National stand for gay rights will include Kansas City

By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI

Just a few hours after President-elect Barack Obama told tens of thousands of people in Chicago’s Grant Park that his victory proved the United States was still a land of opportunity and equality for all its residents, voters in California came down on the other side of history.

The passage of Proposition 8 — a ballot initiative amending the California constitution to outlaw marriage for same-sex couples — sparked spontaneous protests across the Golden State last week, sending thousands of gay, lesbian and allied residents into the streets to march for equal rights.

Now opposition to Prop 8 has become the catalyst for a massive coordinated rally from coast to coast, including Kansas City.