Anti-gay marriage rally draws protesters



SEATTLE (AP) -- Thousands of people protested gay marriage at a rally Saturday, but they faced hundreds of chanting, shouting counter-protesters in the city's baseball stadium Saturday.
The "Mayday for Marriage" worship service and rally drew between 20,000 and 25,000 people from conservative Christian churches supporting traditional marriage, officials said. The protesters arrived by busloads at Safeco Field.
"This is a place where we're taking a stand," said James Dobson, founder of the evangelical Christian group Focus on the Family, told the crowd. "If this happens, the culture war is over and everything associated with it is lost."
The rally was slated as a worship service including music and a choir.
About 1,500 gay-rights protesters waved signs and chanted, "Bigots go home!" and tried to shout down the anti-gay marriage protesters. Arrivals had to walk between the counter-protesters to enter the stadium.
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