate articles below, point to "next steps," and clarify the legal hassles that one of the organizers now faces in the aftermath of the protest.

First the political conclusions:

1. Our event and the other events in over 200 cities, all 50 states, Puerto Rico, DC and six other countries sent a powerful message to the California State Supreme Court to reject the bigoted and unconstitutional Proposition 8. From a legalistic standpoint, the most significant bone of contention they will rule on is whether or not Prop 8 is merely an amendment to the constitution versus or a broad revision of it. Propositions are prohibited from doing the latter, and what could be a broader revision than the taking away of important rights from a whole class of people?!?

The far more important political reality is that courts do not operate in a political vacuum, but are subject to the political pressures of forces outside of them. The passionate protests across the country told the courts that people are very angry about potentially losing their legal equality. The protests will likely be far larger and angrier if the court rules in favor of inequality.

2. A look at the broad participation in Saturday's event – gay and non-gay, people of all races – shows that pro-gay forces are rejecting attempts to scapegoat racial minorities for our (hopefully temporary) defeat in California. The failure in California was a failure of the political organizing model used by the LGBT leadership in California and nationally, including its failure to adequately reach out to racially oppressed communities (and virtually everyone else, for that matter).

Despite a generous outpouring of funding from pro-equality people, the established LGBT organizations ran the same top-down, corporate campaign with a kid gloves message that has failed in referendum after referendum in dozens of states before it. You would think that after literally more than two dozen failures, they would have learned something. California's defeat was a particularly bitter pill to swallow given that just two months before the vote, our side had a huge lead in the polls, and then blew it.

The huge out-pouring on Saturday, proceeded by passionate protests in California and here in Chicago a week ago, was a firm repudiation of the failed organizing model of the "mainstream" political organizations in our community. Ironically, around the country, most of Saturday's protests were put together by people who had no previous organizing experience.

In this respect, they duplicated on a much bigger scale the organizing model that StopDrLaura used to successfully put the kybosh on the broadcast career of hate radio and television hostess "Dr." Laura Schlessinger, and a generation before that, the grassroots campaign that defeated orange juice queen Anita Bryant. As in these previous campaigns, the political "novices," with next to no funding, ran circles around the amply-funded political "pros."

3. Saturday's protest represented a qualitative leap forward for the marriage equality effort here in Illinois. Full legal equality, rather than "separate but equal" civil unions, was firmly put on the agenda. With the Illinois Republican Party in complete disarray, and every significant statewide body dominated by the Democrats, the Democratic Party's failure to support LGBT people by supporting our legal equality has become glaring.

Saturday's protest was not just in solidarity with Californians and those outsiders who married in that state – it was a passionate demand to make Illinois the next marriage equality state. When people on the 4-1/2 mile march spilled into the streets shortly after leaving Federal Plaza, it was a slap back at a government which has disrespected us by refusing to concede legal equality. We will no longer settle for the kind words of Illinois Democrats saying that they favor our legal equality, but just can't do anything about – it's their government, they control it lock, stock and barrel. The only thing that will appease us is action.

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The Next Step
In Defeating Prop 8

It is important that we not let the élan and dynamism of this past Saturday fade away. As part of our continuing campaign to keep the heat on pro-8, pro-hate forces, this Saturday we are picketing the Century Theater in Evanston. The owner of the Century is Cinemark Company, whose CEO, Alan Stock, gave nearly $10000 to support Prop 8.

Please join us at 5 PM this next Saturday, Nov. 22 as we peacefully picket Century Theater located at 1715 Maple Street in Evanston (less than a block northwest of the "Davis" stop on the Purple Line el).

Help us inform Century Theater patrons about just who their money is supporting. Send a message to CEO Alan Stock that LGBT people will not sit idly by as victims, but will instead make haters like him pay a price for promoting discrimination.

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The Empire Strikes Back:
City Lowers the Boom
On One of Our Organizers

During the course of Saturday's march, police leadership who know GLN's Andy Thayer by name repeatedly threatened to arrest him during the course of the spontaneous march in the streets. Deputy Commander James Keating, who on January 7th directed the felony arrest of Andy at protest against President Bush, was particularly belligerent.

As the last few people were leaving Federal Plaza following the end of the action, police cited Andy with violation of the city's parade permit ordinance, specifically parading without a permit. Here are the possible penalties, as outlined in Section 10-8-330, Subsection T of the Chicago Municipal Code:

"Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance, or any of the provisions of the regulations promulgated hereunder, shall be subject to incarceration for up to ten days and fined not less than $50.00 nor more than $1,000.00."

Andy's court date for the alleged violation is 9 AM, February 4, 2009 at 400 W. Superior Street, Chicago.

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Many more photos will be posted tonight.