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Dispatches from the FrontMarch for Equality during Holiday Hop by Elizabeth Nolan Brown January 23, 2005 Hundreds of people gathered in Columbus Ohio’s Short North Arts District on December 4, to protest Ohio’s passage of State Issue One, the so-called “Marriage Amendment.” The march, which coincided with the area’s monthly “Gallery Hop,” was sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign in conjunction with Ohioans for Growth and Equality. Participants gathered in the parking lot of the Donato’s Pizzeria at 970 N. High Street, who provided free pizza. Those who had registered online beforehand were provided with bright yellow sweatshirts emblazoned with “Ohio – The Heart of Discrimination” and “Issue One is Not Justice For All.” As participants checked in, they were divided into groups and assigned one of three start-up locations nearby in which to form lines. The young and the old, mothers with children, people in groups and alone – all turned out to show their support. Rob Pettit, a local leader and volunteer for the Columbus Human Rights Campaign (HRC), shouted instructions through a megaphone and directed marchers into lines. Pettit said he was amazed by the “overwhelming support” for the march. The HRC had originally expected about 100 people to march, he said. By December 1, nearly 600 had signed up online. “We are really trying to bring the gay and straight communities together,” Pettit said. “We want everyone to recognize this does impact a lot of people. It’s not over for all of us, and it affects our lives and our friends’ lives.” The march is “a way for people to get out, get their feelings out of the way and move forward,” said Chris Stenger, who serves on the steering committee of the Columbus Human Rights Campaign. “I think we’ve been voted as 2nd class citizens,” said Kara Sherman, a young woman holding a sign that read “Genitalia should NOT define marriage.” With her stood Katie Miller, holding her own sign, which challenged “Why does our love scare you, Ohio?” Miller came out to the march because she believes “there should be a definite separation between church and state that doesn’t exist anymore,” she said. At 8:00 p.m., the march began. The group, on both sides of the road and spread out over several blocks, started south down High Street. “Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, Issue One has got to go,” echoed one section of chanters. Others cried out: “2,4,6,8…Issue One is full of hate,” and “A,B,C,D…all we want is equality.” Group Three eschewed the chants in favor of carols, which were taken from the website of militant group Queerillas (www.queerillas.com). The carols, which were sung to the tune of popular Christmas songs, included lyrics such as: “Hark the herald faeries shout; queers are good, and queers are out;” “Silent night, angry dyke. She is mad, you took her rights;” and “We wish you a happy marriage, we wish you a happy marriage, we wish you a happy marriage – something homos can’t have.” The mood of festive defiance continued as marchers reached their ending mark, the Cap at Union Station, where they were greeted by live music from the Capital Pride Band. The band played “Let Freedom Ring” followed by “Jingle Bell Rock” as Pettit made use of his megaphone once more, encouraging everyone to squeeze together and make room as marchers continued to pour in. “This is just amazing,” Rob called out to the crowd. “I love you!” Joan Friedman and her partner held hands and danced along with the music. The pair came to the march because “we’re so furious about Issue One – absolutely furious,” Friedman said. She was impressed by the crowd, which she described as “a great turnout, especially for a Saturday night in the middle of winter!” For Cheryl and Linda Mason-Middleton, coming out on the cold Saturday night was the least of their worries. The couple, who have been together for 21 years, was eager to share their story of how Issue One has already had a negative impact on their lives. Cheryl had to give up her position as a notary public, and neither her nor Linda will continue to serve as election workers in the future. Both positions require an oath to “protect and defend” the constitution of Ohio. And things could potentially get much worse. Cheryl is an employee of the Ohio State University. Under the current system, Linda – who was recently diagnosed with diabetes – is eligible for domestic partner benefits. Because of Issue One, however, Linda could soon be without health insurance. “Without the supports in place equal to marriage, we could lose our house, lose all sorts of resources,” Cheryl said. The Mason-Middletons remain optimistic, though. They hope that by sharing their story, people will realize how Issue One really can hurt people on a personal level. “It’s not a matter of Ohio hating us,” Cheryl said. “It’s a matter of Ohio not being informed.” “Even though [Issue One] is state law, it’s still not right,” Pettit said. As participants filed out of the Cap at Union Station, the band kept playing and the chanters kept chanting. Even a few carolers were still going strong, the last strains of their songs echoing down High Street as they filtered in with the rest of the “hoppers” at this month’s special holiday gallery hop: “May all your Christmases be Gay….” Elizabeth Nolan Brown is an intern for the Free Press. Email this article to a friend |
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