Orla Kelly held her sign high above her head and chanted with almost 200 other protesters gathered in front of Syracuse City Hall Saturday, ‘Gay, straight, black or white, marriage is a civil right!’

Two feet shorter than almost everyone around her, Kelly had to stand on her tip-toes to see the man with the megaphone. She was protesting Proposition 8, the California state ban on same-sex marriage. She wasn’t there to advocate for her own right to marriage – that won’t be legal for another eight years or so. The fourth grader from Syracuse was there because she wants her moms to be able to get married.

‘I don’t think it’s right that some people are allowed to get married but other people aren’t,’ Kelly said. ‘All people should have equal rights, even if they might love in a different way than other people do.’

Kelly and nearly 200 other Syracuse protesters took part in Join the Impact, a nation-wide rally against Prop 8. One million people and all 50 states participated in the rally against California’s decision Nov. 4, according to Join the Impact’s Web site.

Ashley Wysocki of Fayetteville, N.Y., organized the Syracuse event.

‘This isn’t about personal beliefs or religion, it’s about the government and the freedom and equality that we all should have under the law,’ Wysocki said. ‘No matter who you are, no matter your age, gender, race, religion, you still should have the chance to marry.’

Wysocki attended Chatman University in Orange, Calif. She’s home now, but said she wanted to be a part of the movement. She added she’s optimistic about New York state and future gay rights legislation.

‘Syracuse is a very gay-positive city. We have a supportive mayor and governor,’ Wysocki said. ‘With Democrats now in control of New York state, it’s much more likely we’ll be able to get some gay equality laws passed, but it’s still going to be a hard fight.’

Gray skies and rain Saturday didn’t stop participants from gathering in front of city hall to chant, with rainbow umbrellas and signs in hand.

Some picket signs included: ‘I helped elect the first black president and all I got was this lousy marriage ban,’ ‘If gay marriage is good enough for Dumbledore, it’s good enough for California’ and ‘…Seriously?’

Abbey DiPlacido, a senior English and textual studies major at Syracuse University and president of College Democrats, was one of many SU students who attended the rally. ‘(Youth) are the future of the movement,’ she said. ‘We’re in college now, but we’re adults in the real world soon. It’s kind of going be up to us to carry the torch and be supportive of these civil rights that just got annihilated in California.’

Scotty Matthews of Syracuse has advocated for gay rights since the 1960s. He spoke at the event and led a moment of silence at 2 p.m. for the people in California.

Matthews riled up the crowd before the group marched around the block. ‘We will not give up, and we will not give in, and we are not afraid,’ he said. ‘We demand justice. We need these things. Not tomorrow, but right now. Today.’

He went on to say civil rights should not be settled by a majority vote. ‘Civil rights are not something that you vote upon,’ he said. ‘Proposition 8 passed in California by a majority vote. But the majority’s been wrong before. The majority was wrong about slavery. The majority was wrong about not allowing women to vote. And the majority is wrong about this.’

Maria Brown came with her partner and 10-year-old Kelly. Brown was married in her Unitarian church but said she hopes the recent election will bring change to New York state.

‘I’m hoping that with a democratic majority in the state senate we might at least get a vote this year on whether we should have gender neutral marriage laws.’ Brown said. ‘I’m not too sure, though, because I heard two or three of the Democrats were going stand with the Republicans. So I don’t know how it’s going turn out.’

Rob Carey attended the rally with his partner and their two adopted children.

‘In New York they allow joint parental custody, so we’re OK, but in some states where they don’t allow it, if one of us should die, one of us could lose custody of the kids,’ Carey said. ‘We’ve had these guys since the day they were born, that’s just not right.’

Carey noted the college-aged turnout and said he sees young people as crucial to the movement.

‘The younger generation is a lot more accepting,’ he said. ‘They get it, and it’s great to see them out here today.’

jmterrus@syr.edu

Published on November 16, 2008 at 12:00 pm