Activists Protest Same-Sex Marriages

Randy Thomasson stood outside the marriage office of Santa Ana’s Old Courthouse on Friday and called same-sex marriages in San Francisco a sham.

It was news conference No. 12 for Thomasson and his group, Campaign for California Families, in a 14-stop tour from San Francisco to San Diego to oppose same-sex marriage.

The subdued gathering, at which reporters rivaled the number of supporters present, contrasted with more visible -- and raucous -- events elsewhere. Lawmakers argued the issue in Massachusetts, lawyers battled over it in state courts and gay couples flocked to San Francisco to obtain marriage licenses, racing against a possible court injunction.

“When this building was built, people understood that marriage can only happen between a man and a woman,” Thomasson said, pointing to the old pink courthouse where more than 6,000 couples marry each year.

As a show of political power, his group passed out a list of 149 candidates running in the March 2 primary who have signed a pledge opposing same-sex marriage.

Three Orange County candidates appeared at the news conference to pledge their support and criticize opponents who didn’t. They were Assembly candidates Mark Leyes (68th District), Marianne Zippi (70th District) and congressional candidate Alexandria Coronado (47th District).

Gay rights groups responded by dismissing the list as old news.

“They’ve had this pledge around for years,” said Geoffrey Kors, director of Equality California, an advocacy group for gay couples.

“It’s all just part of a dog-and-pony-show they’re doing around the state by trotting out antigay politicians,” said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

As a sign of their own political power, gay rights groups pointed to 19 co-sponsors of a bill introduced by Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) on Thursday that seeks to legalize same-sex marriages.

Campaign for California Families is part of the coalition against Leno’s bill, and is leading one of two court petitions to stop San Francisco from issuing same-sex marriage licenses. The group is also asking state courts to overturn two laws that give limited rights to gay couples.

Shortly after Friday’s event in Santa Ana, a judge in San Francisco postponed a hearing on another group’s petition for injunction until Tuesday.

But the court will not be the crucial arena in a long-term fight, Thomasson said.

“The legislative is much more important than the legal,” he said, which is why his group has pressed candidates to sign pledges and holds news conferences.

“Legislators and voters make the law; the judge only applies it.”