Members of the activist group Equal Marriage NOW! were at Crew Feb. 20 for a viewing party. According to an organizational press release, about a half dozen members of the group—some sporting Equal Marriage NOW! T-shirts—watched The Simpsons take on same-sex unions and Patty’s ‘coming out.’ Members also distributed flyers to bar patrons about an upcoming Equal Marriage NOW! rally at the Cook County Marriage License Bureau.
‘We’re glad that the Simpsons hometown of Springfield legalized same-sex marriage but it is after all a fictional town. Our real joy will come when legislators in Springfield, Ill., legalize same-sex marriage. And while we’re also glad that [Marge Simpson’s sister] Patty came out as a lesbian, the reality is that there are many Pattys here in Illinois who cannot marry their same-sex partner and whose relationships are treated as fictional,’ stated Equal Marriage NOW! member Robert Castillo, who attended the gathering with his husband John Pennycuff.
The organization is holding its Renew the Vow: Demand Equal Marriage NOW! rally, on March 5 to mark Equal Marriage NOW!’s first march held a year ago on March 4, 2004. The demonstration will start at 11 a.m. and will be held outside the Cook County Marriage License Bureau, 125 W. Randolph. Same-sex couples will then be encouraged to go to the counters inside the Marriage License Bureau and ask that they be issued marriage licenses.