Source: Associated Press via San Francisco Chronicle, Deb Price via AlterNet
The sponsors of a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage in California claimed Monday to have gathered enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

A coalition of religious groups called Protect Marriage collected more than 1.1 million signatures in support of the amendment, said Brian Brown, executive director of the California office of the National Organization for Marriage.

The initiative needs 694,354 signatures, or 8 percent of the votes cast in the last governor's race, to make it onto the ballot.

"We have gone against tremendous odds to do this, and now the voters in California will have the chance to protect marriage," Brown told the Associated Press.

Supporters of the Limit on Marriage initiative plan to deliver their signed petitions to county registrars this week, ahead of the April 28 submission deadline set by the California Secretary of State's Office. The signatures must be verified before the amendment can be approved for the election.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said earlier this month that he would campaign against the measure if it makes it onto the ballot.

Asked at the gay Log Cabin Republicans' recent national convention in San Diego whether he would join them in opposing the ballot initiative Schwarzenegger began, "First of all, I think that (such a ban) would never happen in California because I think California people are much further along on that issue."

Then, as every heart in the room skipped a beat, he delivered some of the most important lines of his career: "And, No. 2, I will always be there to fight against that -- because it should never happen."

The audience leapt to its feet and gave the governor of the nation's most influential state a standing ovation.

Although gay men and lesbians cannot legally wed in California, opponents of same-sex unions want the ban written into the state Constitution. In that way, neither the Legislature nor the California Supreme Court can legalize gay marriage without approval from voters.

Backers of the marriage limit were especially anxious to put the question before voters this fall because the state's Supreme Court, which has a tradition of gay-friendly rulings, will rule on marriage by early June.

If the court sides with fairness, it could immediately open marriage to gay couples or encourage the legislature to do so. Lawmakers have twice passed such legislation, vetoed by Schwarzenegger, who wants the court to weigh in. (He has signed more than 20 gay-rights bills.)

If passed by a majority of voters, the constitutional amendment would overturn a court ruling in favor of marriage equality.

Seth Kilbourn, political director of Equality California, the state's largest gay-rights lobbying group, told AP that the amount of money the initiative's sponsors spent and their use of paid petition circulators showed that California voters may be reluctant to write a same-sex marriage ban into the state Constitution.

"We are confident we will be able to defeat this measure, when and if it appears on the ballot," he said.

The National Organization for Marriage, headquartered in New Jersey, and the Colorado-based Focus on the Family have contributed heavily to the Protect Marriage campaign. It also has received significant backing from the Knights of Columbus.

Full article: Backers of Calif. gay marriage ban ready to submit petitions | SF Chronicle (AP)
Schwarzenegger Backs Gay Rights | AlterNet (Deb Price)