Listen to this articleOn Friday, October 10, at 6 p.m., Restore Our Humanity will be holding a rally in Salt Lake City’s Washington Square to celebrate marriage equality in Utah.
Restore Our Humanity is the group that initially retained the attorneys and recruited the plaintiffs for the historic Kitchen v. Herbert marriage equality lawsuit.
In addition to celebrating, the rally will also serve as a memorial for those who started the fight for equality in Utah, but who didn’t live to see this historic victory.
“Yes, it is a day to celebrate, but it is also a day to remember those who came before us. We stood upon the shoulders of giants to accomplish this feat,” said Mark Lawrence, founder of Restore Our Humanity. “It doesn’t belong to Restore Our Humanity, it doesn’t belong to one group of attorneys, or even one group of plaintiffs. It doesn’t belong to any local or national organization. It belongs to everyone, to an entire community that has worked for over four decades to make this happen. Many of those activists didn’t live to see this day. We should remember them.”
It will also serve as a call to action for the Utah’s LGBT community.
“Marriage is an important victory,” continued Lawrence, “but it’s not the end. People can still be fired, can still be evicted or denied residence, can still be denied service in restaurants and hotels on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. There is still much to be done to ensure that all people are treated equally. We need to stand together, lesbian and gay, bi and trans, to ensure that all of our laws reflect equality and dignity for all.”
Restore Our Humanity is hoping to light up Washington Square on Friday night and will be distributing a limited number of glow sticks. Rally attendees are encouraged to bring additional lights if they are able.
