Hundreds of supporters of equal rights for all Americans gathered this afternoon on the state Capitol's west steps, waving flags and cheering on gay and lesbian couples who have claimed the right to marry, as spelled out by the California Supreme Court. 

Political stars such as Senate President pro Tem Darryl Steinberg and Senator Mark Leno joined entertainers Margaret Cho, Wanda Sykes and Star Trek's George Takei and his husband Brad Altman in celebration of equal marriage rights and in anticipation of the upcoming decision by the Supreme Court regarding Proposition 8.

The court, located just across the street from the Capitol, will decide the constitutionality of Prop. 8 on March 5. Prop. 8, which was passed by a majority of voters in November, would overthrow the court's own legal judgement of last year that preventing gays and lesbians from marrying would be unconstitutional discrimination against a minority.

Monday, President's Day, with state workers off for the holiday, the Capitol resounded with the cheers of gays and lesbians and their many straight supporters, who listened to speeches from Steinberg, Leno and attorney Gloria Allred and her clients Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, whose suit led the Supreme Court to rule in favor of gay marriage.

Olson spoke before Allred, introducing her by excoriating the small band of anti-gay picketters across the street, saying "They've pick on us for years, and now they're whining because we're posting their names on the internet?" She asked the question rhetorically, in reference to a recent suit in which anti-gay contributors to Prop. 8 asked the state to make an exception for them to election sunshine laws. The suit was dismissed in Federal court.

Allred read the text of the Supreme Court's decision in favor of equal marriage rights, which amounted to a de facto reaffirmation of the Bill of Rights, after each section calling out, "Do you agree with the Supreme Court?" To which the crowd yelled out, "Yes!"

"What they were saying was, 'There's no reason to give special rights to a special class of people,' that is, straight people," said Joshua Maddux, who was there with his girlfriend, Janie Bose. "I'm being tongue-in-cheek, a little," he added. "But really, that's what it boils down to, doesn't it? Should straight people get special rights that aren't available to gay people? Should different classes of people get different rights? As a straight person, I think that's just un-American."

One highlight of the day was commedien Margaret Cho's debut as a singer/songwriter, which was redolent with foul-mouthed lyrical jokes that restored some of the edge to an event that seemed, despite the subject matter, decidedly mainstream.