Gay and lesbian
couples in cities and towns across the country on
Wednesday are using Valentine's Day to protest their lack
of marriage rights. Some have organized demonstrations
while others went to their local clerks' offices and
demanded a marriage license.
In Chicago a
Valentine's Day protest organized in part by the Gay
Liberation Network began outside the county building at 4:30
p.m. and was followed by a march to Holy Name
Cathedral, reports CBS2Chicago.com. Mayor Richard M.
Daley and Cook County clerk David Orr are both in favor
of same-sex marriage, but Orr has said that he is not
allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex
couples.
Activists argue
that if the mayor and county clerk strongly backed the
issue, then the fight for marriage equality could go to the
courts. In November a referendum for an
Illinois state constitutional amendment to ban
same-sex marriage failed because of lack of support.
Twenty-five other states have added constitutional
amendments banning same-sex marriage. (The
Advocate)
