LGBT protesters gather outside Dallas City Hall on Friday night. (John Wright/Dallas Voice)
They began by chanting, “Sign the pledge, it’s not too late, how long do we have to wait?” An hour later, they ended by singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
About 100 LGBT protesters gathered outside the main entrance of Dallas City Hall on Friday night, to call on Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings to sign a pledge in support of same-sex marriage. With several TV news cameras rolling, the protesters waved rainbow flags, banged cowbells and held signs with messages like, “We the people. Gays need not apply.”
The protest, organized by GetEQUAL, came more than three years after one of the largest gay-rights demonstrations in Dallas history took place at the same location — in response to California voters’ decision to approve a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in 2008.
“All we are asking is for Mayor Rawlings to acknowledge our validity, our equality, as human beings,” Meg Hargis of GetEQUAL, who MC’d Friday night’s rally, yelled through a megaphone. “Mayor Rawlings, without actions your words are meaningless. We do not need your smiles. We do not need your words. We need you to act before history remembers you as the coward that you are.”
An LGBT protester, left, squares off with an anti-gay counterprotester.
Rafael McDonnell of Resource Center Dallas told the crowd he’s unsure what will happen Saturday when Rawlings is set to meet with about 25 leaders from the LGBT community in a private, invitation-only gathering.
“But I am going to tell you this,” McDonnell said. “We are going to try like hell to get him to change his mind.”
Rawlings agreed to meet with the LGBT leaders in response to outcry over his decision not to sign the pledge, which was unveiled by the group Freedom to Marry during a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington, D.C. last week. About 100 mayors from across the country have signed the pledge, including six from Texas. Dallas is the largest city in the U.S. whose mayor hasn’t signed. Rawlings has said he supports same-sex marriage but won’t sign the pledge because he doesn’t want to get involved in social issues.
Mark Reed, a national board member for GetEQUAL, kissed and hugged his husband, Dante Walkup, in front of TV cameras before yelling to the crowd: “Mayor Rawlings, this is the love of my life. We deserve to be equal.”
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” Reed said, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The LGBT speakers were at times drowned out by a few anti-gay counterprotesters who stalked nearby in City Hall plaza and yelled through an amplification device. Some LGBT protesters engaged the counterprotesters, with the parties getting in each other’s faces at one point, but there was no violence. One of the counterprotesters who identified himself only as Melvin said he didn’t want to give his full name to avoid getting hate mail. Another counterprotester identified himself to Channel 33 The CW as Will Stanford.
Daniel Cates, North Texas regional coordinator for GetEQUAL, said as the rally wound down that he was pleased with the turnout.
“If he hasn’t gotten the message by now, I don’t know what we could possibly do differently,” Cates said of Rawlings.
“We’re not going to accept compromises,” Cates said, referring to the possibly that Rawlings will offer other concessions to the LGBT community. “We want him to do all those things — and sign the pledge.”
Saturday’s meeting is at 11 a.m. at Resource Center Dallas. Check back for a report Saturday afternoon.
More photos from Friday night’s protest below.
An anti-gay counterprotester, left, waltzes with an LGBT protester.
Daniel Cates of GetEQUAL
I’m a gay retired wounded vet from the Iraq war living in Killeen, TX. Would have been there if I knew about it, but you have my support in heart.
I was there tonight…and we will not give up. Mayor Rawlings…please sign The pledge.
I was happy to be there and we won’t give up! Mayor Rawlins, we gave you an inkpen in case you could not locate one of your own to sign the Pledge. Mayor Rawlins, on behalf of children of gay and lesbian parents who are not equal to their peers in school because their parents cannot get married, Please Sign The Pledge!
As a life long resident of plano, I emailed the Mayor here. I did get a response, which I thought noble, however it is all the same rhetoric.
What kind of “social issues” does the Mayor “officially” involve himself with? Guess the low turnout by the second class citizens, and their supporters, at City Hall last night had the power structure laughing. At least there was no violence witnessed between those standing for equal rights and those standing for religious inspired discrimination.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Mohandas Gandhi
Read more: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mohandasga103630.html#ixzz1kleyYQhN
“L’Aloge served as Assistant Pastor in Texas and Pastor in Reno, Nevada after being licensed and ordained in the Particular Baptist faith.”
https://books.google.com/books/about/General_Bible_Introduction_and_Articles.html?id=h-lxkJ7JwjYC
Gay hating L’aloge, in disguise, murdered Rev Karen Johnson in Abilene Texas.
It was gay women raising kids that got through to the governor of Washington, not an angry hostile mass. Just say’n.
My husband and I were there last night. And I want to thank Mayor Rawlings. Because of him, I finally found my voice to speak out last night, rather than only sit in support behind a computer screen. So thank you Mr. Mayor, you will see me again soon. Now SIGN THE PLEDGE!
One in many BS protest yet agian. Ohhh dear, It would even been a shame if we have outside interest groups begging our mayor to sign a whatever the f- it is. Me and other voters should have a say on what goes on, not people don’t agian give a crap about voting. Who have y’all even voted in in the last three Mayor Elections? and School Board Elections?
Rawlins supports marriage equality personally and as Mayor. He doesn’t sign petitions including petitions regarding federal and state policies. He doesn’t act on coercion from others. He follows his principles and feelings and doesn’t do things just because others are doing it. His actions support the equality of gay and lesbian citizens. He thinks about and considers all sides of an issue. He allows himself to stand by his decsion or change it as more information becomes known. I have new respect for Rawlins.
As much as I agree with the mayor standing behind his principals, it still makes him look like a hypocrie and a coward by not signing this pledge. And yes, the LGBT crowd that was there DID NOT help the situation at all. Having bitter, angry and possibly MILITANT gays and lesbians yelling, screaming and kissing each other in front of television cameras has NEVER worked in the past and this latest incident just proves once again that the public is viewing our community as one big dysfunctional FRWAK SHOW. Unless ee can peacefully sit down with the powers-that-be to discuss matters such as this that are important to the gay community, then we will never be taken seriously and the idea of “Gay Marriage will soon be a thing of the past, contrary to popular belief!!!