Groups on both sides of an initiative that would
amend the state constitution to ban same-sex
marriage are trying to raise millions of dollars in
coming months.
"We will continue working to raise as much as we can
and intend to mount a very strong campaign," Geoff
Kors, executive director of Equality California, the
statewide LGBT group leading the effort to defeat the
amendment, wrote in a statement to the Bay Area
Reporter . "The other side raised close to $2 million
just to buy their way onto the ballot and they are saying
they will raise in excess of $10 million for the
campaign. We will need to match them dollar for
dollar."
EQCA is spearheading Equality for All, a statewide
coalition of LGBT and allied groups that has formed to
fight the measure.
ProtectMarriage.com, the group backing the anti-gay
marriage amendment, used paid signature gatherers
around the state to collect names on petitions in
support of the initiative. Neither ProtectMarriage.com
nor the National Organization for Marriage, another
key backer of the amendment, responded to requests
for comment.
As previously reported in the B.A.R. , the group
announced last week that it had gathered more than
1.2 million signatures. The deadline for turning in
signatures was Monday, April 28. The initiative needs
694,354 valid signatures, or 8 percent of the votes
cast in the last governor's race, to make it onto the
ballot. Verifying the signatures is expected to take
weeks.
Kors said help from initiative opponents is crucial in
the coming months, but he's optimistic.
"It's going to take the community putting in more hours
and giving more money than we ever had before, but
we can win in November," he said in an April 24
phone interview.
So far this year Equality for All has raised about
$659,000. This includes money from the Equality
California Issues PAC.
