by Kevin Sparrow

Rather than spending Valentine’s Day with loved ones, seven Chicagoans spent nearly ten hours behind bars for defending a freedom many Americans take for granted. The Marriage Equality 7, as they have been coined, consists of Buddy Bell and Dale Fecker, who applied together for a marriage license at the Cook County Treasurer’s Office and the five other activists who joined them—Erica Chu, Nick Ferrin, Jeff Graubart, Danielle Karczewski and Daniel Ware. During February 14th’s Freedom to Marry Day protest, Bell, Fecker and the rest of the group sat down on the bureau floor and refused to leave until the already denied marriage license had been granted to the two men. Although a radical decision, the conviction these seven showed was not spontaneous; Bell reveals that he and the other members had been “planning to sit-in to get a marriage license… a few weeks to a month in advance. It’s something that we mulled over in our heads and finally decided it was the time.” They had prepared themselves to be arrested if that was the result.

The Marriage Equality 7 (front, l-r: Jeff Graubart, Dale Fecker, Danielle Karczewski, Buddy Bell;
back, l-r: Erica Chu, Nick Ferrin, Daniel Ware)

Their March 9th court appearance was filled with gay rights supporters as fellow activists and friends, including Andy Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network and Drew Stoppels of Chicago’s Join the Impact chapter, joined the seven people in the courtroom. Stoppels stated the importance of supporting these actions by saying, “Friends I had talked to thought the movement was selfish and self-centered, but when they saw a group of individuals like this, they realized there’s more to lose. A lot of my straight friends [now] realize it’s common sense and the right thing to do to be a part of the movement.” The case was ultimately dismissed in court as there were no prosecuting arguments.

Outside the courthouse, the large group of activists and supporters celebrated, snapping pictures and chatting. Many made declarations of “We’re not gonna stop” and “Separate but equal is still not equal.” To that end, they immediately began discussing plans for their next action, the Day of Decision. GLN will be notified 24 hours in advance when the California court decides the outcome of the Proposition 8 hearings. Thayer stated, “We can’t take whatever decision good or bad and go softly into the night. We need to press it beyond California. Our community has to react in a positive way.”

Karczewski feels that their actions were “a serious step for people who feel the movement’s in a gray area. This is bigger than the law and this is bigger than an arrest. If we can be a part of an act of civil disobedience that inspires another one somewhere else and then another one, it will show we’re going to do what it takes for our rights.” The other members agreed with this position, although Chu conceded, “I contemplated not doing it… [but] I didn’t want to look back and regret it.” Each member has been working for gay rights for various lengths of time. Graubart has been “involved in the fight for marriage equality since the Seventies” while Ferrin became “involved after Prop 8 passed in California. I assumed it was going to be struck down.” Ware sums up, “I think there’s something in the air and it’s catching. People are following the fervor of the gay rights issue.”

Thayer congratulated the Marriage Equality 7 for all they had done by providing “tremendous visibility and national press coverage” to the gay rights movement. Though there are still battles to be fought, this story is an important part of Chicago’s role in a national movement. There was palpable determination and excitement to bring equality to our divided nation, best evidenced by Ware’s statement: “Everybody in the world is losing things, causing people to think about the principles that brought our country together. We’re all in this boat together.”