California polls shock gay marriage supporters

Supporters of gay marriage in California are scrambling to raise funds in response to an unexpectedly strong campaign by Christian conservatives and others to amend the state constitution and ban the practice.

Proposition 8, a state ballot initiative up for a vote on November 4, would amend the state constitution so that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California".

Gay rights activists were shocked when a public opinion poll published this month found 47 per cent of respondents favoured the measure, with 42 per cent opposed and 10 per cent undecided. The result was based on polls conducted through the summer in this usually liberal-minded state.

A spokesman for "No on 8", the group leading the charge against the proposed amendment, said it had been caught off-guard by a television advertisement blitz by gay marriage opponents. "They have raised a tremendous amount of money, and as a result they have significantly out-bought us on TV," said Steve Schmidt. "Every time somebody sees one of our ads, they've seen two of theirs."

Mr Schmidt said more than 11,000 gay couples had tied the knot in California since May, when the state's supreme court struck down two laws that limited marriage to unions between a man and a woman in a split decision. The move effectively cleared the way for local authorities to begin issuing marriage licences to gay couples.

The advertising campaign backing the proposition, launched last month, features footage of San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom speaking before supporters about gay marriage, saying "The door's wide open now. It's gonna happen, whether you like it or not."

As of last week, gay marriage opponents had raised more than $19.7m, compared with $18.5m raised by gay marriage supporters, according to data compiled by the Los Angeles Times.

Brad Pitt, the actor, and Steven Spielberg, the film director, are among those who have contributed large sums to the "No on 8" campaign. Christian groups, including the Mormon church, are among the biggest financial supporters of the marriage ban.

Mr Schmidt played down suggestions that an expected high turnout on election day by African-American voters supporting Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama could be contributing to the "Yes on Proposition 8" campaign's strong performance at the polls.

"There is no question that African-American and Latino communities are social conservative communities," Mr Schmidt said.

But he added that younger voters – among whom Mr Obama has also performed well – tended to have more favourable views towards same-sex marriage.

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