OH HAPPY DAY: A demonstration in Little Rock for marriage equality.

  • Trey Weir
  • OH HAPPY DAY: A demonstration in Little Rock for marriage equality.

The political response in Arkansas to the historic U.S. Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage were predictable: Republicans uniformly disapproved; Democrats either more quietly disapproved or laid low.

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Unrestrained in happiness was the grassroots group Arkansas Initiative for Marriage Equality. About 50 people joined their impromptu march downtown yesterday evening to celebrate the defeat of DOMA. Said Trey Weir:

The number was overwhelming and unexpected. We marched through movies in the park and had people clapping and cheering as we chanted “black, white, gay, straight, love does not discriminate.” Truly amazing.

More photos at the group’s Facebook page. It states it is working for an initiative for marriage equality in Arkansas in 2016. A journey of a thousand miles. Hope springs. And so on.

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UPDATE: After I posted this, I received word that a separate gay rights group has submitted a proposal for a petitiion drive to overturn the Arkansas restriction on gay marriage in the 2014 election. The time is now, not later for Arkansans for Equality. It’s full news release is on the jump.

The measure is straightforward (and daunting). Gather signatures (about 78,000) for a constitutional amendment to repeal Amendment 83 which banned marriage and civil unions in Arkansas. Approval of the ballot language by the attorney general shouldn’t be too difficult since it’s just a straightforward repeal.

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Good luck for them all. No one is equal until all are equal. A petition drive could tee up the question for 2014 political races of course, but who knows? Arkansas might be nearing the 20th century by then.

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