About 150 people gathered in San Jose in support of same-sex marriage and against Prop 8. The candlelight vigil and others were organized by the Santa Clara Council of Churches. The message they wanted everyone to take away was that no law can or should be written that can take away or deny the love between two people.
At San Jose's Metropolitan Community Church there is a sense of loss and the need to unify and fight among these supporters of same-sex marriage. The San Jose vigil, and five others like it in the South Bay, hope to show Prop 8 supporters that they have deprived people of a sacred and loving right.
"They took away the right and choice to be able to decide what I want to do with my life, whether I want to marry or not," said Pamela Reed, a same-sex marriage supporter.
Aejaie Sellers the CEO of the Billy DeFrank LGBT Center in San Jose They Prop 8 has not yet been carved in stone as its supporters might believe.
"One of the nice things about being in the United States, is that documents that rule our country are living documents and are constantly in flux, and so can constantly be changed and monitored," said Sellers.
Sellers says these outcries rallies and vigils are a result of a community in pain.
"This is maybe awake up call that maybe it's not quite as wonderful as we thought it was," said Sellers.
Prop 8 supporter and Mormon, Don Eaton, told ABC7 News that marriage is between a man and a woman it's that simple.
"It's been that way since the beginning of recorded time," said Eaton.
Supporters of Prop 8 on November first staged a huge rally at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Evangelist Lou Engle who organized the rally says the proposition has passed and should be obeyed. He issued the following statement Monday: "This is a terrible display of defiance against the American electoral process. Proposition 8 passed with a majority of Californians supporting it."
ABC7 legal analyst Dean Johnson says a majority of Californians may not have the right to revise the California Constitution by proposition.
"But what's intended there are only minor changes, not structural changes. When you change a fundamental right, when you take it away, your undermining two of the basic building blocks of constitutional law, due process and equal protection," said Johnson.
There are already three legal challenges going up against Prop 8 and ABC7 News was told by supporters of Prop 8 that in the next couple of days, they're going to be holding a news conference outlining exactly how they are going to make sure Prop 8 stays intact.
