Roughly 300 people gathered Saturday to
rally against marriage equality, including members of a group of
white supremacists.
Gay and lesbian couples began marrying
in the state on Monday, February 9 after a federal judge ruled the
state's ban unconstitutional in two similar cases. Alabama Supreme
Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore attempted to block gay couples from
marrying by ordering state probate judges to ignore the rulings. A
majority of judges followed Moore's directions initially, but most
have since reversed course.
(Related: Roy
Moore says he won't follow a Supreme Court order invalidating state
gay marriage bans.)
The rally, held on the steps of the
State Capitol, was hosted by Sanctity of Marriage Alabama, which held
a similar rally on February 7.
According to AL.com,
the group expressed support for Moore.
“Several [judges] have refused [to
issue licenses to gay couples], and we applaud their resolve,” the
group said in a release. “Some of our leaders have cowered and
others have stood firm.”
Some
demonstrators held signs handed out by the League of the South,
which is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a
“neo-Confederate group that advocates for a second Southern
secession and a society dominated by 'European Americans.'”