Cold rain did not keep about 70 people from turning out at the State House Saturday morning to show their support for allowing same-sex couples to marry.
The “Freedom to Marry” rally was organized by the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement as part of local observances of Freedom to Marry Week, a national initiative to raise awareness about marriage for same-sex couples.
Two ministers and local gay-rights activists spoke at the rally. The general themes were support of gays and lesbians in committed relationships and criticism of state and federal lawmakers who want to ban gay marriage.
“The love we bring to the altar is already equal — what we ask for is equality in marriage from our government,” said the Rev. Andy Sidden, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Columbia, which ministers extensively to the gay and lesbian community. Sidden planned to officiate at the wedding of two Columbia men Saturday afternoon.
Similar rallies were held Saturday in more than 20 cities across the country. In San Francisco, hundreds of gay and lesbian couples lined up outside City Hall to receive marriage licenses after that city’s mayor earlier this week authorized granting the licenses for same-sex couples.
Saturday’s rally in Columbia came after a weeklong series of activities by the Columbia-based Pride movement. On Thursday, five same-sex couples showed up at a Columbia courthouse and attempted to apply for marriage licenses. They were denied.
The rally had a touch of Valentine’s Day cheer. Multicolored strands of crepe paper ran down the Capitol steps. Heart-shaped balloons were tied on light fixtures and on the statue of George Washington that stands on the staircase.
Many at the rally spoke against proposed new S.C.laws against gay marriage. State law already prohibits same-sex unions, but the proposed legislation would prevent same-sex couples married in other states from getting benefits in South Carolina.
Some drove in from Myrtle Beach and the Upstate to attend the rally.
Larry Candler, 63, made the trip from Greenville with his wife and two other people who are members of that city’s chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
“I have three gay children, and what the state is about to do with this bill would discriminate against them,” Candler said. “They work, they pay taxes — and this will discriminate against them and a whole segment of our community. It’s all about equality.”
Some at the rally acknowledged they face a difficult fight in South Carolina, not just on political but on religious grounds. Members of many established state churches, including the 700,000-member South Carolina Baptist Convention, are vocal in their opposition to gay marriage and homosexuality, which many Christians believe is a sin.
On Saturday morning, about a dozen people protested against gay marriage and homosexuality in front of the State House. They stood along Gervais Street in front of the Confederate memorial and held signs up for passing drivers to see. One banner read “SODOMY IS A SIN.”
The Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge of Sumter and her partner, Wanda, were one of the couples who attempted to get marriage licenses Thursday. On Saturday, Chellew-Hodge told those at the rally not to resort to anger or hatred toward people who oppose homosexuality and same-sex marriages.
“Many of them are good, decent spiritual people who simply can’t see beyond their prejudice — show grace, mercy and love toward people who disagree with you,” Chellew-Hodge told the gathering.
Columbia resident Alvin McEwen, 33, said he wished S.C. legislators would focus their attention on the plight of foster children and the poor instead of fighting gay marriages.
“The people gathered here this morning — young, old, black, white — demonstrate that all the lies and myths about gay people are incorrect,” McEwen said. “This rally for marriage is not about sex — it’s about equal rights.”
Reach Knauss at (803) 771-8507 or cknauss@thestate.com.
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