Fri. November 8, 2013
Chicago, IL -
About 60 people, carrying gay-pride flags and dressed for the cold weather, turned out Thursday night to celebrate the Illinois General Assembly passing Senate Bill 10, the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, during a community rally in Chicago's Boystown neighborhood.
When first organized by the Gay Liberation Network, the Nov. 7 rally was billed as either a celebration or a call to action had SB 10 failed.
"We helped turn what looked like a sure loser a few weeks ago into Tuesday night's victory," GLN co-founder Andy Thayer told ChicagoPride.com. "I'm very proud of the fact that over the years we helped make an unpopular issue a popular one."
During the rally, which took place at the corner of Halsted St. and Roscoe St., Thayer brought his partner, Aldo Hernandez, to the stage and announced that they would be married in June.
"Aldo and I actually decided to get married about a year and a half ago," Thayer told ChicagoPride.com. "I began thinking about it and discussing it with him due to some personal safety issues, particularly my trips to Russia and Honduras, but I also didn't want to do it until it became legal in Illinois."
Thayer acknowledged that the fight for marriage equality increasingly shifted from a purely political issue to a more personal one after he meet Hernandez over three years ago.
"I really don't think I could have gotten through these past few years without him," he said.
Thayer and Hernandez will exchange marriage vows in June 2014, when Illinois first allows same-sex marriage.
Related: Illinois governor to sign marriage equality bill Nov. 20
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