by Angela J. Bass/SAN FRANCISCO

Earle Kirkland and Duane Barker spent 17 years in a committed relationship before legally exchanging vows on the marble steps in San Francisco’s City Hall this past June, after the California Supreme Court lifted the ban on gay marriage, calling it unconstitutional. Some 18,000 same-sex couples tied the knot between June 17 and Election Day, when the passage of Prop 8 interrupted honeymoon trips midflight.

“We were very disappointed about the outcome [of Prop 8],” said Kirkland, clutching a picket sign emblazoned with a large, glossy photo of him and Barker kissing on their summer wedding day. “It’s very disappointing that [52 percent of California voters] don’t want to allow us to express our love.”

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By Clayton Trosclair/SAN FRANCISCO

The passage of California Proposition 8 has sparked statewide protests this weekend, with tens of thousands of gay activists marching in big cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as smaller communities that have not traditionally been a hotbed of gay activism.

The measure, which passed on Nov. 4 with 52 percent of the vote, changes the state constitution to take away the right of gays and lesbians to marry. 

On Friday in San Francisco, an estimated 5,000 demonstrators marched from Civic Center to the Castro and Dolores Park. Police officers stopped traffic and escorted the crowd down Market Street. 

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by Angela J. Bass/OAKLAND

When the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage on June 17, thousands of couples danced to the alter to exchange their vows. An estimated 16,000 couples have been married since then.

Oakland resident Lisa Bach and her wife, Karen Verpeet, tied the knot in August and were among the many newlyweds holding their breath on Tuesday night as poll results on California’s Prop. 8, an attempt to amend the constitution to prevent gays from marrying legally, trickled in from across the state.

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by Nick Burns/West Berkeley

Proponents and opponents of Proposition 8 took their get-out-the-vote efforts to the streets — or freeway — today. A dozen volunteers set up camp on a pedestrian overpass near University Avenue in West Berkeley, hanging banners and waving signs as commuters drove along highway 80, a major traffic corridor connecting Sacramento and San Francisco.

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By Nick Burns/BERKELEY

Proponents and opponents of Proposition 8 took their get-out-the-vote efforts to the streets — or freeway — today. A dozen volunteers set up camp on a pedestrian overpass near University Avenue in West Berkeley, hanging banners and waving signs as commuters drove along highway 80, a major traffic corridor connecting Sacramento and San Francisco.

Beginning as early as 6:30 in the morning, signs for and against the controversial proposition appeared  across the north and southbound sides of the overpass. But by early afternoon, supporters of an amendment to California’s constitution that would ban gay marriage left the scene, leaving a hopeful group of opponents unhindered by competing efforts.

If passed, Proposition 8 would overturn a recent California Supreme Court decision that gay marriage is a constitutional right, and nullify the thousands of legal gay marriages performed in the last few months.

Here, East Bay West Online caught up with one emotional opponent who spent his lunch hour encouraging commuters to vote no on Prop. 8.

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by Nick Burns/WEST BERKELEY

Local democratic campaign volunteers worked furiously into the night preparing for tomorrow’s historic election. Armed with cell phones, area residents manned tables at Berkeley’s United Democratic Campaign office to encourage voters to cast their ballots. Children of volunteers also participated in phone banking efforts, leaving messages pleading for residents to reelect Mayor Tom Bates and vote against Proposition 8, which seeks to ban gay marriage by amending the state constitution.

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