SAN FRANCISCO: Activists Handcuffed At City Hall Valentine's Marriage Protest

Fourteen activists were handcuffed in San Francisco yesterday after a marriage equality sit-in at City Hall.  The group was taken out of the building and released without citations.

Same-sex couples tried to get marriage licenses Thursday at the county clerk's office at San Francisco City Hall as part of a symbolic Valentine's Day protest against California's ban on gay marriage. The annual action, organized by Marriage Equality USA, was preceded by a news conference at which organizers said they simply want the same rights as heterosexual couples. Tabaco and Thom Watson are one of the couples waiting for gay marriage to be legalized in California and who went to the clerk's office to ask for a marriage license. "We know we won't be able to get legally married today," Watson said. "We're asking for that same recognition until it's simply the way things are." The group walked to the clerk's office while singing the song "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and chanting for marriage equality. One man in a tuxedo in the rotunda, apparently unaware of the purpose of the chanting, yelled, "We're trying to get married here, have some respect!"

JMG reader Sean Chapin was there and provides video.