‘We had a couple dozen people on the picket, all told, which we feel is pretty good for an event called for on just over 24 hours notice,’ stated CABN’s Andy Thayer. ‘The remarkable thing was that several passersby JOINED the picket line for periods of time—tourists, go figure! That so many separate groups of them did join us, and others made positive comments, I take as a sign that we’re on to something here. The acceptance of lesbian and gay marriage in the general population has opened up substantially over just the past few weeks … . Yes, there were the usual sprinkling of yahoos, but not as many as you might have thought. Fairly remarkable response for a largely suburban/tourist crowd.’
Chicago Anti-Bashing Network held a last-minute protest at Navy Pier July 18 against the second-ranking leader of the U.S. Senate, Rick Santorum, R-Penn. Just prior to the Supreme Court’s landmark pro-gay decision last month, Santorum outraged many by making a gratuitous series of slanders against gays. Santorum compared LGBT people to criminals who commit incest, bigamy and bestiality.