More than 1,000 people gathered at the Downtown Phoenix Civic Space Park across the street from the Downtown campus on Saturday to participate in the March for Marriage Equality event.
Elementary education graduate student Grant Miller organized the event with University alumna Molly Gum.
"Fifty-eight percent of Americans are OK with same-sex marriage," Miller said. "We're making sure the courts hear our voices and see that the tide of history is turning."
The purpose of the event is to draw attention to two key pieces of legislation going before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday: the Defense of Marriage Act, a law defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman on the federal level, and Proposition 8, a California voter initiative that affirmed the same limitations at the state level while not nullifying any marriages before its passage.
The courts will listen to oral arguments on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday about the constitutionality of the laws and whether they will be upheld or struck down, Gum said.
The march proceeded from the park and made its way to Washington Street, where it went straight for the Arizona State Capitol building.
On the way, the crowd stopped to chant outside of the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse. The chants drew the attention of courthouse occupants who stepped onto the balcony to witness the march.
Gum said she was impressed with the turnout as people traveled from as far away as Canada to attend the event.
"We think we had at least 1,300 people show up," Gum said.
Miller said the march was peaceful.
Some drivers passing by the march honked their horns in response to signs that read, "Honk if you support marriage rights."
Phoenix Police escorted the marchers from the park to the Capitol to maintain the peace. Officers patrolled the area via SUVs, bicycles and motorcycles to ensure safety from traffic and potential troublemakers.
Marchers crowded together at Wesley Bolin Plaza in front of the Capitol and were treated to a live performance by Orgena Rose, who performed "Enuf is Enuf," a song protesting discrimination. The organizers celebrated their rally by attending the Switch Restaurant and Wine Bar.
The gathering attracted a variety of groups looking to gain community support for marriage equality. One group calling themselves "Project Decision Time" encouraged students to write a large-font letter to the Supreme Court and take a picture of themselves holding up the letter. The pictures will then be aggregated on Facebook with the hopes of gaining a worldwide audience.
Another group called AZ QUIP – Arizona Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project – is seeking to not only achieve equality in marriage but through immigration reform as well.
Alaina Meeks, a marketing freshman, said she chose to spend part of her weekend at the march through the encouragement of a high school mentor.
"I was just taught that it was a great idea to promote equality, and it's such a nice day out, too," she said.
Organizers are also planning a candlelight vigil called "Light the Way to Justice" for Tuesday night at the César Chávez Memorial Plaza to highlight the Supreme Court's deliberations as they occur.
Reach the reporter at crgavin@asu.edu and follow on Twitter @coltongavin
