Hate March Organizers Inflate Dismal Attendance

How does 2,000 become 10,000?

Reports from the religious right appear to be attempting a little of Jesus' loaves and fishes magic to multiply the dismal attendance at the "March for Marriage" presented by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in Washington, D.C. Thursday.

Permits were secured, buses were booked and despite the reported drops of rain that poetically started to fall as former GOP presidential nominee Rick Santorum started to speak, for the most part the weather held out. Even though San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone spoke despite the best efforts of high ranking officials, NOM was unable to produce the "thousands" they promised would attend the anti-gay rally.

According to the Associated Press, although there is no official estimate, the crowd appeared to number between 1,000 and 2,000.

According to Gawker, were New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, who spoke at yesterday's rally, able to deliver on his promise to bring 100 busloads of marriage equality opponents, there would have been 5,500 bodies from the Empire State alone.

D.C. gay activist Jamie McGonnigal reported on his Facebook page from the rally yesterday:

Ok, all done. Full report: Ignorant now tip-less cab driver dropped me off informing me that being gay was "not natural," he got an ear full. Crowd was very sparse. Generously, there were 12-1500 people there, but the majority of them were around the perimeter under the trees. I was able to walk right up to the stage without pushing past anyone. It started to rain the second Santorum took the stage. I counted 21 people who appeared to be under 40, and most of them were clearly dragged by parents/grandparents. My guess is that NOM will claim about 10-20,000.

McGonnigal's powers of prognostication proved to be true, Christian news outlet WorldMag.com reported today that "as many as 10,000 joined the procession."