'Stop the hate in 2008!'

Los Angeles - Thousands of gay rights supporters took to the streets of Hollywood late on Wednesday outraged that California had voted to ban same-sex marriages.

The historic presidential win of Barack Obama, who promises to be far more socially liberal than his predecessor, was therefore a bitter-sweet moment for California's gay community as a simultaneous referendum went against them.

Voters approved the constitutional amendment by a margin of 52.5 to 47.5%, according to near complete results.

Known as "Proposition 8," the proposal was trumpeted by conservative groups as the people's way of overturning the legalisation of gay marriage back in May.

For the gay community, however, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

Angry crowds thronged the streets in central West Hollywood, the heart of Los Angeles' gay community, chanting slogans and waving signs.

"Stop the hate in 2008!" went one chant. "Keep religion out of my Constitution!" was another.

Protestor Jason Louis wrote the words "I am a victim of H-8" (H for Hate) on his bare chest.

Couples in legal limbo

The referendum circumvents a California Supreme Court ruling in May that legalises gay marriage by amending the state constitution to add the phrase: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California."

The court's May ruling overturned an earlier plebiscite in 2000, when 61% of voters agreed marriage should be defined as only being between a man and a woman.

Fearing that Proposition 8 could be approved, thousands of same-sex couples rushed to tie the knot since June, and especially in the last days.

The ruling now leaves thousands of gay couples in a legal limbo.

Those couples include some celebrity marriages such as comedienne Ellen DeGeneres who wed her long-time girlfriend Portia de Rossi in August.

"I feel anger, I feel frustration," Louis, 34, told AFP.

"I just got married last Sunday, we did it two days before the Election Day because I knew that Yes on Prop 8 could win. Now we don't know what is going to happen, but for sure it will be a long, long legal battle."

Police said at least 2 000 people gathered for the march, but the crowd continued to swell after that estimate. Protestors included families with children and clerics from progressive churches.

A lesbian couple planned to file a new suit to prevent Proposition 8 from being implemented.

"The new lawsuit will contain a new and controversial legal argument as to why Prop 8 is unconstitutional," said their attorney Gloria Allred.

- AFP