DALLAS (AP) -- About 1,200 people gathered outside Dallas City Hall on Saturday to protest passage of California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state.
Across the country, gay rights advocates urged supporters not to quit the fight for the right to wed.
Crowds gathered in cities including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Fargo, N.D., to vent their frustrations, celebrate gay relationships and renew calls for change.
Rallies were also held in Houston, San Antonio and Austin, where about 1,000 people attended a protest at City Hall.
In Dallas, Louise Young, who attended the event with her partner, Vivienne Armstrong, said the issue involves legal rights.
"This is not a religious issue," said Young, 61, of Dallas.
Etta Zamboni, who organized Dallas' rally, told The Dallas Morning News that the California measure has galvanized gays and lesbians to step up the battle for gay rights.
"It impacts us because it takes our rights away," Zamboni said. "If they can do it in California, then they can do it elsewhere."
Across from Dallas City Hall, Angela Cummings, 38, of Irving, and nine other people protested the rally with a bullhorn and a cross.
No confrontations occurred between the two sides, but gay rights activists filed complaints against the group with police.
(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
