Anti-Proposition 8 protests held nationwide

Thousands upon thousands of protestors turned out in cities across the nation today to demonstrate against the passage of Proposition 8 in California. From Ground Zero in San Francisco comes this report:

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP)  -- Thousands of protestors converged upon San Francisco’s City Hall Saturday morning to speak out against California’s controversial Proposition 8.

"And sometimes it feels we felt our whole lifetime digging out the lies that other people tell about us, but the truth is this: we are a movement based on love," said Reverend Dr. Penny Nickson who spoke during the rally.

The backlash over the passage of Prop 8—a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as being between a man and woman in the state of California—has been enormous across the country.

On the opposite coast, an estimated 5,000 demonstrators turned out in the rain "to express anger over the passage of Proposition 8" in DC.

Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and scores of cities in between have seen grassroots demonstrations erupt at city halls and in public spaces.

While some attendees were complaining about lack of organization, poor sound systems, no clear leadership, it's starting to look like this weekend's demonstrations bear a striking similarity to the immigration protests of 2006--which were organized quickly and ably by locals. KCBS in the Bay Area is reporting that demonstrators were notified of the rallies via the Internet and text messaging. This viral component is heartening, displaying how the issue of equal rights and equal protection seems to be tapping into the awareness of the issue of gay marriage as a civil right in which all of us are invested.

When denying the right of same-sex couples to marry spurs demonstrations of outrage in Peoria, we've got an issue whose time has come.

Some of the best coverage of the day is over at Andrew Sullivan's place, where he's been compiling inspiring first-hand accounts and posting photographs from dozens of cities across the United States all day.

Ooops ... didn't even catch it until after I posted, but jamesia has a terrific round-up diary of the events around the country today as well. Check it out.