Prop. 8 Showdown Looms at California Supreme Court; Vandalism Continues

Sacramento, CA – After enduring months of a heated campaign, most Californians assumed that last week’s decisive vote in favor of Prop. 8 and traditional marriage would at least temporarily quiet the debate over gay marriage in the state. Not so, according to gay activists who are continuing to protest and have even filed lawsuits with the California Supreme Court seeking to stop Prop. 8 from being implemented.

Attorney Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, understands voters’ frustration but is optimistic that, ultimately, the people will prevail. “Several million voters across the ideological and political spectrum came together to support Prop. 8,” Dacus noted. “Undoing the people’s decision at this point would destroy the rule of law.” Pacific Justice Institute will be filing papers in the California Supreme Court within the next few days to counter arguments being made by groups such as Lambda and the ACLU.

Meanwhile, angry protests and vandalism have been reported up and down the state as gay activists refuse to accept the results of the election. A Mormon church near Sacramento was spray-painted with “No on 8” messages over the weekend. Parishioners at a Catholic church in Riverside found Prop. 8-related signs arranged in a swastika on the church’s front lawn. Even Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church was targeted by nearly a thousand protesters, despite the church’s groundbreaking efforts to bring together evangelicals and liberal politicians to combat the global AIDS epidemic.

Dacus believes the ongoing vandalism and protests against Prop. 8 will backfire. He noted, “Californians are among the most tolerant people in the world. They are also not stupid, and they deliberately rejected forced acceptance of gay marriage, while leaving in place domestic partnerships and a host of other special rights based for homosexuals. The hatred and intimidation we are seeing right now from gay activists could set their movement back years. If anything, they are convincing a lot of Californians that we did the right thing by not caving in to their demands.”