Palm Springs prepares for a hopeful same-sex marriage rights celebration

Time and place, set.

“It’s gonna be 6:00 PM at the Forever Marilyn statue on Tahquitz and North Palm Canyon,” George Zander of Equality California said.

The date is anyone’s guess.

“It could be tomorrow, or any Monday or Thursday. There’s even some talk that the Supreme Court is so busy right now that it might go into July,” Zander said.

Same-sex marriage supporters wait as the supreme court considers two cases.
Prop 8, the voter approved ban on same-sex marriage in California, and the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, a federal law that defines marriage between a man and a woman.

“We’re pretty confident DOMA will be overturned, we’re confident about that. I’m pretty much expecting Prop 8 there is not going to be a real definitive decision. I’m expecting it to be thrown back to the states,” Zander said.

The unknown doesn’t stop people in Palm Springs from party planning, though.

“We’re going to have music, we might have one or two speeches but it’s mostly people just getting there and dancing or whatever around the statue. Some restaurants in town are already starting to have special nights where they will shut down their restaurant and open up for cocktails and parties,” Zander said.

It just means a lot of preparation.

“We talked to several people, Lulu’s, Wang’s, and some other restaurants and they are just fully staffing. They’re ready for whatever day that is,” Zander said.

“We’re just telling all our friends and members be prepared. The day of the ruling, 6:00, be there,” Gary Costa of the LGBT Center said.

Crucial question – depending on the decision, will the party turn into a protest?

“It’s going to be very peaceful here. It’s going to be a peaceful rally letting people know our disappointment and vowing to right to move on and fight. The fight won’t be over no matter what the decision is,” Costa said.