Armed with Hershey’s kisses, rainbow flags and signs proclaiming “Love Conquers All,” nearly 50 people arrived at the Charlottesville Circuit Court yesterday to protest the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and Virginia’s ban on gay marriage as part of a national effort.

Local organizer André Hakes evoked Martin Luther King, Jr. in a speech to the crowd, proclaiming, “We want the right to be judged by the content of our character. ...We come in peace, we are unashamed and we are proud to be Americans.”

The crowd then processed to the clerk’s office, where several couples requested marriage licenses. A brief exchange occurred between Hakes and Circuit Court Clerk Paul Garrett. After Hakes and others requested marriage licenses, Garrett replied with a simple, “I’m not able to comply with your request.”

Hakes bid Garrett a happy Valentine’s Day, and the crowd left the office.

Click here to read why the father of Virginia's constitution would disapprove of the gay marriage ban.

André Hakes led a group of almost 50 to the clerk's office of Charlottesville Circuit Court on February 12.