On the evening of April 28, just after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments that will likely settle the issue of same-sex marriage bans, about four-dozen activists and community members gathered at Federal Plaza in Chicago for a press conference in support of marriage equality.
A larger rally was planned but organizers said some people had gone to a demonstration on the South Side that was in response to unrest in Baltimore, so a press conference was held instead, according Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network.
Thayer pointed out that, even with marriage equality being available to LGBT Illinoisans, the community should continue to be vigilant until it is a right for every citizen.
“One of the things that I took away from listening to the oral arguments today … was the danger of complacency on the part of LGBT people and our allies,” he added. “We have not won this thing yet. In fact, according to some legal observers, we may be losing this one five-to-four, given the tenor of the questions [from] the court. More worrying than that, we have to remember that this was the same, backwards Supreme Court that gave us Citizens United. This is the same court that [negatively impacted] women’s right to choose, and have access to contraceptives. This is the same court that eviscerated voting rights for African Americans in many states around the country.”
Representatives from several organizations spoke, many pointing out that the struggle for LGBT marriage rights did not exist in a vacuum and instead intersected with numerous other struggles. Brent Holman-Gomez spoke of the problems of being in a bi-national couple, for example, contrasting his own, relatively painless move to Chicago from Indiana, with his husband’s hardship-filled journey from Mexico.
“This country has gone so far as to build a wall to keep that border closed with Mexico,” Holman-Gomez said. “This is particularly an LGBT concern because of a need for us to know that we can marry our lovers, [and] LGBT, probably more than the population at large, really have a need, wherever they want, to feel safe, whether it’s the lesbian in Capetown, South Africa; the gay man in Nigeria; me in Indiana; my husband in central Mexico; [or] the trans person in Chicago. We need to right to live wherever we want, whenever we want.”
John Harness of Socialist Alternatives asked, “Did you know that the majority of LGBTQ people in the world are working class? Obviously they are. There are LGBTQ people at every Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Hardee’s that you go into.”
He added that advocates need to push for a widespread increase of the minimum wage. “That is one of the most important ways that we can put money in the pockets of LGBTQ people and bring them out of poverty and homelessness, and give them adequate healthcare.”
Kim Hunt, executive director of Affinity Community Services, added that the Baltimore events and the Supreme Court hearing being on the same day, “made me feel like my worlds were collided—on the one hand, there was the continuing story of the policing of Black communities, and on the other hand there was this relatively recent story about the fight for rights for LGBTQ people.
“But these are not separate fights,” Hunt said. “The Stonewall riots occurred because people were fed up with the way they were being treated by the police, and it’s not over. Transgender and gender nonconforming people regularly report harassment and abuse by the police. Given LGBTQ peoples’—and Black and brown youths’ similar experiences with hyperpolicing—it is incumbent on queer and trans people to stand in solidarity with urban youth who are fed up. I’m not condoning violence and destruction, [but] I’m saying, ‘Damn, how much are we supposed to take?’ … A Supreme Court decision in our favor does not mean our work is done. We must stay vigilant so that we do not lose the rights that we fought so hard for, and we must promise each other to be inclusive in the fight for human rights. We are all in this together and we have a lot of work to do.”
Other speakers included Vicki Cervantes of the Justice for Ayotzinapa Committee; Mary Lou Finn of Neighbors for Peace; Terry Moon of News & Letters; and bisexual activist Michael Oboza.
The event was co-sponsored by 8th Day Center for Justice, Affinity Community Services, ANSWER Chicago, Chicago Area CodePink, Chicago Area Peace Action, Chicago Socialist Alternative, Chicago World Can’t Wait, Gay Liberation Network, LGBT Neighbors In Bridgeport Chicago, Marriage Equality USA, Neighbors for Peace, News & Letters and The Civil Rights Agenda.