At least 400 protest outside Mormon Church, thousands more in Sacramento

Viriginia Sorgi (with hat) of Oakland reads the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from cards as she stands with other protesters in front of a line of police officers at the Oakland Mormon Temple to protest the passage of Proposition 8 on Sunday, November 9, 2008 in Oakland, Calif. less Viriginia Sorgi (with hat) of Oakland reads the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from cards as she stands with other protesters in front of a line of police officers at the Oakland Mormon Temple to ... more Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close At least 400 protest outside Mormon Church, thousands more in Sacramento 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

A couple thousand people gathered outside the Capitol in Sacramento this afternoon to rally for the legalization of same-sex marriages just days after voters imposed a constitutional ban.

The gathering follows several similar events around the Bay Area and California. Earlier today, more than 400 people gathered outside the distinctive Mormon Temple in Oakland to protest the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' support of Proposition 8.

That gathering prompted the Highway Patrol to shut down two Highway 13 ramps to protect pedestrians. The ramps at Lincoln Avenue and Joaquin Miller Road reopened around 2 p.m.

And amid chants of "Stop Mormon hate" and "Enough is enough," many protesters worried that they had been complacent before the Nov. 4 election. A previous protest outside the Mormon Temple on Oct. 25 drew only about 50 people.

"I don't think people thought it was going to pass," said Carrie Blanche, 52, an Alameda schoolteacher who got married Oct. 29.

In Southern California, about 1,000 gay-rights advocates gathered outside the large Saddleback Church in Lake Forest (Orange County) to protest the evangelical congregation's involvement in passing Proposition 8. An estimated 10,000 backers of gay and lesbian marriage gathered Saturday in San Diego.

The rallies have been generally peaceful, with crowd members waving U.S. and rainbow flags and carrying signs. In Sacramento this afternoon, a few protesters said they were hopeful the courts would strike down the voter-approved ban while others said they would push for another statewide initiative.

Meanwhile, opponents of same-sex marriage have been relatively silent. At the Mormon Church in Oakland, church spokesman Don Eaton said his congregation had been unfairly singled out. He pointed out that Mormons make up only 5 percent of California voters and many other religious groups also advocated for the same-sex marriage ban.

"We're an easy target. People have been picking on us for years and we can accept that," said Eaton, who said church leaders asked members to support the initiative. Mormons are believed to have contributed several million dollars to the campaign, according to estimates.

One of the organizers of the Oakland protest, Ted DeBenedictis, said the church had been forewarned about the rally, which was not held during religious services.

Protesters at the Oakland event waved both American and rainbow flags and held signs that said "I am a child of God" and "Mormon church: latter-day discrimination." Two men in a passing car popped out of a sun roof and kissed passionately, drawing applause.

Some of those who gathered advocated for a boycott of travel to Utah, the home of the Mormon Church, and of Mormon-owned businesses. A flier that was passed out listed several such firms and asked that "gay dollars" not be spent at Utah ski resorts and at the Sundance Film Festival in January in Park City, Utah.