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Charleston, SC -
With each step through the streets of downtown, the message is loud and clear.
"You cut me I bleed, you hit me I hurt, I'm the same exact human as you and I deserve the same rights as you do," said protest organizer Bastian Fennel.
Today nearly 300 strong marched in protest of gay marriage bans passed in several states on Election Day. It's part of a national effort in more than 175 cities across the US.
"Days like this days like today, national protests tells me whether it happens today or tomorrow the future will be brighter than it is now," Fennel said.
Jerry Robertson served in the armed forces all the while hiding who he really was.
"I spent my time defending rights and freedoms of the majority of the country and today it was time to come out and speak for the rights of the rest of us,” said Robertson. “For so long we've been quiet and we've asked nicely. We've been the silent minority and it's time to step up and demand what we deserve," he added.
But despite the passions of the activists, proponents of gay marriage bans say homosexual marriages corrupt families and harm the community. Those in attendance today though couldn't disagree more.
"I would say people who want to save families have a lot of work to do," activist Steve Lepre said. "Too many people now already have found it too easy to break solemn vows," he noted.
While many admit attitudes towards the GLBT community has improved over time they agree there's still a ways to go. Currently 30 states including South Carolina have banned gay marriage. Only two, Connecticut and Massachusetts have legalized it.
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