Gay Advocates Protest Marriage Ban Across US

Gay rights supporters waving rainbow colors marched, chanted, and danced in cities coast to coast today to protest the vote that banned gay marriage in California and to urge supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed, the AP reports. Crowds gathered near public buildings in cities large and small, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Fargo, to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships, and renew calls for change.

"Civil marriages are a civil right, and we're going to keep fighting until we get the rights we deserve as American citizens," Karen Amico said in Philadelphia, holding up a sign reading "Don't Spread H8". Protests following the vote on Proposition 8 in California have sometimes been violent, but organizers of today's rallies asked supporters to be respectful and refrain from attacking other groups. (More gay marriage stories.)