Crowds march in protest of gay marriage veto
Manuel Ramos, CBS5 News
September 30, 2005

See the CBS television news video

Supporters of same-sex unions held rallies in San Francisco and across the state Friday, in protest of the governor's gay marriage veto.

In the Castro, the march and rally were a family affair. Ed Valenzuela and Gary Walker marched with their daughter Kiki.

"We feel strongly that we deserve to be married," Walker said. "We were there for a little while, and it felt right."

More than half of those marching down Market Friday were married at one time, only to have the courts overturn gay and lesbian marriages. Many of those couples are raising children together.

"Our opponents on the right keep talking about family rights, but they don't seem to have any concern for our family," father Imber Dhillon says. "We want the same rights as anyone else."

The most vocal opponent to gay and lesbian marriages is a group called The Campaign for Children and Families. Spokesman Randy Thomason says traditional marriages offer children the best chance.

"Children do better developmentally when they have both a mother and a father," Thomason says. "Single parents know this. It's harder to raise children when you're a single parent.  Men and women are different in what they give to children."

Marina Gatto has two moms. But without marriage, only one has full rights over the 17-year-old.

"I'm considered a stranger to one of my moms," Gatto says.  The governor is able to live his American dream. My family's American dream is one of basic civil rights."

The governor says he respects the rights of gays and lesbians, but said the marriage bill just confused the issue. Many gay and lesbian parents felt the bill would have made it clear. They could get married, and have families too.