by Wyatt Buchanan

SAN FRANCISCO - Outrage and anguish over the passage of Proposition 8 has spurred massive street protests throughout California, and leaders of the gay and lesbian community believe the backlash could spark an unprecedented nationwide push for gay rights.

Today, same-sex marriage supporters have planned simultaneous protests throughout California and in all 50 states, as well as cities in Canada, England and Australia.

It's a never-before-seen response, surpassing in size and scope even the 1969 Stonewall riots, which started the modern gay rights movement after New York City police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar.

"This is unprecedented and very significant, and we must not allow it to be a fleeting moment of screaming and yelling," said longtime activist Cleve Jones. He is calling for seven weeks of sustained protest and civil disobedience to force federal action on a host of gay-rights issues, calling the state-by-state pursuit of rights a "failed strategy."

"This has got to be made real," he said.

So far, the protests are being organized not by the large and established gay-rights organizations, but largely by individuals spreading the word via the Internet and cell phones.

The backlash after Tuesday's vote has been enormous and wide-reaching. People and businesses have become targets of blacklists and boycotts. Two temples of the Mormon church, which advocated for the marriage ban, received letters containing a white powder, though the FBI determined the substance was not toxic and do not know who sent them.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay-rights organization, on Friday published a list of donors to the pro-Prop. 8 campaign.

What's next

What course the response ultimately takes remains to be seen. This uprising so far lacks clear leadership. The gay and lesbian community in San Francisco has called a town hall meeting for next week to begin to formulate a plan of action. Whatever their decision, the next step is likely to be something beyond California's borders.

"People around the country were watching this very closely," said Kellan Baker, a Washington, D.C., resident who is organizing today's protest there. "For Californians to go to the ballot box to strip people of civil rights they had been enjoying is, I guess, the last straw."

Stephen Vaisey, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of sociology, said he believes the response from supporters of same-sex marriage shows they did not really believe the ban would pass. Vaisey said he is closely watching the response and said it could be the first stage of a larger movement - but that depends on protesters.

"For that, you need to get beyond some of the stuff that is happening," he said. "If the focus is a religious group that is not going to change its doctrine and has no power over public policy, then what you get is a backlash, not a movement."

Individuals targeted

The boycotts and blacklists are affecting not only the political faces behind the Prop. 8 campaign, but also individual supporters.

Phillip Fletcher, a Palo Alto dentist who donated $1,000 to the campaign, is featured prominently on a Web site listing donors targeted for boycott. He said two of his patients already have left over the donation. On Sunday, protesters were outside the Mormon church he attends, and he said they were cursing at adults and children who came for the service.

"I'm not sure if it's so much equal rights or if they are trying to silence, threaten and intimidate a group of people," Fletcher said.

Mormons decry protests

On Friday, the Mormon church's top leaders, known as the First Presidency, officially responded to the fallout from the vote. In a statement, they said, "These are not actions that are worthy of the democratic ideals of our nation. The end of a free and fair election should not be the beginning of a hostile response in America."

The campaign behind Prop. 8 is not planning any sort of counterprotest, and leaders of the campaign said they are frustrated by the aggressive response they have seen since election day.

"The election is over. There was a full and high-profile discussion of the issue and voters turned out in record numbers to decide it," said Andrew Pugno, general counsel for the Yes on 8 campaign.

Critical court case

What could get opponents of same-sex marriage in the street, however, would be the state Supreme Court tossing out the vote, he said. San Francisco city officials, joined by the city of Los Angeles and Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties, have petitioned the court to do just that.

"I think you'll have a revolution on your hands at that point," Pugno said.

Whether it gets to that point, some people on both sides believe the debate on the issue should be over.

Dan Savage, who is editorial director of the Seattle weekly the Stranger and who has written extensively on same-sex marriage, said he believes it's no longer acceptable for people to support some rights for gays and lesbians but not marriage.

"To borrow a phrase, either you're with us or you're against us," Savage said.

Today's protests

Cities around the state and country expect gay-rights protests today. Here are the planned protests in the Bay Area. All events will occur at city hall buildings from 10:30 a.m. to noon unless otherwise noted.

-- Alameda

-- Berkeley

-- Fairfield

-- Fremont

-- Mill Valley, Depot Bookstore & Cafe

-- Mountain View, 1 to 2 p.m.

-- Napa

-- Oakland

-- Santa Cruz, County Courthouse

-- San Francisco

-- San Jose

-- San Rafael

-- Santa Rosa, Courthouse Square, 10 a.m.

-- Vacaville

-- Walnut Creek