SAN DIEGO
–
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' surprising support of same-sex marriage. A mobilized church effort to end such unions through Proposition 8. A strong showing at county polls in favor of the measure.
There are a number of theories on why, of all the nation's 300 or so protests Saturday against California's newly approved same-sex marriage ban, the San Diego event was believed the biggest.
The march and rally drew at least 20,000 people, double the number seen in San Francisco or Los Angeles and the largest in San Diego since 50,000 people took to the streets to support immigration rights in 2006.
“This is not just a gay issue. It's a community issue, it's a civil rights issue,” said Sara Beth Brooks, an El Cajon resident who organized Saturday's event. “People want their voices to be heard.”
The turnout may have been higher than in other parts of the state because 54 percent of San Diego County voted for Proposition 8, prompting a greater backlash than in, say, San Francisco, where it was handily defeated.
Statewide, the measure passed Nov. 4 with 52 percent of the vote.
Saturday's large turnout didn't surprise Brooks. Before the event, she had predicted a crowd of 20,000. To others, it was most certainly a surprise.
The county “isn't the bluest region of California,” said Eric Schiller, who helped organize the San Francisco protest. “Perhaps because San Diego isn't known for demonstrations, more people took part.”
San Francisco's showing was about as expected, Schiller said, given that so many nearby protests were also taking place.
Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate said San Diego's turnout could be in part because the battle over Proposition 8 began here. Some of the largest contributions to get the measure on the ballot came from local residents, including Doug Manchester, whose Grand Manchester Hyatt downtown hotel was later targeted by boycotts.
Additionally, a number of key religious leaders who advocated for Proposition 8 are based in the San Diego area, including the Rev. Jim Garlow of Skyline Church in Rancho San Diego.
“You're at ground zero,” Karger said.
Another theory: Sanders' tearful 2007 announcement that he was supporting same-sex marriage because his daughter is a lesbian.
When the Republican mayor reversed his stance “in such a dramatic fashion,” he threw local attention to the issue, said Todd Gloria, an incoming San Diego city councilman who is openly gay.
Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego, wouldn't speculate on an explanation for the turnout. “You've got me,” he said.
But he said it's impressive because it happened in San Diego, which is normally considered “stodgy and conservative.” If San Francisco had the biggest crowds, no heads would have turned.
“So it does have an impact,” Kousser said.
Michael Stetz: (619) 293-1720; michael.stetz@uniontrib.com
