I'm so proud of Madison.
As you saw in Clarknt67's excellent diary, The National Organization for Marriage (But Only Our Kind of Marriage, Without Anything Gross Like Men Kissing Each Other) is on a national tour, spreading their particular brand of hatred.
They showed up in Madison, Wisconsin, today, and ... well, the pictures speak for themselves.
It's hot today. Ugly, humid hot.
NOM set up shop just outside the West Wing of the State Capitol. I stopped by about an hour ahead of time, and nobody was there.
Meanwhile, forces marshaled by the International Socialist Organization, Our Lives Magazine, the Henry Sanders for Lt. Governor campaign, PFLAG, and many other organizations were gathering eight blocks away on the University of Wisconsin Campus.
(I'm honestly not sure how many different organizations and people were behind the effort ... it was pretty grassroots-y. If anyone knows more people who need to be acknowledged, please let me know in comments!)
Somewhere between 500 and 700 people braved the stifling heat to march up State Street ....
and gathered a respectful distance from the NOM speakers and their audience of... well ... less than 20, I'm pretty sure.
Here's State Representative Mark Pocan and Democrat Henry Sanders, who's running for Wisconsin Lt. Governor, and who is still the only statewide candidate to publicly support full marriage equality .... might be worth kickin' a few netroots dollars his way, if you're so inclined...
Once again ... here's us.
Here's them.
Yes, that's police crime scene tape, protecting them from the big mean gay protesters.
They actually briefly tried to chant, "One man, one woman. One man, one woman." It was pathetic.
And here's my favorite sign of the day ...
[
"If my relationship threatens your marriage, you need counseling."
And just because they deserve recognition for the effort, here's a couple of awesome kids (sorry I didn't get their names) who drove all they way down from Eagle River .... more than four hours away! .. to join the fun. They're shown here posing with Lt. Gov. Candidate Sanders.
In the end, not a lot of news was made. They blah-blah-blahed about the defense of the Fundamental Institution of Our Society, and we yelled and chanted and had a great time. No minds were changed, no hate rubbed off on us. A couple folks from the Courage Campaign said this was the biggest counterprotest so far. And all it adds up to, in my mind, is that we are the majority. We won't be silenced. We will win in the end.
Well done, Madison.