Marchers support same-sex marriage in Texas

HARLINGEN — Giovanna De Leon held up a rainbow gay-pride flag as she walked through downtown Harlingen Saturday morning as part of the city’s first Coming Out for Marriage Equality Walk.

“As Texans, we should never give up hope that same-sex marriage will be legalized in the state,” De Leon, of Mission, said.

More than 80 persons joined De Leon in the event hosted by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG, in downtown Harlingen, Cindy Candia, co-president of the Harlingen PFLAG chapter, said.

Coming Out for Marriage Equality walks and rallies have been held across the state this month. One event was held in Brownsville on Friday.

In Harlingen, participants walked up and down Jackson Avenue holding up gay-pride flags and posters in sup-port of same-gender marriage and shouting pro-same-gender marriage statements.

“Marriage is about commitment, not equipment,” one poster read.

Not everyone attending the march was homosexual.

Diana Bermudez said her husband and 3-year-old daughter were also in attendance supporting a niece. They held up posters that read, “Texans for marriage equality.”

Casey Garcia, a 22-year-old college student from San Benito, said she was at the march supporting her best friend.

“(Lesbians and gays) should be allowed to love freely just like everybody else,” Garcia said.

Participants walked along both sidewalks of Jackson Avenue for about an hour as they greeted downtown shop-pers and business owners.

Two elderly women driving by stopped and waved as the marchers walked by them. But one woman wasn’t happy to see a march in downtown Harlingen and she approached a reporter to say the march was bad for the economy and would drive business away from the city.

Others did not mind the rally.

“This is a free country and people have the right to assembly,” Martha Peña, a downtown shopper, said. “There usually aren’t this many people here on a normal day.”

Candia said the march was organized to spread awareness for civil rights and equality and to break down the “gay by association” stigma that she said exists in the Rio Grande Valley.

She said another march is being planned along Tyler and Harrison avenues next