Marriage fight to be costly

Since June 16, Californians have been bombarded with images of gay marriage: men kissing men, women embracing women, with friends and family celebrating alongside.

Now both backers and foes of Proposition 8, a November ballot initiative that would amend California’s Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, are employing those images and others in their fundraising strategies.

As of Friday, the initiative’s supporters had raised nearly $2.3 million, its foes about $1.3 million. Consultants predict that by the time voters go to the polls 4 1/2 months from now, each side will have raised $15 million or more.

“In many people’s minds, it is the civil rights issue of the day, if not the decade,” said Steve Smith, the leading political consultant working to keep same-sex marriage legal in California. “People are very focused on it across the country.”

Fundraising for the campaigns is only now beginning in a serious way. But groups on each side will rely on images to help them persuade constituents to dip into their pockets.

Human Rights Campaign, which advocates for gay rights from its base in Washington, D.C., featured on its website a photo of Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin of San Francisco, who have lived together since the Eisenhower administration. They made news around the country when they exchanged vows the evening of June 16.

“Help preserve this momentous victory -- donate to HRC,” the caption reads.

Human Rights Campaign has contributed $242,600 so far to defeat the initiative.

On the home page of the National Organization for Marriage, based in New Jersey, a photo prominently shows a different type of family: a man and a woman cuddling a small girl.

“If my Dad married a man, who would be my Mom?” the caption reads. A “donate” button is directly above.

The California arm of the National Organization for Marriage has collected $1.1 million from 80 donors to promote the November initiative.

The California initiative would amend the state Constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. Voters approved similar wording in a 2000 ballot initiative, but the measure did not amend the state’s Constitution. In May, the California Supreme Court ruled that denying gays the right to marry violated the Constitution.

Although the measure affects only Californians, the battle will extend far beyond the state. Both sides intend to use the Internet to raise money and are receiving donations from across the country.

Opponents have raised 44% of their money from groups and individuals outside California. Backers have raised 34% from outside the state.

The measure is attracting outside interest in part because of its national implications. Out-of-state couples are coming here to marry, and could then sue their home states for not recognizing California marriages.

“It’s hard to look at a crystal ball and know what will happen,” said Michael Bauer, a major Democratic activist and fundraiser in Chicago who is gay. “That being said, this has massive ramifications, many of which we cannot predict. It is incredibly important from a national perspective to defeat this ballot initiative.”

Backers of the measure agree. “This is indeed a national fight for marriage,” said Bruce Hausknecht, attorney and policy analyst for Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Focus on the Family, a nonprofit corporation headed by Christian author and radio personality James Dobson, is among the top contributors so far in support of the measure, having donated $386,000.

Focus on the Family also was a top donor in 2004, when voters passed measures banning same-sex marriage in 13 states (but not in California).

Spending for and against this year’s initiative almost certainly will dwarf what was spent in all of the 2004 contests. Then, opponents of same-sex marriage spent a combined $6.8 million on the measures and supporters spent $6.6 million, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonprofit group based in Helena, Mont.

“The recent court ruling has elevated the issue,” said Edwin Bender, the institute’s executive director. “As California goes, the rest of the country goes eventually. There will be more money.”

At its early stage, funding for the measure has been something of a replay of California’s first marriage initiative. Christian conservative Howard Ahmanson Jr., the Orange County scion of a savings-and-loan fortune, has donated $400,000. Ahmanson was a six-figure donor to California’s previous initiative.

Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic organization based in Connecticut, has given $250,000. Its California affiliate has chipped in $25,000. Catholic organizations were significant backers of the measure eight years ago.

The president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged members in a letter to be read from the pulpit today to donate “means and time” to help pass the amendment and “preserve the sacred institution of marriage.” Eight years ago, church members were encouraged to support the 2000 measure.

New donors include William Bolthouse, formerly of a Central Valley farming company, at $100,000, and self-storage company owner Terrence Caster and others in his San Diego County family, at $256,000.

Frank Schubert, the Sacramento consultant overseeing the main campaign in favor of this year’s initiative, estimated that a one-week television campaign in California this fall would cost $5 million.

Schubert said he doubted that supporters of Proposition 8 would air any ads before Labor Day, traditionally the start of the fall campaign.

Smith, the consultant spearheading the opposition to the initiative, did not rule out an early round of ads this summer. Both sides vowed to wage positive campaigns.

“We intend to run a positive, uplifting campaign,” Schubert said. “We are not going to be attacking gays. We are going to be affirming marriage, encouraging marriage and supporting marriage.”

Of course, any individual or group can raise money and run its own ads during the initiative campaign. Schubert and Smith would have no control over such efforts.

On the “no” side, the bulk of the money has come from nonprofit organizations that advocate for gay rights. Major individual donors such as Hollywood billionaire David Geffen, who gave heavily eight years ago, have not yet contributed.

“We feel we need to match them dollar for dollar,” said Geoff Kors of Equality California, which has raised $424,000 against the measure.

Kors’ group makes a point of making fundraising appeals to same-sex couples who marry, asking that they encourage people in their wedding parties to contribute. The group has established a wedding registry -- like those at department stores -- in which couples can encourage celebrators to donate.

Kors also is sending regular e-mails requesting money. Soon after Focus on the Family’s latest $250,000 donation became public on the California secretary of state’s website, Kors signed an electronic missive decrying the group’s effort “to ban marriage for same sex-couples.”

His e-mails also have a celebratory tone, trumpeting the marriage of Lyon and Martin and of others who had been in years-long relationships and are now able to wed.

“There is no question the images helped,” Smith said. “They showed gay and lesbian couples are like other couples. They get married, they have children. Very often couples had been together 10, 20, 30 years or more. This is the human of side of this issue.”

dan.morain@ latimes.com