A series of protests against the passage of Proposition 8 scheduled to take place today in Los Angeles and across the country will be a key test for a loosely formed Internet-based movement that has emerged since California voters banned gay marriage last week.
Over the last 11 days, advocates have used the Web to organize scattered protests at places like the Mormon Temple in Westwood and Sunset Junction in Silver Lake and mount boycotts against businesses that supported Proposition 8. Those efforts snowballed, and marches against the proposition are expected in more than 300 cities across the country.
But turning all those blogs, Facebook groups and MySpace pages into an organized movement is going to be tough.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, November 21, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Mormon Church: An article in Saturday's California section about protests against Proposition 8 incorrectly referred to the Mormon Church as the Church of Latter-day Saints. Its formal name is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Opponents of gay marriage on Friday strongly criticized the boycotts and marches. And it remains uncertain whether the aggressive tactics ultimately advance the activists' goal: either having the California Supreme Court throw out Proposition 8 or persuading voters in a new election that gay marriage should be legal in the state.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a Times editorial board meeting Friday that proponents of gay marriage should take the issue again to the California Supreme Court and review the strategies that failed to persuade voters to defeat Proposition 8.
"I can't imagine for them to say anything else but what they've already said, that it's unconstitutional," Schwarzenegger said of the state high court's ruling on earlier barriers to gay marriage. The governor opposed a ban on gay marriage.
Rather than carrying on with protests, supporters of same-sex marriage would be better served by reviewing their campaign strategy and doing a better job of crafting the message to voters the next time, the governor said.
The boycotts and protests also came under attack Friday from backers of Proposition 8 who said at a Santa Ana news conference that they amounted to intimidation and blacklisting.
"These cowardly acts are intended to terrorize people," said Yes on 8 campaign Director Frank Schubert, referring to envelopes containing white powder received Thursday at Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City and the Mormon Temple in Westwood. (Authorities are investigating, but the incident has not been linked to gay-marriage backers.)
The Los Angeles Police Department said officers will be out in force for Saturday's demonstration at City Hall. Authorities estimate that as many as 40,000 people could attend, more than previous Proposition 8 marches but nowhere near the size of immigration rights protests held in 2006.
