Both supporters and opponents of Proposition 8 waste no time in starting to gear up for the continued battle that both sides believe lies ahead. And both sides are equally determined.
The California Supreme Court's ruling on Proposition 8 settled the law, but politically it simply marked the beginning of the next campaign, expected in 2010, in which voters are likely to again be asked to decide the question of gay marriage.
Indeed, less than 90 minutes after the court released its ruling, both sides in the fight had already e-mailed supporters soliciting funds."We don't have time to mourn the failure of the state court to restore marriage equality to California," wrote Rick Jacobs, chairman of the Courage Campaign, in a 10:15 a.m. e-mail. He added that it was "time to go on offense" and asked supporters to send money for pro-gay-marriage advertising that could begin airing on television later this week.
Ron Prentice, chairman of ProtectMarriage.com, waited until a little after 11 a.m. to hit up his supporters, writing, "We must turn our attention to protecting this victory . . . and must raise several million dollars to get our message out. . . . Please click here to make a contribution."
In addition to buying advertising on television, both sides are also hiring community organizers who will help supporters reach out to sway individual voters.
Among those prepared to keep fighting is Bill Welsh, senior pastor of Refuge Calvary Chapel in Huntington Beach. An ardent supporter of Proposition 8, Welsh spent hours on the street with a sign reading "Marriage is one man and one woman" and leading his congregation of 1,500 in gathering signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.
On Tuesday, he said he felt "pleased that they upheld the will of the people, especially in the increasingly lax moral climate that we're in." But he added that it would be "foolish to think this will be the end of the battle.
"I don't have any desire to get in a violent war with anyone over this, but we won't back down," he said.
On the other side, gay rights activists, who had widely expected to lose, indicated after the ruling that next time they intend to be far more inclusive in their quest to sway Californians. During the last election, the No on 8 campaign was sharply criticized for not reaching out enough to black and Latino voters.
Accordingly, gay activists summoned the media to the Lucy Florence Cultural Center in Leimert Park in the heart of Los Angeles' black community for a news conference chaired by Ron Buckmire, an African American mathematics professor who is also president of the Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition, a black gay rights group in Los Angeles.
Then they made sure that Southern California's first post-decision protest rally was held in East Los Angeles, in the region's historic center of Latino culture.
At that event, more than 100 people gathered outside the L.A. County office building on Cesar Chavez Avenue chanting slogans such as "Gay, Straight, Black, White, Marriage is a Civil Right." Three gay couples then occupied the marriage license office, saying they would not leave without a license to wed. County officials refused to give licenses out -- but also refused to take the demonstrators into custody.
About 3:45, the demonstrators gave up and left.
"They wouldn't arrest us!" cried Tony Espinosa, 45, of Hollywood, as he exited.
He headed for another protest in West Hollywood.
In San Francisco, meanwhile, police arrested more than 150 people after pro-gay-marriage demonstrators marched to the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Grove Street and sat down, blocking one of the city's main arteries. They were cited and released.
"It's about raising awareness and keeping the struggle going," said Aubra Fletcher, 33, of Berkeley, as she sat, smiling and waiting to be arrested.
Other rallies were planned for more than 100 California cities, including Eureka, San Diego and Palm Springs.
Across the state, gay marriage supporters emphasized the same message.
"Tonight, we take to the streets. But tomorrow, we must continue the hard work," said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.