A debate erupted following our preview of a Valentine's Day love-in of sorts in which same-sex couples lined up at the East L.A. county registrar's office to get married.

Of course, they didn't. And that was the point of the Marriage Equality U.S.A. and Get Equal action: To bring attention to California's law (Prop. 8) forbidding government-sanctioned gay weddings.

But even some in favor of gay rights said this wasn't the way to make a point.

Commenter AndrewW said:

“These 'actions' don't accomplish anything … This attention doesn't change any minds and it doesn't inspire anyone to support us. It's childish … We need to educate, enlighten and enroll people – not engage in meaningless publicity stunts.”

Our commenter of the day, Rose, responds:

“I was a part of one of the couples that applied for our license today, yes to be rejected. The protest was not 'street theatre' or dramatic in anyway. Not all protests are some kind of dramatic show. What good would that do for the LGBTQ community? We made a beautiful statment, and sadly enough, as my partner and I were being declined for our license, there was a strait couple less than 3 feet that was being approved. It burned and felt so unfair. it was actually a very nice protest, no violence, (except a few haters and their comments) it was beautiful and romantic. The interviews were very educational and informative, so be sure to watch your tv tonight if your in the LA area, education and protests can happen together.”

What do you think?

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