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About 150 supporters of same-sex marriage marched and rallied on the sidewalk across the street from the residence of Cardinal Francis George Saturday. The Catholic leader has spoken against the Illinois same-sex bill and equal marriage rights for gays. The Valentine’s Day rally in Chicago was part of a nationwide series of protests organized by DontAmend.com.
Lynn Sprout, a downstate Illinois nurse who was fired from her job when she attempted to take time off to care for her terminally ill partner, was the featured speaker. Also speaking at the rally were: Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois; Andy Thayer of rally sponsor Chicago Anti-Bashing Network; Bonnie Grabenhofer, president, of Illinois NOW; and GLBT activists from a variety of other groups.
A woman who read the Catechism on Homosexuality was shouted down by heated protesters, but police protected her right to continue reading out loud. One other anti-gay protester stood silently with her anti-marriage sign. Nearly a dozen TV and print media representatives covered the rally, which also featured many non-gay ‘allies’ supporting marriage.
‘The religious right pretends that if we win equal marriage rights, the sky will fall in,’ said CABN’s Bob Schwartz. ‘Well Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands seem to be doing just fine.’
‘As a Roman Catholic I am embarrassed and ashamed that there is a need to protest the Cardinal’s position on gay and lesbian civil rights,’ said Rick Garcia. ‘Instead of standing on the side of justice, honesty and mercy, the Cardinal promotes discrimination, abuse and violence against gay people.’