Advocates of same-sex marriage pin hopes on Obama

Same-sex-marriage activists are turning their attention from California's Prop. 8 to the incoming Obama administration.

A Saturday protest that drew about 70 people to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood focused on asking President-elect Obama to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which recognizes marriage as the union of a woman and a man.

The event was organized by the Queer Ally Coalition and by Join the Impact, which hopes to collect 1 million signatures to present to Obama in a petition Jan. 21, a day after his inauguration.

Obama has said he supports civil unions. He does not support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and believes states should decide marriage rights.

Saturday's turnout was far smaller than a Nov. 15 protest that drew 3,000, sparked by California's passage of Prop. 8 the previous week. The proposition defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

A national campaign in December, "A Day Without a Gay," encouraging people to "call in gay" to work to express support for same-sex marriage, also fell short of expectations.

Eli Steffen, an organizer from Queer Ally Coalition, called Saturday's event a success even though organizers had expected 500 to 1,000 participants. He said the protest was peaceful.

"There was a lot of really positive chanting and cheering, and it was a really successful event," he said.

Representatives from gay labor organizations, the transgender community and student groups spoke at the rally on the Seattle Central Community College campus.

It's time to "take us out of the sheets and into the streets," said Juliana Shadlen, speaking on behalf of United People's Coalition, a Seattle Central Community College group. Several speakers brought up the recent threatening letters sent to 11 gay and lesbian bars in Seattle. The letters said 55 people would be poisoned with ricin on a Saturday in January.

Aaron Alhadeff, who lives in Seattle, came to the rally because he missed the protest in November and learned about Saturday's event on Facebook and MySpace.

"If you have a sick relative or dying loved one, it would be great to have equality and make decisions regarding their health and finances," he said. "People should know things are definitely changing with Obama. Hopefully, things will be turning around legalizing same-sex marriage."

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com

The photo caption within this article published Jan. 11 of a march in support of gay marriage incorrectly stated the location as South Seattle Community College. The picture was taken at Seattle Central Community College. The caption was corrected Jan. 26.